I have a 2004 Ford Explorer (Sport, maybe?). I recently ran into a strange situation. When I was in a 35 mph, 10-mile construction zone at midnight in Pennsylvania, I set the cruise control at 35 mph. As I was going down a small hill, the car stalled. After the initial panic (every light on the dash came on & I had no acceleration or power steering/brakes), I stopped, turned the car off and then turned it back on. It started with no problem at all. After a few miles, I put it back on cruise control and it stalled again as I went down the next hill. So, it seems that this Explorer will stall at slow speeds, when on cruise control (and possibly because going downhill). Just a few days ago, I had the cruise control set at 65 and then used the 'Coast' feature to slow down because I was exiting onto a 35 mph road - the car stalled at about 40-45 mph (but the car was going UP a very small hill). I saw one forum that mentioned Explorers having problems with a PCM (Power Train Control Module) needing flashed with new software - or a throttle body assembly fault allowing RPMs to drop too low (below 500?). Do you know why this 2004 Explorer stalls whenever the cruise control is set and it is going at a slow speed?
You sould have recieved a "recall" notice in the mail about the cruise control for fire and failure issues. they are adding a fusable link where the cruise control harness connects to the brake master cylinder. if you have not had the recall performed yet you should SERIOUSLY consider getting it done, mainly so it doesnt catch fire, but "could" be the result of the failure you've been experiancing! btw, almost ALL Ford vehicles have been affected with the cruise control recall. hope this helps!
Cruise control was designed for freeway long distance driving not for low speed around town. you might want to clean your injectors also
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i have the same problem, i hear its common in 3rd gen explorers
i have the same problem went to ford dealer no idead because no codes flashed up?
i have the same problem been to ford they couldnt help, because no codes came up
Same problem at low speeds. I was driving through a small town in Iowa and was adjusting the cruise from 45mph to 35mph and the engine stalled. I put the car in neutral and restarted and kept driving like no problem. It happened two weeks later driving through another small town doing the exact same thing with adjusting the cruise. So far not to worried about it unless it starts happening at higher speeds
I understand that the Cruise Control was designed for higher speeds and is usually not good at maintaining your speed accurately when driving at less than 35 mph. However, on all of my previous cars, I have never had the engine STALL because I was using the cruise control! I want to know why operating this Explorer's cruise control at (or near) 35 mph will cause the engine to stall.
Same thing here, now my gas gauge is acting funky and my check engine light is on.
I will also add this info... in most (if not all) Ford vehicles the
cruise control does not work below 35mph. They are designed this way
on pupose to discourage cruise use in town. I have not personally seen
any vehicles with your concern of a stall though, the cruise just
disables itself below 35, it does not stall the vehicle. Best guess
from your symptom is that there is another underlying problem that use
of the cruise exacerbates. I will look into this one a little closer
and probably get back to you soon with more questions.
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