2004 Ford Explorer Stalling while in Cruise Control

Tiny
DIMARZO
  • MEMBER
  • 2004 FORD EXPLORER
  • V8
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 62,000 MILES
I have a 2004 Ford Explorer (V8 Eddie Bauer) I recently ran into a strange situation. I set the cruise control at 35 mph and as I was going down a small hill, the car stalled. I put it into neutral and it started with no problem at all. Do you know why this 2004 Explorer stalls whenever the cruise control is set and it is going at a slow speed?
Monday, February 8th, 2010 AT 12:06 PM

5 Replies

Tiny
2CARPRO JACK
  • MECHANIC
  • 11,533 POSTS
That is an odd one. Did it or has it lit the check engine light when doing this? Regardless you may want to have the PCM scanned to see if it stored anything in the freeze frame/failure records that may lead to the fix. There isnt anything directly related that I can think of that would cause stalling when cruise is on, it should go down to idle if it disengages. If your vehicle has traction control, it may have an issue with the IVD (Integrated vehicle dynamics) module which is coupled with the ABS-traction control module. Does your have traction control?
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Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 AT 7:14 AM
Tiny
DIMARZO
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
The Explorer does have traction control. My local mechanic is also puzzled by this problem and I was hoping that you could get things started with a suggestion. I will have him scan the PCM and check the IVD module. Anything else that you can suggest would be appreciated. I checked on the internet and it seems that others are having the same problem, but I found no one with an answer on how to fix the problem.
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Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 AT 2:21 PM
Tiny
2CARPRO JACK
  • MECHANIC
  • 11,533 POSTS
Did a little looking too, seems that a few suggest a new TPS, but didnt see if it fixed anything. Looks like flashing the PCM doesnt do anything, so we can skip that. When it dies, does it slowly drag down or just shut down like electrical? I saw a few threads that said if they were slowing down with cruise on it dies, almost like the older GM cars would do if the torque converter didnt unlock when slowing down
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Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 AT 7:32 AM
Tiny
DIMARZO
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
When it stalls it just shuts down as if the key was turned to aux.--All the lights are on and the engine stops--no drag. I then put it into neutral and re-start with no problems. My big concern is the safety issue especially with my wife--no power steering etc. I'll look into the TPS (not sure of the cost) and see if this fixes the problem. If it does I'll let you know. I also reported this to Ford and the National safety group (forgot the agency's name). If either responds I'll let you know that as well.
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Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 AT 8:22 AM
Tiny
2CARPRO JACK
  • MECHANIC
  • 11,533 POSTS
OK, thanks. That sounds electrical, not sure if theTPS will fix it. May be back to the vehicle controller shorting out
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Wednesday, February 17th, 2010 AT 8:23 AM

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