Service AWD

[dpisarek]

I purchased a one owner 2012 dodge journey sxt with awd. It had 19,000 miles on it when bought back in May and now has 25,000 so still under warranty We got some snow last week and when we took out the journey it started out fine but a soon as we hit some large hills we started to spin and the service awd light came on. When this light was on it was like we only had front wheel drive and got stuck. We turned around and was able to get home but could not get it into the garage which has a very slight grade to go up and I mean slight. A little later I started the car and the service awd was not on and it just went right into the garage without issue. So to see what the heck is going on here I took it back out and found a flat parking lot with just a dusting of snow, started to drive slow at first then started to drive faster and caused the suv to spin and lose traction. The light came right on and I was back into the same condition where it just seemed like fwd only. Drove slowly for a bit and the light went off and all seemed well.

I have talked to a couple dealers and also Chrysler customer service and no one has heard of this happening. I feel like I may have bought a lemon here since this is not the only issue.

Other issues:

- Clock is always 15 minutes or so ahead even after you reset it

- Radio will some times be at the highest volume when you start the car

- Ball joint or something else that makes a banging sound when on the brakes from the passenger side. Has been to two dealerships and no one can find an issue with this noise. I have even recreated it for them

I attached pics of the service awd on my dash. On one of the pics you will see that I turned off the traction control or what not but even when in this condition the traction indicator comes on and then the service awd.

Any info would be appreciated (it goes back to the dealership soon)

[oracle]

Could be as simple as a bad sensor, too early to have any kind of mechanical failure I think..(Unless it was abused)

Have you noticed any oil drip on the floor?

good luck, and you are one lucky guy by still having warranty on it.

[Journey_SeXT]

I purchased a one owner 2012 dodge journey sxt with awd. It had 19,000 miles on it when bought back in May and now has 25,000 so still under warranty We got some snow last week and when we took out the journey it started out fine but a soon as we hit some large hills we started to spin and the service awd light came on. When this light was on it was like we only had front wheel drive and got stuck. We turned around and was able to get home but could not get it into the garage which has a very slight grade to go up and I mean slight. A little later I started the car and the service awd was not on and it just went right into the garage without issue. So to see what the heck is going on here I took it back out and found a flat parking lot with just a dusting of snow, started to drive slow at first then started to drive faster and caused the suv to spin and lose traction. The light came right on and I was back into the same condition where it just seemed like fwd only. Drove slowly for a bit and the light went off and all seemed well.

I have talked to a couple dealers and also Chrysler customer service and no one has heard of this happening. I feel like I may have bought a lemon here since this is not the only issue.

Other issues:

- Clock is always 15 minutes or so ahead even after you reset it

- Radio will some times be at the highest volume when you start the car

- Ball joint or something else that makes a banging sound when on the brakes from the passenger side. Has been to two dealerships and no one can find an issue with this noise. I have even recreated it for them

I attached pics of the service awd on my dash. On one of the pics you will see that I turned off the traction control or what not but even when in this condition the traction indicator comes on and then the service awd.

Any info would be appreciated (it goes back to the dealership soon)

They are lying if they have never heard of the Service AWD issue.... I just googled "Service AWD Dodge" and there are threads regarding this issue so it does exist and they need to figure it out. Luckily you are still under warranty. As far as clock & volume issues there are threads already dealing with those issues you can read up on and I think there is a software update to cure that problem.

BTW welcome to the forum!

[dpisarek]

Thanks for the info, ya they need to get this sorted ASAP.

