Cruise Control

From Leicestershire, 5 posts

hi
i read with interest about your brake failure
i own a new citroen picasso and was on my way home 3 weeks ago coming down the m1 about
11-30pm and had the cruise control set at 80 mph, coming off at jun 21 touched the brakes nothing happened hit them a few times 99% sure the cruise did not disengage so hit the hand brake to slow it down lost control and wrote the car off luckily no other vehicle was involved.
i have just had citroen check the car and they say i have full brake pedal but are unable to check cruise control because of the damage to the car
I feel i am fighting a losing battle with them and as if they are thinking driver error
in 40 years of driving never had this before and feel very angry that they don't believe me
I came out of it with no serious injury but will the next person be as lucky
Can you tell me how bmw dealt with your vehicle
regards
john

1 post

hi
just letting people know i have had a failure of my cruise control to disengage, i have.... or should i say had...... a nice bmw 330 coupe, manual gearbox, petrol, on a 2001 y plate.
travelling on m6 between j37 and 38 friday 11th july with cruise set at 70mph came across slower moving traffic in middle and outside lane as lane 1 coned off for repairs, tried to disengage cruise using button on steering wheel but had no effect....... tried brakes, no immediate effect, had to force my way between a lorry in second lane and renault in 3rd lane while road angel still reading 70mph!.... managed to force my car into coned off lane 1 using hand brake and massive pressure on brake pedal..... ended up 300yrds in front of other cars involved.....causing major damage to my car on both sides and damaging the rear quarter of the renault which had a young family in with 3 kids!
the only saving grace was that everybody was allright, if just a little shook up..... police said they couldnt prove what i said but would take no further action...... until reading these comments i couldn't believe that such a thing could happen to other people but how wrong i was.
car is currently being assessed for repair but might end up being written off! not very happy that this has happened so would be interested in taking this matter up with bmw uk so any advice would be appreciated.

thanks

1 post

Hi

I am Stevie boys boss who pulled up the handbrake. Can you let me know what to do to help.

From Leicestershire, 5 posts

Hi

Hope you have more luck with BMW than we had with Citroen as they didn't want to know,
they insist that cruise control and brakes do not fail, well I hope it happens to the guy
who had answered my numerous phone calls at Citroen Uk, then perhaps something will
be done!

The car has been written off and replaced by my insurance company by another Picasso,
but I will not use my cruise control again.

2 posts

I have now had two episodes with my BMW 320d cruise control failing to disengage. The first was in October, when I was able to hit the On\Off button and slow down the car to avoid going into the back of an HGV which had pulled out in front of me. I put this down to driver error from wearing different shoes with wider soles and pressing on brake and clutch at the same time!

The second occasion was today and this time I know that I was pressing on the brake and also hit the steering column control. Nothing. I only avoided an accident at 70 mph by cutting left inside the HGVs (again) in front of me and driving with two wheels on the grass verge until the cruise control cut out and I was able to stop the car. I consider myself lucky to be alive.

I called BMW emergency services. They said they had never heard of such a problem and only agreed to send a technician when I told them there was a hissing noise coming from the rear of the car. He tested the diagnostics and said he could not find a anything wrong. He also displayed no knowledge of this kind of problem.

I am going to tell BMW that a number of people have experienced this and ask for the name and job title of the most senior person in their organisation responsible for vehicle safety. Has anyone else done this?

From Leicestershire, 5 posts

hi
i will be willing to take it further but mine was the citroen picasso
regards
john

1 post

Hi

I have just had the same problem with a 520D, where the cruise control did not disengage.

Did you ever get anywhere with BMW ?

Thanks

2 posts

I got absolutely no change from BMW. They carried out various diagnostic tests on my car and pronounced that they could not find any fault with it. The fact that I had twice experienced failure of the cruise control to disengage cut no ice with them at all. Neither were they interested in the accounts of others from the review centre to which I drew their attention. I no longer use the cruise control and will not be giving BMW any more business for this or any other car. In my view they are in denial about a clear problem with this piece of kit.

From Leicestershire, 5 posts

Originally posted by ronnieandkim on 5 May 2009 9:51 PM
I got absolutely no change from BMW. They carried out various diagnostic tests on my car and pronounced that they could not find any fault with it. The fact that I had twice experienced failure of the cruise control to disengage cut no ice with them at all. Neither were they interested in the accounts of others from the review centre to which I drew their attention. I no longer use the cruise control and will not be giving BMW any more business for this or any other car. In my view they are in denial about a clear problem with this piece of kit.


same thing with citroen, dont want to know
never used the cruise control since
have a 300c but wont use the cruise control on that
makes me sit back and think, how many crashes where someone has died
and they put it down to driver error,when it could have been something to do with the cruise control..?

From Leicestershire, 5 posts

Hi
just had Citroen come round to pick up car to do a job under warrantee and was telling him about my accident when the cruise did not disengage, and he said that happened in to a driver in Poland same thing cruise control would not disengage and he ploughed into a crowd of people killing several of them, and the car companies say there’s nothing wrong with cruise control, should have asked him if it was proven to be cruise control or not , if he brings the car back I will try to find out