Has anybody had this issue? I've had this alert come on twice. The first time it came on I took it to the dealer and they had no clue, plus it didn't show up on their diagnostics. Both times it occurred when I was pulling away from a stoplight. Car bogs down and will hardly go. After about 15 seconds it picks up speed but is only running with front-wheel power and is still very sluggish. Alert and problem go away when I stop and restart the motor.[/b] [b]I have attached the warning from the manual. Thanks!

 

you just circled the manual, but what is your indicator light doing? is it flashing or staying on constant?

if it were my car; I'd change the differential fluid to rule out the fluid overheating/worn fluid. would also give me a chance to inspect the fluid. which would also give me a chance to inspect the underbody/driveshaft

if all mechanicals look fine; I would then suspect electrical/software.

 

Thanks! It is on constantly, not flashing. When I dismiss the alert, the yellow AWD light on the left side of the dash stays on. I just had the differential oil changed two months ago during my yearly 45 point inspection. It is a 2019 and only has 15,000 miles on it. As I mentioned, I went back to the service dept. after it happened the first time (the alert tells you to see the dealer), the tech ran diagnostics on it and it came up negative. They said they had never heard of this issue, so I had to send them that screengrab of the manual. You might think it is just an electrical/software problem, but it is not just the alert coming on. It actually physically changes from all-wheel drive to front wheel only.

 

of course, that's what failsafes do. when a problem is detected; it will default to FWD.
if the driveshaft looks good, if the fluid looks good, if the differential itself looks good, then we can only assume it's a software issue.

only way to rule out the mechanicals is to tear into it by examining fluid, examining driveshaft, examining differential to find any sort of damage.
You will know if your differential is broken, because missing teeth will make the most awful hurtful noise you've ever heard from your car. you will also see pieces of the teeth or chunks of metal in the fluid.

 

I doubt it's a mechanical issue, as you'd know it because your diff would likely be whining and/or chattering, before it grenaded. Maybe they disturbed a sensor while doing the fluid change? I can't see how, seeing as it's incredibly easy changing the fluid, but they don't exactly have the best techs doing their basic fluid changes either.

The next time it happens, try and take it straight to the dealer and don't shut the car off. If that's not feasible, at least take a video so you can show them what's going on. This is absolutely something that needs to be addressed under warranty.

 

TSB 20-032 might help you.
https://acurazine.com/forums/third-g...letins-970256/

 

TSB indicates internal solenoids are corroding...

Says to check fluid level and if fluid level is okay, replace solenoids

 

Thanks, guys for the great and quick responses. TSB 20-032 had some good info. The solenoids seem to be a good starting point since there is no grinding noise and the differential fluid was just replaced. Just left a message with the service department and I am texting them that bulletin. I'll let you know the outcome.

 

Took it back to the dealer along with the TSB 20-232 bulletin and they replaced the solenoids. The bulletin really helped get the dealer onto the right track. The work order they gave me said that the solenoids were internally corroded! Not sure why since the car is only 2 years old with just 15,000 miles. Hopefully, this will do the trick. Thanks for the help!