[dpisarek]

Btw no oil leaks of any kind

[12JourneyRT]

I recently experienced the same problem over the weekend. We had a pretty decent snow and the "Service AWD System" light came on followed by "Wheels Syncronizing" and the traction control light. It seems like sometimes it is AWD and at other times it definitely is not as the front wheels will just spin continuously. I took it to the dealership yesterday and their diagnosis was the following: they pulled the code C1078 (Tire Revolution Out Of Range Performance), now my Journey RT was bought new in March of 2012 and had 6 miles on it and it currently has 14,200 miles on it with scheduled tire rotations. Their explanation for this happening is that all the tires are low on tread and not the same depth causing the AWD system to disengage (same as putting the smaller spare tire on and it disengaging to prevent damage to the AWD system). My tires are: left front 4/32, front right 3/32, left rear 3/32, right rear 2/32 as far as tread depth, which makes them all a different circumfrance / size. They said I need 4 new tires to correct the problem and prevent any damage to other systems / parts. It has the OEM Kumho Solus KH16 tires and they stated that they are really soft and do not last long. I really do hate the tires but a 60,000 mile tire worn out at 14,200 miles causing problems with the AWD system???? Another dealership confirmed the same thing so I guess it is 4 new tires after only 10 months and 14,200 miles which I am not happy about.

[DodgeCares]

I recently experienced the same problem over the weekend. We had a pretty decent snow and the "Service AWD System" light came on followed by "Wheels Syncronizing" and the traction control light. It seems like sometimes it is AWD and at other times it definitely is not as the front wheels will just spin continuously. I took it to the dealership yesterday and their diagnosis was the following: they pulled the code C1078 (Tire Revolution Out Of Range Performance), now my Journey RT was bought new in March of 2012 and had 6 miles on it and it currently has 14,200 miles on it with scheduled tire rotations. Their explanation for this happening is that all the tires are low on tread and not the same depth causing the AWD system to disengage (same as putting the smaller spare tire on and it disengaging to prevent damage to the AWD system). My tires are: left front 4/32, front right 3/32, left rear 3/32, right rear 2/32 as far as tread depth, which makes them all a different circumfrance / size. They said I need 4 new tires to correct the problem and prevent any damage to other systems / parts. It has the OEM Kumho Solus KH16 tires and they stated that they are really soft and do not last long. I really do hate the tires but a 60,000 mile tire worn out at 14,200 miles causing problems with the AWD system???? Another dealership confirmed the same thing so I guess it is 4 new tires after only 10 months and 14,200 miles which I am not happy about.

12,

Perhaps contacting Kumho about the warranty would be beneficial.

U.S. Headquarters - Sales, Marketing & General Office

Kumho Tire U.S.A., Inc.

10299 6th Street

Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730

1-800-HI-KUMHO (445-8646)

• Warranty@KumhoTireUSA.com

[aukfan33]

This happened to me as well but the light went off the next time I started the DJ. Taking it to a local dealer here to see what they say about it. May have to wait till I move back to the states this summer to really address this. Hopefully, it was one of those glitches and won't come back.

[2late4u]

i just turned 41k on my 17 inch kumo tires and still have great tread on mine. i live in a small town and go on long trips with the car. one thing if you do alot of city driving will wear your tires alot more than normal , i know this as my daughter delivers mail and will wear out a set of tires in less than 1yr. couldnt believe she wears than out that fast but stop and go and around town driveing does takes it toll on her tires,also she goes thur a set of brake pads every 6months and or about 7k miles and i put wagner thermo-quite pads on the front which are top of line pads. oh well good luck with your new tires and hope that solves your problem

[jmcq]

exact same issue yesterday with new 2013 journey, slick incline, same symptoms.... Like I wrote your post

[aukfan33]

Update: the next time I started the vehicle the check light was off and hasnt come back. I recently had to repair a flat that caused the check AWD light to come on while the spare was on. As soon as I put the reg tireback on all lights went back off.

[Robu]

12,

Perhaps contacting Kumho about the warranty would be beneficial.

U.S. Headquarters - Sales, Marketing & General Office

Kumho Tire U.S.A., Inc.

10299 6th Street

Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730

1-800-HI-KUMHO (445-8646)

• Warranty@KumhoTireUSA.com

Good luck, I've attempted to deal with Kumho so has my dealership and even the dealership had some colorful things to say about how incompetent their warranty people are

[Martin Hamel]

Next time it happens to you, try cleaning the snow around the brake shoe... The ABS sensor is probably getting to much snow due to the wheel design. Yes, it's a flaw that Dodge should recognize...

