P0564–P0589 Cruise Control Multi-Function Input A Circuit
The ECU has logged a fault on P0564. The definition below is the exact wording the standard uses for this code.
Can you drive it? The engine light will stay on and the car may run in a reduced-power mode. Read the freeze-frame data to see the conditions the fault was logged under.
Which code is which
Same fault, different cylinder or bank — diagnosed the same way. Several set together usually means one shared cause.
| Code | Definition | Severity |
|---|---|---|
P0564 | Cruise Control Multi-Function Input A Circuit | Investigate soon |
P0589 | Cruise Control Multi-Function Input B Circuit | Investigate soon |
The definition
P0564: Cruise Control Multi-Function Input A Circuit.
P0564 is a powertrain code (the engine or gearbox), defined by the SAE standard - it means the same thing on any make of car, and any generic OBD-II reader will decode it.
What to check first
Cheapest and fastest checks first:
- Read the freeze-frame data stored with the fault - engine speed, load and temperature at the moment it logged tell you whether this happens cold, hot or under load.
- Check the connector at the part for corrosion, and that it is fully seated.
- Clear the code and see whether it returns, and under what conditions.
What actually causes this on a VAG
This is the cruise control's own switchgear, not the engine. Whether your car uses a stalk behind the steering wheel or buttons on the wheel itself, those switches send a coded signal - and on most modern VAGs it passes through the steering column electronics before reaching the engine ECU over the car's data network. "Multi-function input" is the key phrase: several separate functions - set, resume, cancel, accelerate, decelerate - are carried on a single input and told apart by the voltage each one produces. That is why the ECU can spot that something is wrong at all: it received a value that matches no button, or one that says two buttons were pressed at once. Usually the result is simply that cruise control refuses to engage, or drops out on its own. Before touching anything, do the free triage: does one function fail while the rest work, or has the whole system gone? One dead button points at the switch. Nothing working at all points further upstream, at the supply, the column module or the coding.
Most likely causes, in order
- Worn cruise control stalk or wheel switch. The contacts inside these wear out, and they are the most common cause. The tell-tale signs are a function that needs pressing twice, or one particular button - set, resume or cancel - that has stopped working while the others are fine.
- Connector or wiring in the steering column. The plug at the back of the stalk assembly can work loose or be left unseated after other work in that area. If cruise stopped working right after a job on the column, steering wheel, airbag or indicator stalks, this is the first thing to check and it costs nothing.
- Clock spring / slip ring fault where the buttons are on the wheel. The coiled ribbon that carries signals across the rotating steering wheel wears and eventually breaks. The give-away is that other wheel functions misbehave at the same time - the horn, the audio buttons, or an airbag warning light appearing. Read the safety note below before anyone goes near this: it is not a DIY probing job.
- Steering column control module, or its coding. Less common as an outright failure, but the module can be at fault - and a module that has been replaced, or a cruise system that was retrofitted, needs the correct coding before it will work at all. This needs diagnostic equipment to check, and checking is far cheaper than the alternative.
Worth knowing: Safety first, and this part is not optional. If the airbag warning light is on as well, or the horn or other steering wheel buttons have gone odd, stop and take the car to someone properly equipped. An airbag light is not a nagging reminder - it means the system has faulted and may not deploy in a crash. The clock spring shares the steering wheel with live airbag circuits, and the rule there is absolute: never probe airbag or pyrotechnic wiring with a multimeter or a test lamp, because the test current alone can fire a charge, and disturbing the wiring can disable the system without giving you any sign that it has. Battery disconnected and the manufacturer's wait time observed before anything in that area is touched. On the money-saving side: if cruise control has never worked since a wheel swap, a module change or a retrofit, get the coding checked before anyone sells you a stalk - a correctly fitted part that has not been coded in behaves exactly like a broken one.
Reading the code is the easy part
A code names the circuit that complained. What tells you why is watching the sensor behind it while the engine runs — and that is where a code reader stops and a diagnostic tool starts.
VAGPULSE reads every module in a VW, Audi, Skoda or SEAT — not just the engine — shows the live measuring blocks behind this fault, gives you the freeze-frame conditions it was logged under, and clears it once you have fixed it. It also does what a generic OBD reader cannot on a VAG: service resets, coding, adaptations, and Stage 1–3 flashing with your original file saved first.
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Prefer to work on your phone? The VAGPULSE Android app is a free download and its demo mode runs against a sample car with no hardware at all, so you can see exactly what it reads before spending anything. Reading your car with it needs the VAGPULSE cable, which comes with the licence.
Common questions
What does P0564 mean?
P0564 means Cruise Control Multi-Function Input A Circuit. It is logged when the ECU sees this circuit outside its expected operating window.
Can I drive with P0564?
The engine light will stay on and the car may run in a reduced-power mode. Read the freeze-frame data to see the conditions the fault was logged under.