4WD Knob Slips from 2WD into 4WD

New 2021 Venture, 1000 miles on it, finding that when switching from 4WD back into 2WD, once in a while, the shift lever slips back into 4WD on it's own. This has happened 4 times in the first month. I use 4WD Daily to get up my steep mountain driveway, and always stop at the bottom to shift it back into 2WD. I have made sure this is pushed hard into place - tried it both moving and stopped.

I've driven FJ Cruisers since 2008, so I am familiar on how the manual transfer case works.

Dealer found no problems with this. Anyone else having this issue?

 

Does yours have the electronic knob or an actual physical lever?

 

Manual Shift Knob

When this happens the knob is sort of half way between 2WD and 4WD, but the 4WD is engaged.

 

If it was mine and it happened every single time 4wd was engaged and then disengaged, I’d try a different dealer. If it is every now and then you could try and get a feel to feel it lock into its selected positions. When it does change are you in drive or parked? If you’re driving I don’t think it would engage without gears grinding which would be very obvious.

 

Driving in Drive normally. I don't notice it slipping out until I go to park and notice the front wheels binding, then I look down. Need to watch it closer.

 

Sounds like the drive line is binding in 4wd going up your driveway. If thats the case, it would tell “me” I don’t need 4wd in that instance.

 

Are you on flat ground + minimal resistance on the driveline?

Are you shifting while the vehicle is stationary?

…two questions that need answering for us to be more helpful.

 

My North Carolina Mountain driveway is about a 20° slope, rock covered, with a steep J curve at the top by the house. I've lived here since 1998 and have always driven 4Runners and FJ Cruisers, so 4x4 is necessary, at least on the driveway.

On the way down the driveway, I shift into 2WD near the bottom before hitting the pavement, while I'm moving, and make sure it's locked in tight. I've also tried this when stopped. It makes no difference.

At the bottom of the windy road (0.8 miles long and 700' drop in elevation) it sometimes, but not always, shifts back into 4x4, or part way into 4x4, just enough to engage it.

I've used this same driving and shifting process with both of my two FJ's since 2008 and never had any issues with either of them popping out of 2WD.

I guess another trip to the dealership is needed.

 

Wouldn't the Venture (built on the Offroad) have the lever? The knob is SR5 based.

 

It does sound like something isn’t quite right, as you’re beyond familiar with how it all should work.

 

I have the same issue, 2003 4Runner. Any updates anyone can provide? VentureTRD ?

 

How would you describe the feeling of the shifter lever when you move it from from 4hi into 2wd? Can you get it to “snick” positively into place with one smooth low resistance motion? Or does it feel like shifting when in a slightly bound up condition (like shifting through cold, crunchy-style peanut butter-without that feeling of a positive stop at the end of the throw)? I ask because Ive never had to push the lever hard into place to get it to engage.

Sometimes it actually is hard to shift because Im shifting while slightly turning (so it’s bound) but I hate that feeling so much, that I my OCD will make me repeat the shift unbound so it snicks into place lol. By the way, if Im shifting into or out of 4wd while stopped, it often gives me the cold peanut butter feeling, unless I was already going dead-straight before stopping and my steering wheel was still straight ahead.

Does it pop out with a forceful sound or motion? I would expect that if was spitting itself out of position, it would be in the direction of less tension, which is 2wd. So that would be very odd if it’s forcefully moving into 4wd.

Do you have enough of a straight run at the end of your driveway to completely unload tension in the transfer case before shifting?

The FJ’s that youve used, have you had them since new, or did you start driving them when they were older and broken in?

My guesses:

1.you have an actual physical problem. Maybe bad synchros in the transfer case? Or a problem with the ADD system disconnecting the front differential (not sure if ADD failure would cause your type of problem…just guessing). But I would guess those problems would have been caught by the tech when you had the dealer look at it.

Thinking out loud…I dont think the 4wd light on the instrument cluster will turn off until the ADD is done disconnecting. When you’ve had it pop back into 4wd, had you already previously verified the 4wd light turned off? If you never verified the light went out, perhaps it never truly disenganged the front diff from the front axles… and if the road is windy all the way down, the system would not get unbound enough to complete the process of disconnection. Maybe it even bound enough to cause movement in the lever???

2. Or…you dont have a mechanical problem, but are used to the shifting of a 4runner/FJ with higher miles, that maybe is worn in well. If you ever look at a stuck 4runner in 4wd with the wheels spinning, you can almost visualize the lash in the chain driven transfer case in the way the front wheels move. It seems a certain amount of stretch is in there because they arent completely locked in 1 to 1 with the rear wheels. I mean, they are 1 to 1, but the front wheels rotation can kind of be “springy” or “lurchy” compared to the shaft driven rear wheels. I would take a guess that a 4runner with more 4wd use, starts to loosen up a bit in it’s shifting, as the chain/sporckets start to wear in together and lash increases. I dont know that for a fact, but it’s a possible explanation of why it seems my shifter seems very easy to shift at 33,000miles, compared it being somewhat gummy early on. Maybe I just got better at unload the drivetrain before throwing the shift, but I really do think my shifter movment is much smoother and forgiving than it was new.

 

Thread's a year old, OP hasn't been heard from since January...

 

All this necroposting Im being caught in lately lol. Ok then, @alamp23 , my response might apply to you. Except, since yours is a 03, mechanical failure of something might be more probable. Or lack of use could have seized up the ADD?