Cruise control won't work when cold

nfisherman · December 9, 2013

I have a 2008 Yukon XL w/5.3L. For the past couple of days, my cruise control won't work when the temperature is below about 25 degrees F. I can press the set button but nothing happens. After I drive a while and things get warmed up a bit, it works fine. I assume that some component is on its way out but I don't know where to start looking. There are no warning lights on. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks.

Carder09 · December 9, 2013

Need to look up a diagram. I don't think its wiring but definitely an component in the system.

nfisherman · December 22, 2013

I think I may have found the problem. I found another thread on here that talked about the brake light switch causing cruise control problems. It didn't say anything about cold weather being an issue but it was otherwise similar to my problem. One cold morning, my cc didn't work so I wiggled the brake pedal with my foot. The cc started working. My local O'Reilly store had the AC Delco switch for $14. I put the new switch on today. I'll have to wait for colder weather to see if the problem is gone.

nfisherman · December 24, 2013

My $14 gamble paid off. It got down to 5 degrees last night and it was 14 degrees when I got in my Yukon this morning. The cruise control worked perfectly. It was giving me problems if the temperature got below 25 degrees. It was the brake light switch.

gregkamerr · January 29, 2017

I think I may have found the problem. I found another thread on here that talked about the brake light switch causing cruise control problems. It didn't say anything about cold weather being an issue but it was otherwise similar to my problem. One cold morning, my cc didn't work so I wiggled the brake pedal with my foot. The cc started working. My local O'Reilly store had the AC Delco switch for $14. I put the new switch on today. I'll have to wait for colder weather to see if the problem is gone.

My cruise control is doing the same thing. If the temp is under about 30 degrees, I have to drive about 40 miles before the cruise will turn on. Can you tell me how to replace this brake switch?

nfisherman · January 29, 2017

Here's a YouTube video that explains it better than I could:

It's a simple repair and only takes about 20 minutes. The hardest part is contorting yourself to reach up under the dash. Good luck.

Shevyowner · January 30, 2019

It's -2° here and a high of 7° and my cruise only worked after driving for a little bit and the heater had kicked on for a few miles. Replaced the brake light switch as suggested and it cured the issue. Cheap fix. I figure the grease in the switch had to warm up a little so the switch would retract fully, so it would stop cancelling the cruise shut off function. I wonder if my brake lights were on during that time. Hmm. I didn't notice, but it was usually daylight.

Mark2566 · February 23, 2020

My 2001 Silverado is doing the same thing. When I push the acc on the cc it shuts off until it warms up good. Does anyone know if the cc is associated with the brake booster. There’s been a couple of times that when I stepped on the brakes the petal was hard. Sign of a bad booster. Cold mornings the brake light on the dashboard comes on.

Rickey Van Dyke · February 15, 2025

Just found this topic.....for at least 3 seasons of cold weather in my 2011 Chevrolet Silverado I have delt with cruise control issues whenever the temp dropped below 55-60 degrees. I read y'all's comments about the brake light switch and got a new one.....$24 in 2025.....but it works like a charm! Thank you!

Edited February 15, 2025 by Rickey Van Dyke
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