My car has electronic throttle. Can this code even apply?

Generally not in the literal sense, and this is the first thing to settle. A vehicle with electronic throttle control has no cruise control servo, no vacuum solenoid and no vacuum hose to any of it, because the throttle plate is already moved by a motor under the module's direct command. There is no vacuum control circuit to be open. If a tool reports this code on such a vehicle, either the code has been misread or the manufacturer has reassigned that number to something specific to their system, which does happen in this part of the range. Service data for your exact year and model is the only way to know, and it costs nothing to check before ordering a part that was never fitted.

What is the one measurement that answers this code?

Resistance across the two terminals of the vacuum solenoid with its connector unplugged, compared against the specification for your vehicle — usually a few tens of ohms. An infinite reading means the winding inside has failed, and because that winding is sealed inside the part, no wiring work will fix it. A reading within specification means the solenoid is healthy and the open circuit is somewhere in the two wires or the two connectors, which is a repair rather than a replacement. There is no ambiguous middle result, which is what makes this code cheaper to diagnose than most.

Is it safe to drive with this code?

Yes. An open vacuum control circuit means the servo cannot be commanded to pull the throttle open, so the failure direction is toward doing nothing rather than toward doing something unwanted. Cruise control will simply be unavailable. The circuit is entirely separate from normal engine operation, so there is no effect on how the car drives, no emissions consequence and no reason for urgency beyond wanting the feature back. The check engine light being on will prevent a pass in areas that test for stored codes.

Why does the engine bay location matter so much here?

Because it is the exception in this system. Every other part of cruise control — the switches, the stalk, the module inputs — lives inside the cabin where it stays dry. The vacuum solenoid does not, and on most installations its connector faces down or sideways where road spray reaches it directly. Heat cycling hardens the seal, salt and moisture corrode the terminals, and the result is that wiring and connector faults are a genuinely likely finding here rather than an afterthought. Look at the connector properly, not just through it with a meter.

OBD-II trouble code

P0582: Cruise Control Vacuum Control Circuit/Open

The first question is whether your vehicle has a vacuum servo at all — many modern ones do not. Where it does, this code is resolved by one measurement across two pins, and the answer is either a wire or a sealed part.

Low severityPowertrainCruise ControlDrivable short-term

Quick facts

System: Powertrain
Category: Cruise Control
Severity: Low severity
Drivable: Usually safe to drive short-term
Repair cost range: $80 – $700
DIY difficulty: Intermediate DIY

What does P0582 mean?

P0582 concerns the electrical circuit that controls the vacuum solenoid on a vacuum-operated cruise control servo, and the code has been stored because the module cannot see a complete circuit there. Before anything else, this is the point in the cruise control library where the population splits genuinely in two, and knowing which side you are on saves a wasted afternoon.

On older vehicles with a mechanical throttle, cruise control worked by pulling the throttle open with engine vacuum. A servo — a canister with a diaphragm inside — connects to the throttle by a cable or rod. A vacuum solenoid admits manifold vacuum to one side of the diaphragm to pull the throttle open, and a vent solenoid lets air back in to release it. The module operates those two solenoids to hold a speed. This code belongs to the first of them.

On a vehicle with electronic throttle control, none of that hardware exists. There is no servo, no diaphragm, no vacuum hose and no solenoid, because the throttle plate is already moved by a motor the module commands directly. Cruise control on such a vehicle is a software function, and there is no vacuum circuit to be open. If a scan tool reports this code on an electronic-throttle vehicle, either the reading is wrong or the manufacturer has used the code number for something else — a real possibility in this part of the code range — and only service data for that exact model will say which. Chasing a vacuum servo on a vehicle that never had one is the single most expensive mistake available on this page, and it costs nothing to rule out.

Where a servo does exist, the diagnosis is unusually clean. An open-circuit code on a solenoid has a small and finite set of possible locations: the coil itself, the two conductors, or the connectors at either end. One measurement across the solenoid's terminals divides that set neatly in half. A coil within specification means the part is good and the fault is in the wiring, which is a repairable, inexpensive outcome. An infinite reading means the winding has failed internally, and since the winding is sealed inside the solenoid body, the part is the repair — there is no useful intermediate finding.