Good luck!!

[John Atkinson]

We have a new 2013 Journey SXT , AWD, we have drove it for 3 weeks now, we got the first good snow this week and the AWD Service light has come on 3 times so far this winter,and yes it sucks, I have to pull over stop, turn off the car ( all the way off ) then restart it and then its back in all wheel, and off we go. I think tire spin is doing this, it puts the car in front wheel drive when it happens. I traded in our 06 AWD Magnum R/T and it spun the wheels all the time and I never had anything like this happen. I know this has a 3.6 V-6 but i don't know what trans. is it a NAG-1 ? I have not been back to the Dodge Dealer yet, Do they have a fix for this ??? I do not wish to wast my time with them if they don't. I do like this car its nice and roomy, and it moves right out when you step on it, and we love all the new lights and bells, And so I hope this can be fixed

Edited December 8, 2013 by John Atkinson

[Journeyman425]

...as soon as we hit some large hills we started to spin and the service awd light came on. When this light was on it was like we only had front wheel drive and got stuck. .

Other issues:

- Clock is always 15 minutes or so ahead even after you reset it

- Radio will some times be at the highest volume when you start the car

- Ball joint or something else that makes a banging sound when on the brakes from the passenger side. Has been to two dealerships and no one can find an issue with this noise. I have even recreated it for them

You are correct in your observation that the vehicle behaved as if it were FWD only. If a fault is detected in the Drivetrain Control Module (which is responsible for governing the AWD system) then it will disable the clutches in the power transfer unit and revert to FWD only. When you cycled the key, it cleared the active fault and allowed the PTU to engage the rear wheels again until the fault code returned.

When you return it to the dealer, it should have some stored fault code(s) which will aid in diagnosis. The easiest thing you can do is to check the tire pressures and condition. Always start with the basics. The low tire light should be on if one or more tires are significantly low on pressure, but check them anyway. If the tires have significant wear relative to one another (as if one were nearly worn and the other new, for example) the difference in circumference can make a large enough differential in wheel speeds relative to one another, which will cause the DCM to disable the AWD system to protect the clutches for damage.

Regarding the clock issue - your dealer will have this software update. It just came out in October of this year.

STAR Case

This document does not authorize warranty repairs. This communication documents a record of past experiences. STAR Center Online does not provide any conclusions about what is wrong with the vehicle. Rather, it captures all previous cases known that appear to be similar or related to the vehicle symptom / condition. You are the expert, and you are responsible for deciding on the appropriate course of action. Chrysler Group LLC Contact the STAR Center for assistance if no solution is found Version 5/23/13

Case Number: S1308000363

Release Date:

10/11/2013

Symptom/Vehicle Issue:

REB, RHA Radio, Clock Gains Time

Discussion:

Clock appears to gain time, use the following software update disc to complete.

Note: Some radios have a display indicating the radio is at the correct software level as displayed below. Use the disc update to overwrite and reset the radio to correct the clock gain complaints.

...and for your radio volume issue:

SUBJECT:

RHA And REB Radio Software Enhancements

OVERVIEW:

This bulletin involves upgrading the software on the RHA or REB Radio.

MODELS:

2011 - 2012 (LX) 300

2011 - 2012 (JC) Journey

2011 - 2012 (LD) Charger

NOTE: This bulletin applies to JC vehicles built between May 1, 2011 (MDH 0501XX)

and March 22, 2012 (MDH 0322XX). LD/LX vehicles built between May 1, 2011

(MDH 0501XX) and March 27, 2012 (MDH 0327XX) that are equipped with

UCONNECT TOUCH 4.3 CD/MP3 (sales code RHA) or UCONNECT TOUCH

4.3S CD/MP3/SAT (sales code REB).

SYMPTOM/CONDITION:

·

USB/CD skips while playing.

·

Radio changes stations on it's own.

·

Radio locks up intermittently or fully inoperative.

·

Radio cuts in and out, resets on it's own or completely inoperative.

