The Cruise Control Button on my 2001 Buick LeSabre will not stay engaged. How do I replace it without disturbing the Air Bag system?

according to the service manual you have to disable the airbag and remove the wheel, to access the wires and fasteners for the button

Not really........what happens is when you press the on/off button, it doesn't stay on.......so just stick a lifesaver on it, and tape it down so it will stay on.....then later on if you get hungry, voila!

Or.....

You can replace it......takes about 5 minutes......use a right angled pick....slide it in, turn the pick so the right angle is behind the switch and pull it gently out(may have to work one side and then the other)......the switch barely clears the wheel, with the harness attached.....then use the pick to disengage the harness.....you don't have much harness to work with, but with a little patience you can reattach it(clicks into place).......then just push the switch back in....

I want to thank jwfirebird and TechII for their reply. One question for TechII. Do I have to disengage the Air Bag System to replace button with your advise? If so, how do I disengage the system?

you do not need to mess with anything pertaining to the airbags just so you dont remove the wheel. also, if you want to remove the whole multifunction switch, it can be done. you will need a #7? torx bit and a 1/4" wrench to turn the bit on the screw thats behind the wheel.

No you don't.......I have replaced many of them this way........you are talking about the on/off switch in the SW, correct?

You can verify it'* the on/off switch on a road test....get the car over 30 mph.....now press and hold down the on/off switch....then hit the set button, and the cruise should work....if you release the on/off button, the cruise will disengage...

The button is on the face of the steering wheel in the lower left corner. Approximately in the 7:00 clock position. It can be turned on and off with my left thumb.

Like I said, about a 5 minute job.....

My 2002 LeSabre Limited has the same problem - CC will not stay on unless I hold down the steering wheel button. I got another button at a salvage yard and installed it by pulling out the old button as you described above, but it still doesn't stay on. Did I get another bad button? I had opened up the old button and it looked like there was no way it was a latching ON button. If it is working correctly, will it actually physically stay depressed when it is ON? I could not see anything inside the button that would hold it down when depressed. Is my 2002 car different from the 2001? It'* driving me crazy - forgive the pun.

You got a bad button. They DO latch.