Worst cruise control ever - can it be improved?

[GabeBoyTheGreat]

After owning my 2025 Willys for several months now, I have decided that I hate the new cruise control behavior when compared to ever other car that I have driven (my wife is not a fan either). I have 2 primary complaints which only apply to my 2025 Willys and not my 2018 Sport:

1. Cruise control is not cancelled when you depress the clutch. Every other vehicle I have driven disables cruise control when the clutch pedal is depressed, forcing you to "resume" when you are back in gear. However, my 2025 Willys does not cancel the cruise control when the clutch pedal is depressed; instead, it automatically resumes when I release the clutch pedal. This results in very unpredictable/dangerous behavior because I will downshift to engine brake, and instead, the engine speeds up.

2. Cruise control applies the brakes under certain circumstances, and I am not talking about adaptive cruise control either. There are certain conditions where the cruise control will apply the brakes when I don't expect it too, once again resulting in unpredictable/dangerous behavior.

Is there any way to change these behaviors in either the Uconnect system or an aftermarket solution like the TazerJL? Or maybe even disabling a specific sensor/module on the vehicle? My guess is the answer is "no," but I figured it was worth asking.

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[Bob Burd]

The only time cruise control should apply brakes outside of ACC is to control speed going downhill in conjunction with downshifting. I've found it to be pretty good at it.

 

[Ratbert]

The only time cruise control should apply brakes outside of ACC is to control speed going downhill in conjunction with downshifting. I've found it to be pretty good at it.

Having cruise control applying the brakes is a horrible idea, especially if it's not incredibly obvious that it's doing it. That'd be a great way to burn out your brakes on long descents.

 

[GabeBoyTheGreat]

Having cruise control applying the brakes is a horrible idea, especially if it's not incredibly obvious that it's doing it. That'd be a great way to burn out your brakes on long descents.

This is exactly my concern. I should also note that I have the 6MT, so my downshifts are very intentional so as not to have to burn up the brakes, but cruise control will use the brakes anyway.

 

[c20040215]

What is the issue here?

Lets say you set your cruise at 60mph. You are coming to a long downhill. You downshift to, lets say 4th gear, to engine brake. Release the clutch and cruise resumes. It would do whatever it needs to do to keep you at 60mph. If you dont downshift, it will apply brake to keep you at 60mph. If you already downshift, but the engine brake isn't enough to hold 60 mph, it will also use the brake to keep you at 60 mph, or whatever speed you set it at.

I wish it would not cancel the cruise when I shift. An opposite scenario, when you go up a long hill at 60mph. It slows down to 58 mph, you realize the engine doesnt have enough power to keep you at that speed so you downshift. Because the momentary power lost during shifting, you are now down to 55mph after you downshift. Wouldnt you want to the jeep to resume the 60mph cruise and automatically take you back to the speed you desired?

My civic doesnt cancel the cruise when shifting, which I love and wish the Jeep would do the same.

 

[UncleArt]

I have a ‘22 Rubicon & my clutch cancels my cruise control.

 

[c20040215]

I have a ‘22 Rubicon & my clutch cancels my cruise control.

I have not confirmed this but I was told if you do not have adaptive cruise, your clutch cancels the cruise.

 

[UncleArt]

I have not confirmed this but I was told if you do not have adaptive cruise, your clutch cancels the cruise.

Oh - I do just have the basic cruise control…

 

[GabeBoyTheGreat]

What is the issue here?

Lets say you set your cruise at 60mph. You are coming to a long downhill. You downshift to, lets say 4th gear, to engine brake. Release the clutch and cruise resumes. It would do whatever it needs to do to keep you at 60mph. If you dont downshift, it will apply brake to keep you at 60mph. If you already downshift, but the engine brake isn't enough to hold 60 mph, it will also use the brake to keep you at 60 mph, or whatever speed you set it at.

I wish it would not cancel the cruise when I shift. An opposite scenario, when you go up a long hill at 60mph. It slows down to 58 mph, you realize the engine doesnt have enough power to keep you at that speed so you downshift. Because the momentary power lost during shifting, you are now down to 55mph after you downshift. Wouldnt you want to the jeep to resume the 60mph cruise and automatically take you back to the speed you desired?

My civic doesnt cancel the cruise when shifting, which I love and wish the Jeep would do the same.

The simple answer is the unpredictable and dangerous behavior of the vehicle. I use cruise control to maintain throttle position when "cruising" (hence the name). It is much easier for the computer to make slight throttle adjustments to hold a specific speed under varying load conditions.

For driving downhill, it is best to not use the brakes to prevent them from overheating and to maximize fuel efficiency. So no, I don't want the brakes applied going downhill. A slight increase in speed downhill is perfectly fine and even beneficial because faster speed with no throttle input = better fuel efficiency.

Additionally, if I am passing someone, meaning I am accelerating beyond the set cruise speed, the cruise control has a unpredictable/dangerous tendency to slam on the brakes after I completed the pass. This is known as "cutting off" traffic and is a very dangerous behavior.

In your driving uphill scenario, you described a situation in which you are accelerating. I never use cruise control to accelerate; only to maintain speed. So typically I would downshift, accelerate to the desired speed, and "Resume" cruise control like a normal car would behave.

