How to Replace Cruise Control Switches 2004-09 Subaru Outback
Created on: 2018-06-18
How to repair, install, fix, change or replace a broken, damaged, faded, worn or faulty cruise control switch on 08 Subaru Outback
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step 1 :Disconnecting the Battery
- Disconnect the negative battery cable with a 10mm wrench
- Pull the negative terminal off the battery post
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step 2 :Removing the Airbag
- Wait 20 seconds after disconnecting the battery before working on the air bag
- Make sure the steering wheel is centered
- Remove the T30 Torx bolt from each side of the steering wheel
- Pull the airbag off the front of the steering wheel
- Pry the wire off the air bag with a pick
- Disconnect the two electrical connectors from the airbag
- Put the airbag aside with the emblem facing up
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step 3 :Removing the Steering Wheel
- Disconnect the electrical connector from the steering wheel with a pick
- Mark the steering wheel and stud with a marker to index it
- Loosen the 17mm nut from the steering wheel
- Loosen the steering wheel from the stud
- Remove the 17mm nut
- Remove the steering wheel
- Make sure the clock spring does not spin
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step 4 :Removing the Steering Wheel Trim
- Remove the two Phillips screws from the steering wheel trim
- Unclip the steering wheel trim from the wheel
- Make sure the air bag fasteners remain in the trim piece
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step 5 :Removing the Cruise Control Switches
- Remove the Phillips screw from the back of the cruise control switch
- Pull the switch off the front of the steering wheel
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step 6 :Installing the Cruise Control Switches
- Line up the switch on the steering wheel using the locating tabs
- Hold the switch in place
- Install the Phillips screw into the back of the switch
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step 7 :Installing the Steering Wheel Trim
- Clip the trim piece onto the steering wheel
- Make sure the wiring harness is inside the steering wheel
- Fasten the two Phillips screws into the trim piece
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step 8 :Installing the Steering Wheel
- Feed the wires through the steering wheel
- Line up the wheel on the stud, using your indexing marks from Step 3
- Connect the electrical connector to the steering wheel
- Fasten the 17mm nut onto the steering wheel
- Hold the steering wheel
- Torque the nut to 28 foot-pounds
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step 9 :Installing the Airbag
- Connect the airbag electrical connectors
- Connect the wire to the airbag
- Slide the airbag into the steering wheel
- Install the two T30 bolts into the sides of the steering wheel
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step 10 :Reconnecting the Battery
- Connect the negative terminal to the battery post
- Tighten the battery terminal with a 10mm wrench
- Check that the terminal is firmly attached
Tools needed
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Socket Extensions
Torque Wrench
Phillips Head Screwdriver
T30 Bit
17mm Socket
10mm Wrench
Ratchet
Trim Tool Set
Marker / Writing Utensil
Pick
Hi. I'm Mike from 1AAuto. We've been selling auto parts for over 30 years!
In this video we are going to be removing and reinstalling the cruise control switches in a 2008 Subaru Outback. If you need parts for your vehicle click the link in the description and head over to 1AAuto.com.
We're going to disconnect the battery. We're going to use a 10 millimeter wrench. Disconnect the negative terminal on the battery. Loosen this up. Twist it back and forth. Pull that out of the way.
We're going to remove the airbag. You want to make sure your steering wheel is centered, and then we're going to take a T30 and then extension and ratchet, and there's a little T30 bolt in there. Going to want to get in there and loosen it up. Subaru recommends that when you disconnect the battery, you wait 20 seconds before doing any work on the airbag system. Do the same on the other side.
Now, we'll grab our airbag and twist up. Disconnect this connector and use a right angle pick and pry up underneath. Get that out of the way. We're going to disconnect these airbag connectors. Take the pick, go right under here, under the lock, and that can pry up under here. It'll come right out. Be careful not to break the lock, and then pry that right out. Then we can put our airbag aside. Make sure you set it down like that with the emblem facing up.
I'm going to disconnect this electrical connector. We're going to take it and squeeze this little button here. They’re made to be difficult, so I'm going to use a little pick to give me a hand, and then pull it out. So right there, you want to push down on that. Then it can come out and go to the side.
Before we disconnect, take off the nut, we are going to mark it with a felt tip marker because this is not keyed, so you want to make a mark on where it was. Then with a 17 millimeter socket, extension, and a ratchet I'm going to take off this nut, break it free. Then once it's free, you should be able to loosen it up. Make sure that steering wheel is straight still. Before I take the nut off, I'm going to wiggle the steering wheel a little bit. That way the steering wheel will not hit you in the face when you pull it off. Now we can take our nut off completely. I'll just take the felt tip marker again, just make this line a little bit better so that it lines up. Then we can pull our steering wheel off. Keep in mind that you do not want this clock spring to spin. If it spins on its own and does not get indexed properly, it will break. So just make sure that it doesn't spin when you pull the steering wheel off.
Now we're going to remove this back steering wheel trim cover. There's two Phillips head screws right here. We'll use a Phillips head screwdriver. I'll take those out. Then there's two clips right here. You can pull those to the side and push it back. It'll come right off.
This is what holds the fasteners for the airbag in the back here. So make sure those stay in there when you put it back together.
Now we're going to take these cruise control switches off of the steering wheel. Turn the steering wheel around. There's a Phillips head screw right there. Take the Phillips head screwdriver and pull this screw out. Flip that around. Then we can pull this switch right out. The process to remove this cover would be the same. Phillips head screw.
Now we're going to reinstall the switch. Line these two tabs up with those holes and that in the center hole just like that. I'm going to hold it on there and put a Phillips head screw back in. Use a screwdriver. Snug that up.
Now we're going to install the steering wheel back cover, back trim cover. We're going to slide these two clips in down below, just like that. Make sure you have the wiring harness on the inside, right here. We're going to take our Phillips head screws and tighten that one in. Take the other Phillips head screw and tighten that one down.
Now we're going to feed these wires through the steering wheel here. Remember, line the steering wheel up with your marks. You don't want the steering wheel to be crooked while you're driving it. So that will be good.
We can plug this connector back in right here, like that. Next we'll install our nut. We're going to use a 17 millimeter socket and extension and a torque wrench. I'm going to torque this to 28 foot-pounds. You're going to have to hold the wheel while you're torquing it.
You're going to grab your airbag. We'll connect these airbag connectors first. Link the black one to the black, and then push down the lock, and the orange one to the orange. Push down the lock. We'll connect this connector right there. We'll slide the airbag down. We're going to tighten these Torx, the T30 Torx screws. Snug that up. Do the same for the other side. Snug that up.
Then we can reconnect our battery. Take a 10 millimeter wrench and tighten it up. I’m going to take and just wiggle the negative terminal, make sure that's good.
Thanks for watching. Visit us at 1AAuto.com for quality auto parts, fast and free shipping, and the best customer service in the industry.
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