[Packard]

I recently acquired a 2012 Chrysler 300 with 96,000 miles.

The cruise control worked fine for the first couple of weeks, then would not activate when I pressed the “on/off” button. I tried hitting the button frequently and then hitting all the buttons frequently, but it would not come on.

I tried turning off the engine and restarting. It would not come on.

A couple of days later it was working fine. It worked fine for a couple of weeks and then it dug its heels in and stubbornly refused to come on.

A couple of days later it was working fine again and continues to work fine at this point. However, I have the feeling (with some certainty) that it will once again decide to refuse to come on.

I use my cruise control as a form of discipline to keep me from getting tickets. The 300 is smooth enough and quiet enough that if I am not paying attention, I find that I am driving significantly above the speed limit. (I usually set the cruise for 10 mph over the limit and then I never get any tickets).

Does anyone have any idea what might be causing this intermittent failure to function?

Thanks,

Packard

 

[Curious Joe]

Electrical for sure - break out the multimeter and check for switch continuity first....you probably knew that.....

 

[Packard]

That’s probably beyond my skill set. (I can change fuses, but that seems not to be the problem.)

I am waiting for it to go on the fritz again, and then I will bring it in to Chrysler.

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Curious Joe]

That’s probably beyond my skill set. (I can change fuses, but that seems not to be the problem.)

I am waiting for it to go on the fritz again, and then I will bring it in to Chrysler.

Thanks for the suggestion.

You should check the fuses for continuity too, and not just by sight.

 

[Packard]

You should check the fuses for continuity too, and not just by sight.

The first thing I did was to replace the fuse with a new one. The original camera did not come on when I did so.

Of course the fuse block could be faulty. I did not check that.

 

[jwillis3571]

I'm having the same issues with my 2012 300 LTD. Both the cruise and the rear camera will work for a while then stop working without warning. My car was stolen and eventually recovered several years back and although it spent over a month at the dealership and my insurance company footed a bill of over $9,500 for repairs, I've had one problem after another from it. Recently it had been over a year since either the cruise or backup camera worked then one day I got in it to leave and the camera popped on when I put it in reverse. Once on the road I checked the cruise and sure enough it was working as well. This lasted about a week then they both stopped working again for about half a day then came back on. Peculiar thing is that when they started back working this time, the image from my backup camera was flipped - things that are behind me on the driver's side show on the screen as being behind me on the passenger side. Since this started the cruise and camera have failed to work at least 2 other times but eventually came back on, but the image from camera is still reversed. I've read on other forums that this particular occurrence with cameras is due to wires being crossed and this or that wire needs to be disconnected, etc but that doesn't make sense to me in this situation since it was working fine and happened without me doing anything to the wires and did the same thing several years back and eventually flipped back to show the correct image on its own. Another problem I'm having is something draining my battery, but only on certain occasions. The only pattern I've been able to establish just recently is it seems to always require a jump if I have the doors open for any length of time when the engine is off. Doesn't matter if interior lights are off or not, if I leave door open for 10-20 minutes or even if I open and close doors numerous times, when I try to start it I'll have to use jump box. I've replaced battery, checked alternator, etc but still happens sporadically. Just like with the cruise and camera, this will be a regular problem for a while then I may go 6 months without it happening then it'll start back being a daily occurrence. Sometimes even while driving the low voltage warning light will pop on, which would make me think that the alternator isn't working properly but it always tests as being good when I check. I'm no mechanic by any stretch of the imagination and would say my level of experience is intermediate at best, so this has me bewildered. I've been able to complete a lot of maintenance actions and repairs with the help of repair manuals and/or YouTube, but simply lack the experience needed to know where to start in order to troubleshoot electrical issues like this. Any advise besides "...take it to the dealership/mechanic..." will be appreciated, unless that is truly my best option. Thanks in advance.

Jason

 

[Packard]

I sprung for a new backup camera. My dealer wanted $200.00 more for it than online (genuine Mopar parts). The dealer would only install OEM cameras. It cost close to $500.00.

In retrospect, I should have bought a aftermarket camera (designed to fit the 300). That was only $50.00. The dealer charged for one hour labor. I probably could have found some mechanic to install a camera I purchased. I would have saved about $125.00.

I purchased my car recently from the estate of a 93 year old nursing home’s resident who had recently passed away.

So I have no history on the car except for the Carfax report (no accidents).

My rear view camera was also not working. I had it replaced, and it has worked fine since then.

At this time my cruise control is no longer an issue (until my hack stops working). The car rides really well, so it is easy to end up going faster than you should. I use the cruise control to keep me from getting tickets.

My 2019 Chrysler Pacifica has surround cameras. I miss that each time I drive the 300. The Pacifica has some other nice features, but the surround camera is the only one I miss.