Why is my Outback cruise control not working after check engine light goes on?

[Olivia.T]

My 2016 Outback’s check engine light came on last week, and now the cruise control just won’t activate at all. The dash shows a “Cruise” light that blinks a few times when I press the button, then it goes out. I’ve read this can be a failsafe when there’s a stored fault code, but I’m not sure why the system would be completely disabled.

[Jonathan99]

I had something like this once on a car with an older speed-control setup. the light would blink a few times and the dash would go quiet, then the system stayed off even after the check engine light cleared. it felt like the car decided there was a fault serious enough to shut it down.

[ScottVW]

Stored fault codes can trigger a failsafe that disables subsystems until they’re cleared. it could be a sensor reading misbehaving, a throttle signal issue, or even a questionable brake switch.

[GraceXM]

Could be the real problem isn’t the cruise at all but a flaky brake switch or wheel speed sensor, and the cruise just mirrors that fault.

[OliverT]

If you can tolerate a shop visit, have them pull the codes and see what their diagnostic says. sometimes they just clear the code and it comes back, sometimes it flags a specific module.