·

Diagnostic trouble code (DTC) U0147 - Lost Communication With Telematics

Gateway.

·

Radio mutes or Intermittently mutes.

·

Radio Display goes blank.

NUMBER:

08-030-12 REV. B

GROUP:

Electrical

DATE:

July 12, 2012

·

When the ignition is first turned on, the audio volume is very high.

·

CD audio glitch and/or audio drop out for 0.2 seconds.

·

The driver's heated seat soft key is grayed out on the radio display.

·

CD skips repeatedly while playing.

·

CD jumps tracks after cranking the engine, turning the radio off and then on, and/or

after depressing the stop and then play soft key.

·

In USB playback mode a blank screen, or the last displayed screen, is displayed

when the ABC soft key is pressed.

·

An iPod Nano connected in USB mode may fail to play and/or the Pause and Play

keys are reversed on the radio display.

·

Multiple instances of the same Sirius Game Zone entry may be displayed.

·

Intermittently, the back-up chime sounds continuously once vehicle is put into

forward gear, instead of shutting off.

DIAGNOSIS:

Using a Scan Tool (wiTECH) with the appropriate Diagnostic Procedures available in

TechCONNECT. If DTC's other then the ones listed above are present record them on the

repair order and repair as necessary before proceeding further with this bulletin.

If a customer’s VIN is listed in VIP or your RRT VIN list, perform the repair. For all other

customers that describe the symptom/condition, perform the Repair Procedure.

PARTS REQUIRED:

Qty. Part No. Description

AR (1) 68147629AC REB Update Disc (version 12.6.13) for JC

AR (1) 68147630AC RHA Update Disc (version 12.6.13) for JC

AR (1) 68169945AB REB Update Disc (version 12.7.12) for LD

AR (1) 68169943AB RHA Update Disc (version 12.7.12) for LD

AR (1) 68191370AA RHA Update Disc (version 12.7.2) for LX

AR (1) 68191371AA REB Update Disc (version 12.7.2) for LX

NOTE: Dealer will order the update disc via Exchange Order Process. The core

charge will not apply. Only one update disc is required for each radio (RHA

and REB) and vehicle (JC, LX and LD) combination. Each disc may be used

to service multiple vehicles.

NOTE: ** International dealer will order the update disc via the ERES order process.

The core charge will not apply. Only one update disc is required for each

radio (RHA and REB) and vehicle (JC, LX and LD) combination. Each disc

may be used to service multiple vehicles. **

Regarding the noise when braking - does the banging sound repeat as the vehicle slows down, or does it make a one-time sound when the brakes applied? I have seen instances in other vehicles where an out-of-round rotor will cause a knocking sound under certain braking conditions but not necessarily a vibration when the brakes are applied.

Edited December 8, 2013 by Journeyman425

[Moparman]

We have changed a few clutch assy. on the rear diff on these for no AWD. That said, are you guys using snow tires on these? If your trying to run the 19s in the winter, it ain't gonna work. If its always engaging the rear clutch , if the tires are slipping, its gradually going to trip the light. These are AWD, NOT 4WD.....The rear wheels are engaged by a clutch pack assy, that's not meant for continuous duty.

[Jay Sixspeedrt]

I just had this same issue occur on Saturday. The lights kept coming on and off, then it stayed on for about 40 miles. Yesterday morning going to church it was on. But when I went to watch football at a friend's yesterday afternoon it was off, and has stayed off, and didn't come back on today. AWD seems to be working normally - I took the Journey to a parking lot that had a light snow cover and accelerated strongly - no issues.

Now, it warmed up on Saturday, and we got rain. Not sure if moisture got into something, and now it's gone?

Dealer said not to even bring it in unless the light is ON because there are no codes that stay in memory - and that they can't trace the defect without the light on. Makes me worry that it happen at any time, especially when I need AWD and anti-locks during a snowstorm, etc. I don't feel warm fuzzies, that's for sure. If moisture got into something, it will happen again, and corrosion will occur and the problem will get worse.

