I will give that a try tomorrow. And what the heck is the CHMSL?

 

CenterHighMountedStopLight

On any vehicle, the brake pedal will turn off the cruise control.

 

How is your ESC working? I know if it is screwy it will cause havoc with the cruise. Lower on the likelihood list given the previous set of issue and you haven't said intermittent either but something else that can affect it.

 

And that is CHMSL........For just a second there I thought that I was back in the military where everything has to have an acronym. So is that what GM uses or just a byproduct of lots of internet use?

 

Right there in the Owners Manual

Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL) To replace the center high-mounted stoplamp bulb:
1. Open the liftgate. See Liftgate on page 3‑12.
2. Remove the center trim located near the top of the liftgate.
3. Turn the bulb socket counterclockwise and pull it straight out of the lamps assembly.
4. Pull the old bulb straight out of the bulb socket.
5. Push the new bulb straight into the bulb socket until it clicks.
6. Push the bulb socket straight into the lamp assembly and turn it clockwise to lock it into place.
7. Reinstall the center trim.

 

Fuses #10 & #19 were ok. All four CHMSL bulbs were burned out. I was skeptical about that being the end of the problem because they all appeared to have burn marks on the plastic plugs. I replaced them all with new ones & headed for the nearest 4-lane divided. Ran it up to the 45mph limit, set the cruise & I got the "cruise engaged" message. It never kicked off & on the return trip I tried varying speeds & turned it off & back on a few times & everything worked nicely. So as the saying goes, you learn something every day. But I never would have thought it was such a simple fix. So my sincere thanks to everyone for the help.

 

We do know a thing or two about HHR’s , enjoy the ride!!

 

It's tied into the Federally regulated safety systems. That light needs to be working correctly, per the Feds.

And, CHMSL is for all cars built after 1986, for cars , and 1994 for trucks. All manufacturers are required to have them, and that is what it's called. 30+ years in the biz, and I remember it starting (I was but a co-op then), but they all call it that. Not a GM thing.

 

The odd thing about them is on a pick up truck with a cap the only CHMSL that matters is the one from the factory mounted on the cab roof. IIRC, if one is installed on the cap it must work. At least that was the law in VA in 2000.

 

I think that's the case here, too. A lot don't have them...