What makes the wiring side plausible more often than you might expect is location. Every other component in the cruise control system lives in the cabin, protected from weather. This one lives in the engine bay, and on most installations its connector points downward or sideways where road spray reaches it. Heat cycling, salt and moisture do to that connector what they do to every other engine-bay connector, and a corroded terminal or a seal that has split is a common finding. It is also worth checking that the connector is fully latched: these get disturbed during unrelated work and a half-mated connector produces exactly this code.

Common causes

Open winding inside the cruise control vacuum solenoid
Corroded or water-damaged solenoid connector in the engine bay
Connector left half-mated or with a broken locking tab after unrelated work
Broken conductor in the short harness run between the module and the servo
Chafed or heat-damaged wiring where the loom crosses the bulkhead or a bracket
Blown fuse or open supply feed to the solenoid circuit
Failed cruise control servo assembly where the solenoid is integral and not separately serviceable
Damage from previous engine bay repair work in the area of the servo

Symptoms

Cruise control will not engage at all
Cruise indicator illuminating but the system never taking up the throttle
Cruise control engaging and immediately dropping out
No response at all to the set or resume buttons despite the switches testing good
Check engine light with the engine otherwise running normally
Fault appearing after work was carried out in the engine bay
No vacuum-related drivability symptoms, since the servo circuit is isolated from engine operation
Cruise control function absent on a vehicle where it previously worked for years

Diagnostic steps

1.Establish first whether the vehicle actually uses a vacuum servo to operate the throttle. On a system with electronic throttle control there is no servo, no vacuum solenoid and no cable — the cruise request goes to the throttle actuator as a number, and nothing about this code's literal description applies. If that is your vehicle, either the code has been read incorrectly or the manufacturer has reassigned it, and service data for your exact model decides which. Do not go looking for a part that was never fitted.
2.Find the servo before ordering anything. On vehicles that have one it is a round or oval canister roughly the size of a small dinner plate, mounted on the bulkhead or inner wing, with a vacuum hose to the manifold and a cable or rod to the throttle. The solenoids are either bolted to it or built into it, and which of those it is determines whether this repair is a small part or a whole assembly.
3.Measure the resistance across the vacuum solenoid's two terminals with the connector unplugged and compare against specification, typically in the range of a few tens of ohms. This single measurement resolves the code. An infinite reading is an open coil, and an open coil is inside a sealed component, so no amount of wiring repair will help. A reading within specification means the coil is fine and the open is in the harness or the connector.
4.Inspect the connector itself carefully rather than only testing through it. This is the one connector in the cruise system that lives in the engine bay, and on most installations it faces downward or sideways into road spray. Look for a green or white powder on the terminals, a split seal, a cracked housing, or a locking tab that has let go and allowed the connector to sit half-mated.
5.Check continuity of both wires from the module connector to the solenoid connector, and check for supply on the feed wire with the ignition on. An open in either conductor produces this code, and the run is short enough to check end to end quickly. Pay attention where the loom crosses the bulkhead and where it is clipped to a bracket, since those are where a conductor breaks.
6.Verify the mechanical side even after the electrical fault is found, because it costs nothing while you are already there. Squeeze the vacuum hose along its length looking for hardening and splits, and confirm the throttle cable or rod from the servo moves freely and is correctly adjusted. A vehicle with an electrical fault and a perished hose will still not work once the wiring is repaired, and finding that out on the road test wastes a visit.

Repair cost

$80 – $700

Diagnosis is straightforward at $80 to $150 because a single resistance measurement across the solenoid separates the two possible outcomes. Repairing a corroded connector or a broken conductor is $60 to $200 with negligible parts cost. A separately available vacuum solenoid is typically $30 to $150 for the part with half an hour to an hour to fit. Where the solenoid is integral to the servo, the complete servo assembly is $120 to $600 depending on vehicle and availability, plus one to three hours of labour including throttle cable adjustment. Used and remanufactured servos are common for older vehicles and can bring that figure down substantially, since these are not safety-critical wear items.

Estimate your repair

Run the numbers for your vehicle

Open the Repair Cost Estimator with cruise control servo / actuator replacement preselected. Adjust labor rate and vehicle category to fit your situation.

Estimate your repair cost

DIY vs shop

This is an intermediate DIY job. It usually involves diagnostic steps, specialty parts, and some careful work in tight spaces. If you have the tools and a service manual or trustworthy video for your specific vehicle, it is achievable in a weekend. Otherwise, a competent independent shop will be faster.