Edited December 31, 2013 by Jay Sixspeedrt

[Jay Sixspeedrt]

Well, knock on wood - the light has stayed off and no issues with the AWD, and I've driven her quite a bit in the last couple weeks, and in some serious snow too. When the weather gets better, I want to pull the modular connectors to the hub sensors apart and spray a little Fluid Film on each one, to ensure a good connection. Not sure what the fault was, but with the weather we've had, crud can work its way into connectors.

[Johan Vasquez]

Hi Guys,

I have a DJ 2012 RT 56000 KM.I am having same problem since yesterday, the AWD service light was ON during my 30 minutes drive to work. In my town we got a lot snow and streets are cover by ice.First time these light came ON during these winter.Planning to take the car tomorrow to dealer but wondering why the light came out if there is not good traction. This light for me means more a problem than a warning . Should I stop driving the car while the light is ON. Appreciate you inputs guys.

[jkeaton]

Hi Guys,

I have a DJ 2012 RT 56000 KM.I am having same problem since yesterday, the AWD service light was ON during my 30 minutes drive to work. In my town we got a lot snow and streets are cover by ice.First time these light came ON during these winter.Planning to take the car tomorrow to dealer but wondering why the light came out if there is not good traction. This light for me means more a problem than a warning . Should I stop driving the car while the light is ON. Appreciate you inputs guys.

Your fine to drive it. It's just like the check engine light. Comes on to warn you that something is afoul and to get it serviced asap.Most likely, when the light comes on, it disables the AWD system anyway.

[Jay Sixspeedrt]

Hi Guys,

I have a DJ 2012 RT 56000 KM.I am having same problem since yesterday, the AWD service light was ON during my 30 minutes drive to work. In my town we got a lot snow and streets are cover by ice.First time these light came ON during these winter.Planning to take the car tomorrow to dealer but wondering why the light came out if there is not good traction. This light for me means more a problem than a warning . Should I stop driving the car while the light is ON. Appreciate you inputs guys.

Did you have any other lights on besides Service AWD? In my 2012 SXT, when it came on, the ABS and Traction lights also lit.

If the light is off, don't bother taking to the dealer. My dealer told me that the reason for Service AWD doesn't get retained in the memory, so they can't pull any info on what caused it if the indicator turns off. Mine turned itself off about a month ago - been ok since then and everything functions normally. Who knows what caused it, or how to prevent it again?

[aukfan33]

Don't worry about this, when one of the tires spins faster than the others (uphill on snow and ice) it'll throw the light. The next time you start the DJ it should turn off, at least it does for me. Another situation that'll throw the code is putting the spare tire on as its a different diameter.

[jkeaton]

Took it into the service department and they asked if I had a spare on it. Told them just got it so no. All he would tell me is it had some"odd codes" on it but wouldn't elaborate on it. But yeah I noticed it doesn't come back on when I start it the next morning. I got it used so who knows what was done to it before i got it.

Speaking of that. It has been very cold in my neck of the woods lately in the single digits. Anyone ever have a problem when it starts up first time of the day it sounds like a belt or pulley going out for maybe 10-20 seconds than goes away?

Cold weather noises are normal. People dont like to hear that but it is true.

Edited February 11, 2014 by jkeaton

[Journeyman425]

Mine makes the sound that a power steering pump makes when its very low on fluid - just for a brief 1-2 seconds and only when it's super cold, like low teens or single digits and on first morning start up. I consider that to be normal operation in those kinds of temps. Fluid viscosities are very high when the temps are that cold and it takes longer for things to start flowing. No worries.

[Ashley Thomas]

wow!!! i have all the same issues as you do and just today my all wheel drive light came on out of nowhere. this is my first jeep, chrysler, dodge purchase and FOR SURE THE LAST! the only answer i ever get is "its regular wear and tear" i had a pontiac that i drove forever and only had minor repairs done on it in its 5th year of owner ship. i have had all kinds of stuff done to this vehicle since being the 2nd owner of it.