Keeping Factory Cruise Control and Steering Controls When You Upgrade Your Wheel
Change your steering wheel and your cruise, audio, phone and horn functions are all in play. Losing them costs you convenience, and in the case of the horn it puts you outside your vehicle's compliance condition. PVS Automotive kits carry those control signals on a wireless module, so your factory clockspring and airbag system stay untouched. You'll also find where the "Without Factory Steering Wheel Controls" variants fit, who they're built for, and when a cruise control retention module comes into it.
What your factory controls do
The buttons on your LandCruiser or Prado wheel run cruise control, audio, phone and voice, and on many variants the display and trip computer too. Your horn works through the wheel as well. None of that is cosmetic. It's how you operate the vehicle, and one of those functions carries a direct compliance obligation.
Change the wheel without the right integration and some or all of it stops. You lose features you paid for, and in the worst case you lose the horn. ADR 94/00 (Horn System Integrity) requires the horn to remain reliable and functional. A wheel change that leaves your horn dead or intermittent puts the vehicle outside its original compliance condition, and an inspector will pick it up at roadworthy.
Cruise control is a convenience function rather than a mandated safety device. Losing it still costs you. If you tour long distances, and most of the LandCruiser and Prado fleet does, cruise is one of the features you use most in the cabin, and an upgrade that kills it is rarely acceptable to the owner.
Why controls fail after a cheap wheel change
- A replacement clockspring with a mismatched pinout can leave cruise, audio or horn intermittent or dead, and frequently triggers a permanent SRS fault on the airbag circuit.
- A kit that abandons the controls leaves the buttons non-functional and, depending on the design, can leave the horn relying on an improvised connection that may not satisfy ADR 94/00.
It comes down to how the signals are carried. On a factory vehicle, the wheel control buttons and the airbag both run through the clockspring, the rotary connector that keeps electrical continuity as you turn the wheel. A generic kit either re-wires those controls through a replacement clockspring or abandons them, and the two outcomes above are what you end up with.
How PVS keeps your factory functions
Every PVS Automotive steering wheel kit is matched to your specific vehicle and built to be plug and play. Take the standard kit and you keep your factory steering wheel controls. They do it without touching your factory clockspring.
The PVS wireless control module reads the button presses on the new wheel and transmits them to the vehicle, reproducing your original cruise, audio and phone functions. No control signal goes through the clockspring, so the factory clockspring stays in full. Your airbag circuit, horn circuit and the rest of the factory supplemental restraint system (SRS) wiring stay factory-original.
That's what makes the difference on compliance. Your factory airbag was assessed under ADR 69/00 (Full Frontal Impact Occupant Protection) when the vehicle was built, with ADR 10 covering occupant protection more generally. Leave the clockspring and SRS wiring alone and the airbag circuit stays inside the condition it was originally assessed in. The horn keeps running through its factory path, which supports ADR 94/00 compliance. You can request the independent engineering assessment documentation to support certification and insurance disclosure in any state.
The "Without Factory Steering Wheel Controls" variants
- Vehicles that never had steering wheel controls. Base and earlier-build LandCruiser and Prado variants were sold with a plain wheel and no button controls. If yours is one of them there's nothing to retain, so the without-controls kit is your match.
- Builds that are deliberately keeping a plain wheel. Some owners don't want cruise and audio buttons on the wheel, or they're running an aftermarket head unit and control setup. The without-controls variant gives them the upgraded wheel without control integration they don't need.
Some PVS kits come in a "Without Factory Steering Wheel Controls" variant, and it isn't a lesser product. It's a different specification for a different build, and the two situations above are where it belongs.
The standard kits are for vehicles that came with factory steering wheel controls. If you have cruise, audio or phone buttons on the wheel now and you want them after the upgrade, take the standard kit with controls retained.
The airbag and clockspring position doesn't change between the two. Standard or without-controls, you keep your factory clockspring and your factory airbag and SRS wiring stay untouched. The without-controls variant just omits the wireless control module integration, because there are no factory controls to reproduce.
