mrgem

I have a 2014 4x4 super crew, that has about 37k miles. It has led a pretty pampered existence, in general, but I am having 4x4 problems.

In fact, this is the second late-model F150 I've owned that has had 4x4 failures.

I might use 4x4 low once every couple of years. In any case, it gets used very seldom....But 18 months ago, I was going through an 16-inch snow bank at my mountain cabin. Because the snow was deep, I stopped, put the truck in neutral and switched the drive selector to 4x4 Low. It went into 4-low -- at least the dash said it was in 4-low with sort of a "clank." I didn't think much of it and shifted into drive. Nothing.. The truck would not move. It just revved and sat there -- like it was in neutral. For the next 20 minutes, I tried to get the thing to move. Finally, It went back into 4x2 and I was able to back out of the snow. I then put it in 4x4 high without a problem. I never tried 4-low again, since I did not trust the truck.

The next week, I ended up taking the thing into the nearest Ford dealer and explained the problem. They took the truck in and told me they would evaluate and get back to me with their assessment.

A few days later, the service manager called and said their tech had put it up on a lift and opened the transfer case drain. Along with oil, a lot of metal drained out. He said they'd need the truck a few days longer to figure out what happened and what to do about it. A couple of days later, the Service Manager called back and said the transfer case was in need of a rebuild or replacement and that they were waiting for a call back from Ford on how to proceed. Two days after that, Ford contacted them and instructed them to rebuild the unit and re-install. I picked up the truck a couple of days later and it seemed to be working fine. It even went right into 4-low, but I haven't tried it since. Otherwise, it has been running just fine.

Well, my neighbor has nearly the identical truck (same year, same drivetrain) and yesterday I heard him trying to put it into 4x4 low in his driveway. It was making a clanking/grinding noise. I walked over to see if I could help. He said that they had been camping last weekend and that he had put the truck into 4-low while driving on a jeep trail and the truck would not move. He said he had to play with the 4x4 selector for a 1/2 hour before it would finally engage the xfer case.

His truck only had 37k miles - but it was having the EXACT same problem mine did at 35k.

Has anyone else seen this problem? Is there a service bulletin on it? This is my second F150 4x4 (I owned a 2005 that I traded in on the 2014) and both have had 4x4 problems. I'm a Ford guy, but will not tolerate a truck with an unreliable 4x4 system. Winters here require working 4x4 systems in order to get around

Any idease?.

Your thoughts?

Is it time to sell my truck and start shopping Chevies?

Spiky

Seems like both of those cases only required 4H. I use 4H all the time in the winter, but have never had reason to use 4L other than testing to see if it worked. It did. I would say if you plan to ever use it, you should use it more frequently, keep it in shape.

It's never time to shop Chevys. And I'm not a "Ford guy", there's 4 different brands parked at my house each night.

Kung

IMHO, no. I own a 2013 F150 with 99K miles (I'm a trip or two away from 100K) and only use 4x4 a) in the winter and b) any other time I'm in the mud. I don't use it that much. I know a ton of people who have F150 4x4's.

None of them have had any issues.

Of course, this is anecdotal; if you're concerned about 'the' most reliable 4x4, then I'd suggest you go solely by objective statistics and then go with whatever truck (or vehicle) has the fewest issues. I have to be completely honest and say that if I knew I were, say, going to be relocated/transferred to Alaska, I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Tundra/Tacoma, as I've owned several Toyotas and every last one of them has been bulletproof.

AK4wheeler

NO…ABSOLUTELY NO GOVERNMENT MOTORS CRAP!!!

Buy a Ram or Tundra over POS GM crap. I came back to Ford because of my last truck which was a 2007 GMC Sierra.52K miles that lived a pampered life, every time it rained, I would have 2 inches of water in the floor board.Had to ditch the carpet permanently. Took it to 5 shops, three being GM Stealerships and no one could not determine the leak, even after doing the hose test numerous times.At my wits end, took to a friend’s body shop and he knew what was wrong in 30 seconds.Said that it is a common problem with GM.

