my 2011 F250 4x4 XLT might be gone soon, the 2 1/2 years i have had the truck i have had 4x4 issues. Check 4x4 light comes on all the time when going from 2wd to 4hi or from 4hi to 2wd. Xmas eve i was almost left stranded with my wife and 17month old son about 5 miles from home in the snow, and where i live sometimes i need 4x4 just to get home. The truck has been into the dealer 6 times, tomorrow will be the 7th for the same 4x4 issue. sometimes it works fine and shifts just fine other times it will get stuck in 4x4 and wont come out or other times it wont even go into 4x4. it has had almost a bran new 4x4 system put in at this point and i still have issues, i cant own this truck for however long and wonder if 4x4 will work when the time comes. I cannot pin point when it works and wont, summer time winter time, when the motor is cold, when the motor is warm, its never consistent its just a gamble when i need to use 4x4. i love everthing about the truck, pulls all my trailers perfect and have had no other issues at all. I dont know what to anymore, it goes to the dealer again tomorrow and if this happens again looks like the truck will be sold. anyone else have any ideas or experiences like this?

 

I'm sorry to hear of your problems! This is what bothers me about new "trucks", My 2006 included. (no problems with mine right now) If you had a lever to actuate the transfer case, and turned your hubs in, and it didnt work, it would be easy to diagnose. However, even on something, that a lever and two ***** (hubs) as reliable as this, We "modern" ppl, have to complicate it with a computer.
Hope You get it fixed, and live happily ever after, but that comes down to your tech's.

 

this is why a like the old 4x4 system. pull a lever back get out an lock in the hubs. either your in 4 wheel drive or not. which my current truck has.

as soon you put eletric motor to engage, and automatic hubs you will have problems.

 

I am with you on the new modern stuff, i had an 89 F250 reg cab long bed with the 351EFI in it had a few hundered thousand miles on it when i sold it best truck i have owned, took all day to put it in 4x4 (get out lock the hubs get back in pull the lever) but once it was in, you were in 4 wheel. This new shift on the fly stuff is just one more thing that can go wrong, and the fact that i almost got stuck in the snow with my wife and young son just makes me so mad.

 

You don't get "pull forward" messages with a lever either.

Hopefully they get this fixed for you.

I had 4x4 nightmares on my '02 Explorer.
It would engage by itself at 60 MPH on the highway, to give you an example.

 

See if you can find a manual 4x4 system out there. They still make them. I have one in my 2008. Pull the lever is king.

 

I hope you are able to work this out. That would drive me nuts. Once I start having reoccurring issues like that, I usually trade 'em off.

 

Sorry to hear your having troubles with your truck. I had a 78 F-250 for 21 years. Loved that truck, but, it was a pain in the hiney from day one, to get the hubs to engage. I would have to turn the hub and reach around the tire and turn the axle shaft until it engaged. Wound up just leaving the hubs in all winter.

Just wondering, do you leave your hubs in auto or do you leave them locked in?

 

I had a 99 ranger that did the same thing. Nothing like going down the hiway at 75 mph and the 4x4 is trying to engage or being deep in the woods and go to use it and it dont work. The shift on the fly was a deal breaker in 04 when I bought my 350, but trying to find one with the on the floor shift this time was a pain and well here I am hoping it wasn't a mistake but already not that thrilled.

 

I leave the hubs in auto. I have since i got the truck, i could lock em and try it for a while i suppose.

 

7 times for the same issue? You have more patience than I would've. I'd have been investigating lemon laws long ago.

Has it been to the same dealer every time? Wonder what Ford has to say about something like that happening. They can't be thrilled with the dealer just throwing parts at it.

 

silverbullet, yes same dealer i got the truck from. Im out of leamon law timeframe 18 months i got the truck in sept 2010. I just went out and locked the hubs manually got in the truck and shifted in and out of 4hi a bunch of times and it worked just fine. so maybe ill just leave the hubs locked. i have no idea what ford is thinks they have been contacted twice before by the dealer. I dont know ill leave em locked for a while see what happens.

 

Sorry to hear. Good luck with the fix, hope they get it corrected for ya.

I leave my hubs locked all winter, only thing it's hurt is my mpg's, but it's minimal.

 

Leave them locked and just use the switch to operate. The transfer case

 

And if leaving the hubs locks proves it's working, inform your dealer of that temporary "fix."
It still needs to be fixed obviously but maybe this will help with their troubleshooting.