Hey all,

A while back, a 4Runner owner complained about not being able to go into 4wd (from 2wd) when he was stuck in snow. The 4wd indicator would just blink and the 4wd system would not engage.

What to do?? Answer:

If you press the 4wd button, and the lights blink, then you need to either:

1. Brake lightly (press and let go; repeat a few times)...this will engage the 4wd system, OR

2. Shift into Neutral and then back to Drive; repeat if necessary.

This above procedure applies to the center diff lock too (to disable VSC and de-throttle intervention). Once VSC is disabled, you CAN spin your wheels to get out!

Go out and try it! It works!

If anything, just leave the 4Runner in 4wd all the time!

Thanks.

I have found one difficulty with the '01-up 4wd system:

Make sure you are going straight AND on good solid ground when you switch from 2wd to 4wd! For example, if you are turning a corner and making the switch (via pressing 4wd button), the 4wd light will blink forever and you will NOT be engaged in 4wd, even after trying the above tricks. The only way to reset it is to turn your car off, and then restarting it. After that, you can retry your attempt.

Again, when pushing the 4wd button (to go from 2wd to 4wd), the 4runner must be going straight AND not have any of it's wheels slipping.

Hope this helps.

Thai, thank you so much for the tips.

Is this a common problem to all 4Runner including 04 models? Is it repairable? Mine does that sometime as well. I am unable to switch form H2 to H4 in straight road while the car is running at 40~50mph. At a stop light, I switch back to H2, put in Neutral, switch to H4, then D. It works.

Thanks for the info. I also came up with this problem when I was on my way to the mud. I could not engage. I had to reverse, drive reverse, vice versa, I even had to turn off the engine. And also if you are driving in icy road it can take a while. Good suggestion though, I will try it out next time I hit dirt road.

what happen's if you've tried all of this and the 4x4 lights still flash?...

Thanks for the tips. I just got my 06 X-SP 4WD and thought I was going to have to take it to the shop. The truck would not go into 4WD sitting still. Had to be moving and it would take a while. I will try those tips out tomorrow.

That's normal. Sometimes it will go into 4 wheel drive without moving, but other times you might have to move your 4Runner just a bit to get it to go into 4 wheel drive.

It all depends on the alignment of the front hubs. If your lucky, they'll be lined up perfectly before you move. If not, you just have to move a bit (less than a foot) to get the alignment better.

My 2005 is so unreliable about going into 4 wheel that I am trading it in for a v8 all wheel model.

We have changed the switch and computer which seemed to help. However, it still will stick in 4 wheel or still be balky. This is very dangerous if one counts on 4 wheel for crossing snowy passes where you do not have the luxury of not having positive engagement.

I have read and been told by Toyota mechanics and one corporate middle manager that this has been problematic on 4 Runners and Tacoma's.

PS - I am very aware of all the tricks to get engagement. Try them on snowy/slushy roads full of traffic.

Also, read the little card on your sunshield. Toyota almost admits it can be problematic.

I would love to see any help for an 04 4 runner sport. Today I tried to put it in 4 wheel low. I stopped the car, put it in neutral switch to Low and all that happened was the light blinked and beeped after putting it back to drive. I tried all the steps that people suggested in this thread and nothing seemed to help.

Maybe there is something wrong with the differential or tranny?

my problem ended up being that the vacuum actuator froze up and pooched. I was told by the technician that changed it (under warranty) that moisture will somehow get in there and stay if the 4x4 is never used/engaged. The freezing temperatures and cold winters up here exposed the fact that the previous owner in midwest US where I picked up my T4R probably never/rarely used the 4x4 option. I try and run with my 4x4 activated at least 10 miles or so per tank of gas to work everything and eliminate any moisture that might get in to places to avoid that happening again. Happy to say I've had no problems since.

I was told that the motor that runs the 4X4 was junk. I am getting it replaced and covered under the warranty.

fyi...

this thread helps me a lot. there was once i tried to turn back to 2wd from 4Hi and it started making loud chumping noises under the car like it was shaking. was this normal or not in the right way to disengage?

I am glad that I found this forum, the information here helps me a lot.

I think the 4 wheel drive is an important feature, and I paid a lot extra $$$ for it. I only used it a few times (mostly during snow or on mountain roads). I hadn't used it for probably over a year until this winter, at which time I noticed it actually stopped working. I took it to the dealership and they told me that it will cost more than $600 to fix it.

So this is the legendary Toyota quality? I can't believe this is happening, and I am even more astonished to find out that this is actually a common problem as attested by the users here.

Mine (04 SR5) has just exceeded 60K miles, so I guess warranty is out of the question.

But I refuse to pay for the fix. This is something I paid a lot of money for and only used it sparingly. It is not because of mishandling on my part, or even regular wire-and-tire. It is not supposed to break like this. From the discussions I see here, I think Toyota knowingly sold us a defective product.

I plan to send Toyota an invoice, asking for a refund for the difference between a 2WD and a 4WD. If they do not respond, I will talk to a class action lawyer (I am serious).

I am not a litigious person, in fact, I have never sued any person, nor have I participated in any class action lawsuits. But this situation makes me angry and I think the product is totally defective and it would be completely unfair for me to incur any costs because of it.

Please share your thoughts.
Howard

BTW, I should add that, of course, I had read this forum and a few others, and tried all kinds of tricks I could think of to no avail. Finally I took it to the dealership and they told me the "small motor" (I suppose that is the actuator?) was broken.

Howard

Thanks for the info. My 2007 SR5 V6 4WD goes in and out of 4WD mode with no problems. I switch it into 4WD(H) mode every so often, as per the manual's instructions, to keep the system properly lubricated.

I note you suggest leaving the vehicle in 4WD(H) mode permanently and I do have an observation or question and hope you or others can comment.

I notice that my 4R feels and sounds different when in 4WD(H) as opposed to 2WD. There is a very slight, nearly imperceptible, sensation that the engine is under greater load when in 4WD(H). I don't sense anything out-of-the-ordinary mechanically or in the operation of the engine....just a slightly reduced feeling of power and a very slightly increased mechanical sound when in 4WD(H) mode. This is noticeable on dry pavement when starting from a full stop, driving in a straight line and accelerating on the flats.

So far I've assumed this is normal with this vehicle and the feeling of greater engine loading and increased mechanical sensation is due to the additional moving parts when the 4WD system is engaged. However, I've not noticed this with other, less sophisticated 4WD systems I've previously owned. For the most part, they all seemed to have the same engine response, feel and sound when in either 2 or 4WD when on the flats, on smooth pavement and in a straight line.

I've not compared gas consumption in both modes on the 4R, so I cannot verify whether the sensation of increased load on the engine when in 4WD translates to greater fuel consumption.

Is this normal for the multi-mode 4WD system on the V6 4R? I have not yet done any serious four-wheeling since I bought the vehicle, and I'm wondering if these issues will subside when the 4WD system and mechanicals are more fully broken-in after extensive use?

Any thoughts?