Mike,
The switch on the Freestar was replaced under warranty, so I dont know the cost, however I did test it with a meter and it was bad. If you dont have a meter, you can get one really cheap. (Harbor Freight has them for about $3.00) You might also go by Auto Zone, or another parts store to see if they will test the switch for you on the vehicle. Perhaps another member can offer to meet you somewhere and ohm the switch out?
As a last resort, and I almost hesetate to post this because of the safety issue, You could jumper the switch to test the cruise, but you would need to be EXTREMELY careful... If you unplug the harness from the switch, and jumper the 2 wires going to the switch, it will bypass the switch. WARNING: If you do this, the cruise WILL NOT disengage when the brake pedal is depressed. You would need to push the OFF switch on the steering wheel to turn off the cruise. If you decide to try this, drive to a remote area, install the jumper wire, make sure there is no other traffic around, and test it at a "Slow as possible" speed. Once you find out if the cruise works, push OFF, stop, and remove the jumper. Do not drive it to or from your test location like this. You might accidentally push the on & set sitches.
Dave