Without-controls variants include the 200 Series Steering Wheel Upgrade Kit 2008 to 2015 (Without Factory Steering Wheel Controls) and the 150 Prado Steering Wheel Upgrade Kit 2009 to 2015 (Without Factory Steering Wheel Controls). If you're not certain your vehicle left the factory with controls, contact our team with your build details before you order.
When you need a cruise control retention module
On some platforms the cruise control system is wired separately to the audio and phone controls, so cruise needs its own retention path when the wheel changes. A dedicated cruise control retention module carries those cruise signals, and your factory cruise control keeps operating after the upgrade.
The 105 Series 3 Wire Cruise Control Retention Module is one of these parts. It's platform-specific to the relevant LandCruiser wiring configuration and lets the factory cruise control carry through the wheel change. If your vehicle needs it, it works alongside your wheel kit and replaces no part of the airbag or clockspring system.
Not every vehicle needs a separate cruise retention module. On many platforms cruise is handled inside the standard kit's wireless control integration. It depends on your platform and wiring, so confirm the right combination for your variant before ordering.
Standard kit vs without-controls variant
Compare the two kits by what each one reproduces on the new wheel. Either way you keep your factory clockspring and airbag system. The control integration is the only difference.
| Function | Standard kit (controls retained) | Without Factory Steering Wheel Controls variant |
|---|---|---|
| Cruise control | Retained via wireless module, or via cruise retention module on platforms that require one | Not reproduced (suited to vehicles without factory cruise on the wheel) |
| Audio and phone controls | Retained via wireless control module | Not reproduced (no factory controls to retain) |
| Horn | Factory horn circuit retained, supports ADR 94/00 | Factory horn circuit retained, supports ADR 94/00 |
| Factory clockspring | Retained, untouched | Retained, untouched |
| Factory airbag and SRS wiring | Factory-original, assessed under ADR 69/00 | Factory-original, assessed under ADR 69/00 |
| Best suited to | Vehicles with factory wheel controls that want to keep them | Vehicles that never had controls, or builds keeping a plain wheel |
The compliance picture
- Horn function (ADR 94/00). The horn must remain reliable and functional. A wheel change that disables or compromises the horn fails this requirement and will be flagged at inspection.
- Airbag and SRS integrity (ADR 69/00, ADR 10). The airbag was assessed when the vehicle was built. Keeping the factory clockspring and SRS wiring untouched keeps the airbag circuit inside the condition it was originally assessed in. A non-genuine clockspring replacement does the opposite.
- Steering system performance (ADR 90/00) and forward field of view (ADR 93/00). The replacement wheel must not affect steering response or column integrity, and must not obstruct the driver's forward sightline.
Those three points are what a wheel change touches on the compliance side. Part of keeping your factory functions is convenience, part of it is staying inside the vehicle's original compliance condition.
Fitting an upgraded steering wheel to a vehicle originally assessed under ADR 69/00 is a modification that may require certification depending on your state. Certification runs through state schemes including NSW VSCCS, Victoria VASS, and the Queensland Approved Person Scheme administered by TMR. For SA, WA, TAS, NT and ACT, refer to the relevant state or territory scheme. PVS can provide independent engineering assessment documentation to support your engineer's certification process.
Confirm the requirements that apply to your build with a licensed automotive engineer, and disclose the modification to your insurer. Work through steering wheel compliance standard by standard. Get the airbag and clockspring detail. Or Find an Automotive Engineer near you and check the scheme detail at State and Territory Certification Requirements.
Choose the right kit for your build
- Start with the buttons you have on the wheel now. If you want to keep them, choose the standard kit with controls retained. If your vehicle never had them, the without-controls variant is the match.
- Decide whether you're keeping cruise control. Confirm whether your platform retains cruise through the standard kit's wireless module or whether you need a dedicated cruise control retention module.
- Check that your variant and build year are supported. Clockspring, airbag and control compatibility are confirmed per variant. If you can't see your specific build listed, contact our team before ordering.
- Work out whether you'll need certification in your state. If so, request the independent engineering assessment documentation to give to your engineer and your insurer.
Work through those four before you order and you'll know which kit you're after. Either way you keep your factory clockspring and airbag system. The standard and without-controls choice is about which factory functions you're reproducing on the new wheel, and the safety system stays factory-original on both.
Last updated: June 2026