Three problems related to cruise control have been reported for the 1997 Ford Escort. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The cruise control stopped working/worked 5 times during the weekend of Nov 11, 2002. The first time it caused the speedometer to be erratic and then it started working. From the second time on, it caused the check engine light to come on and stay on. The second time it didn't work but it caused the speedometer to stick on 0 and the odometer to stop working. The 3rd time it also didn't work, but it caused the speedometer to peg out over 120 mph and the odometer stopped working. I had decided at that point to not try the cruise control again. The 4th time the cruise control seemed to kick in by itself for a few seconds, it caused the speedometer to be erratic, and then the cruise control stopped working again. The 5th time was the scarriest. It again try to kick in by itself, and this time it disabled the gas pedal. During this entire time I was driving the posted speed limit of 65 mph. I've stopped driving the car for right now. The cruise control seems to be too erratic and I don't want to get in a accident because of it. Dt.
Cruise control quit working a few days later I blew a fuse for the brakes lights. I replace the fuse and blew that one. At this same time I noticed that I could not shut off the air conditioning. I will contact dealer next buisness day.
My cruise control did not turn off when I applied my brakes causing me to have a serious accident. I need to find out if this has happened to others.