When GM builds the inner cab structure, it is NOT welded...it is crimped together and caulk is applied along the seam. The caulk lasts on average 4 years (funny how it lasts just long enough for the 3yr warranty), and starts breaking down.I was quoted $1200 for caulk repair (warranty for 2 years) or $5K to strip, weld, and paint the structure.Not happening. Of course it leaked over the fuse block and ECM, so about a year after the leaking started, I started getting electrical gremlins. Truck was stripped of personal things and auctioned.

Let this be a warning…DO NOT BY GOVERNMENT MOTORS CRAP!!!

With this Ford I own, I am not happy with the 4wd system either. My 150 is a 2014 and has 27K miles and I have already ponied up $1200 because of this stupid IWE system that Ford seems to think is great.It was not under warranty because they were messed up when the struts were replaced.If my IWEs go out again, I am putting in the eliminator kit and calling is good.Even with this problem, at least it is not a GM.

AK4wheeler

techrep

iTrader: (1)

marshallr

I'm going with operator error, and you'll have the same issue with, Chevy Dodge, or Toyota.

For one thing you should shift into 4X4 about once a month and drive at least a few hundred yards on a dirt road. Same for using lo range. If the parts sit unused there are all sorts of issues that come up to prevent it form working when needed.

If the transfer case needs rebuilding someone has been operating in 4X4 on pavement or hard surfaces.

You don't shift from 2hi to 4lo. The correct way is to shift from 2hi to 4hi while driving and give it time to make the shift. Then stop, place transmission in neutral, park, or with a manual press clutch all the way to the floor. Then go from 4hi to 4lo. You have about a 50/50 chance that the gears will line up and make the shift. It is usually better to be in neutral so the truck can roll slightly. As the wheels turn the gears inside the transfer case will line up and engage.

Getting out of 4lo is harder. It isn't uncommon at all for things to bind and not want to shift. Once again, don't try to go straight to 2hi from 4lo. Stop, shift to neutral and shift to 4hi. It may not shift. If it doesn't go back to 4lo and put it in reverse and back up 15-20', then pull forward 15-20' and try again. Repeat until it shifts to 4hi, and this may take several cycles. Once in 4hi drive off and shift to 2hi on the move when you no longer need 4hi.

None of this is unique to Ford, or later model vehicles. We just have electronics doing the shifting now instead of manually. I've been driving 4X4's since the 70's. They all work best used as I described.

Kung

Ok, this is the first I've heard of this...what is this eliminator kit you speak of?

bassJAM

GM makes a decent enough truck, but transfer case failures like you describe are pretty rare. I've had motors stop working but never a failure bad enough to require a rebuild.

Also, it's very rare to need 4x4 low. Really the only times are when you need the torque multiplication like rock crawling, or when you need precise wheel speed control like when trying to get unstuck from mud or snow without digging yourself deeper. I bet in my 18 years of owning trucks and off-roading I've only used 4low about 6 times, and most of those was when I had a stick shift.

Missmy06

Here you go, probalby the best thing you can do if you have IWE issues.

https://www.rcvperformance.com/rcv-u...150-04-up.html

Pickupman66

While I no longer own a 4x4 vehicle a piece of advice has stuck with me when I have owned them. "exercise all modes of 4x4 on a regular basis" Find a gravel road put it in 4 high for a few hundred feet or more. drop it in 4 low and do the same. Back to 4 high then 2 high. If you can shift to neutral, do so. this way everything stays lubricated and working. if you encounter an issue, you can address it.

FWIW, my previous 4x4 was an 2009 Ram. In the 213,000 miles I had to replace the shift motor on the NVG transfer case. newer dodge trucks use a BorgWarner case that utilizes clutches for engagement and there can be some low speed slipping no matter what mode.