Cruise control automatically resuming is unpredictable and dangerous because downshifting means one of two possible scenarios: I am either about to accelerate or I am about to decelerate. In the accelerating scenario, cruise control is unnecessary because I am accelerating beyond what the cruise is set to anyway. In the decelerating scenario, it can be dangerous when the vehicle suddenly accelerates when I am supposed to be slowing down, which causes me to have to react more swiftly and brake more harshly.

 

[GabeBoyTheGreat]

I have not confirmed this but I was told if you do not have adaptive cruise, your clutch cancels the cruise.

To clarify, the 2025 Willys is equipped with ACC standard, but I only use the standard cruise control. Even still, it doesn't cancel the cruise control when I depress the clutch. My 2018 does not have ACC and behaves as you described.

So it sounds like maybe if ACC could be disabled in the software entirely, that might fix the issue?

 

[Ratbert]

What is the issue here?

Lets say you set your cruise at 60mph. You are coming to a long downhill. You downshift to, lets say 4th gear, to engine brake. Release the clutch and cruise resumes. It would do whatever it needs to do to keep you at 60mph. If you dont downshift, it will apply brake to keep you at 60mph. If you already downshift, but the engine brake isn't enough to hold 60 mph, it will also use the brake to keep you at 60 mph, or whatever speed you set it at.

In a manual what's going on should be obvious. In an automatic, however, it's nowhere near as obvious that it's not downshifting to slow you down. You can trash your brakes before realizing it.

 

[c20040215]

The simple answer is the unpredictable and dangerous behavior of the vehicle. I use cruise control to maintain throttle position when "cruising" (hence the name). It is much easier for the computer to make slight throttle adjustments to hold a specific speed under varying load conditions.

For driving downhill, it is best to not use the brakes to prevent them from overheating and to maximize fuel efficiency. So no, I don't want the brakes applied going downhill. A slight increase in speed downhill is perfectly fine and even beneficial because faster speed with no throttle input = better fuel efficiency.

Additionally, if I am passing someone, meaning I am accelerating beyond the set cruise speed, the cruise control has a unpredictable/dangerous tendency to slam on the brakes after I completed the pass. This is known as "cutting off" traffic and is a very dangerous behavior.

In your driving uphill scenario, you described a situation in which you are accelerating. I never use cruise control to accelerate; only to maintain speed. So typically I would downshift, accelerate to the desired speed, and "Resume" cruise control like a normal car would behave.

Cruise control automatically resuming is unpredictable and dangerous because downshifting means one of two possible scenarios: I am either about to accelerate or I am about to decelerate. In the accelerating scenario, cruise control is unnecessary because I am accelerating beyond what the cruise is set to anyway. In the decelerating scenario, it can be dangerous when the vehicle suddenly accelerates when I am supposed to be slowing down, which causes me to have to react more swiftly and brake more harshly.

Seems like you have fundamental misconception about cruise control.
The cruise control controls your speed, not throttle position. The throttle position is control by the computer, regardless you use cruise or not. Cruise would do whatever it needs to do, within the parameter, to maintain the speed you tell it to maintain.

Yes. If you pass someone, you want to take over the speed control. Downshifting but not cancel the cruise when the clutch is pressed could be an issue after pass, because the cruise is still on and the speed you are doing is much more than what you set it at. That goes to both manual and auto, the computer would want to slam the brake to bring it back.

As you mentioned, you do not use cruise to drastically change speed. So, going back to your pass scenario, the right way is, auto or manual, you cancel the cruise, either by hitting the cancel bottom or light tap on the brake, and then start your accelerating procedure.

In my uphill scenario, I am cruising on the highway wanting to maintain a certain speed. I like it when my cruise does not cancel after I downshift to maintain speed.

We like opposite of what it is. Either way, the issue is one bottom click away to resolve. Not that big of a deal.

 

[Wbino]

To clarify, the 2025 Willys is equipped with ACC standard, but I only use the standard cruise control. Even still, it doesn't cancel the cruise control when I depress the clutch. My 2018 does not have ACC and behaves as you described.

So it sounds like maybe if ACC could be disabled in the software entirely, that might fix the issue?

Why do you use expect regular CC to behave like ACC does?
And why are you not using ACC ?
Also there is a time and a place for both of it uses...mostly on a highway or suburban road with little to no traffic.

 

[c20040215]

In a manual what's going on should be obvious. In an automatic, however, it's nowhere near as obvious that it's not downshifting to slow you down. You can trash your brakes before realizing it.

I am aware of that.
You dont rely on cruise when the terrain you are in changes drastically. Its a computer aid. Ultimately, you as driver need to know when is appropriate to use it.

 

[Mifsuud]

This really sound slike a nothing-burger. I've had ACC in three Hondas and my JLUR. Shockingly the JLUR ACC is much better than the HOndas I've had. Honda cust thrust way too far away from other vehicles. It also had a frightening tendancy to slam on the brake on the free way in long, slow vurnes. Honda ACC would detect the care in the lane next to as as cutting me off in those sweeping turns. And pound the mfing brakes. Scary.

Jeep ACC has been much better about other vehicle detection and ajusting speed. I use it almost every time I drive more than 10 minutes.

Ultimately this can be resolved by driver, right thumb meet cancel button. Profit.

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