Do not use four-wheel drive high or four-wheel drive low mode on dry, hard surfaced roads. Doing so can produce excessive noise, increase tire wear and can damage driveline components. Four-wheel drive high or four-wheel drive low mode is only for use on consistently slippery or loose surfaces. Use of four-wheel drive low mode on these surfaces could produce some noise, such as occasional clunks, but should not damage driveline components.
For vehicles with an electronic shift-on-the-fly transfer case, the driveline could become mechanically blocked when attempting to shift out of a four-wheel drive mode on dry, hard surfaced roads.
Note:   When your vehicle comes with the 4x4 part-time selectable engagement transfer case and you are transitioning from consistently loose or slippery surfaces, be sure the four-wheel drive system is not mechanically blocked once you are on dry, hard surfaced roads in two-wheel drive high.
Note:   In certain scenarios, where the four-wheel drive system has difficulty engaging, a To Engage 4x4 Slow to 3 MPH or To Engage 4x4 Slow to 5 km/h message could appear in the instrument cluster.You can also see this message when engaging the four-wheel drive system in extreme cold climates at the beginning of the drive cycle. Once the driveline warms up, shifting to four-wheel drive can resume as normal.
Operating Four-Wheel Drive with a Spare or Mismatched Tires
On four-wheel drive vehicles, the size of the spare tire can affect the four-wheel drive system.
If there is a significant difference between the size of the spare tire and the remaining tires, you could have limited four-wheel drive functionality, added noise, discomfort and driveline damage.
Due to normal tire wear, your spare tire is not necessarily the same size as your on-road tires, which makes your spare tire a dissimilar size. Use the spare tire on a limited basis only.
When driving with a dissimilar wheel and tire assembly do not:
  • Exceed 50 mph (80 km/h) when operating in a four-wheel drive mode.
  • Select a four-wheel drive mode unless the vehicle is stationary.
  • Use a four-wheel drive mode on dry pavement.
You could have limited four-wheel drive functionality when driving with a dissimilar wheel and tire assembly, especially when driving in a mechanically locked four-wheel drive mode. You can experience the following:
  • Additional noise from the transfer case or other drive components.
  • Difficulty shifting in and out of a mechanically locked four-wheel drive mode.
  • Driveline component damage.
Mechanical Shift Blocking
On vehicles with an electronic shift-on-the-fly transfer case, the transfer case distributes torque to the front wheels by mechanically interlocking the front and rear driveshafts together. Various external factors can affect shifting performance of this type of system including, but not limited to:
  • Vehicle acceleration.
  • Dissimilar tire sizes.
  • High steering input.
For vehicles with an electronic shift-on-the-fly transfer case, when shifting into two-wheel drive high on dry, hard surfaced roads, we recommend that you follow the following procedure to reduce the likelihood of a mechanical shift block:
  1. When driving straight, come to a complete stop on a flat, horizontal surface.
  1. For vehicles with an automatic transmission, shift into park (P). For vehicles with a manual transmission, press the clutch.
  1. Select 2H and wait for the 2H LED to become solid.
  1. For vehicles with an automatic transmission, shift into reverse (R). For vehicles with a manual transmission, select reverse (R) and release the clutch. Let the vehicle roll backward up to 3 ft (1 m) and press the brake.
  1. For vehicles with an automatic transmission, shift into drive (D). For vehicles with a manual transmission, press the clutch in again, select a forward gear and release the clutch. Let the vehicle roll forward up to 3 ft (1 m).
If the system is mechanically blocked, one or more of the following actions can relieve the mechanical shift block:
  • Momentary acceleration.
  • Momentary braking.
  • Bringing the vehicle to a stop.
  • Shifting the transmission to neutral and back to drive.
  • Shifting the transmission to reverse and back to drive.
  • Driving the vehicle around a tight turn at a slow speed.

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