2011 4WD Switch no good after only 4k miles

[bigkat91]

So I was driving down the interstate on my way to campus today and all of the sudden I feel a slight jerk and the 4Wd! light come on. Pulled over read the manual and it stated to have it serviced immediately. Got to dealership in town and they look it over and its a faulty 4wd selector switch. They say its ok to drive it home and so I did. On the way home it dropped into 4wd seven times at speeds from 45 to 55 mph on drive pavement. Before I left the dealership I asked it it was ok to drive home the service writer was hesitant to gove me and answer and eventually said yes. So now I am without a vehicle for 2-3 days and I don't want to drive it as it will dropped into 4wd at anytime. Called Jeep and they can't do anything until tomorrow. I think a loner vehicle would have been nice but guess they want to risk damaging my CVT T-case, and RDU. END RANT and time for more beer

[IRSmart]

a loaner is not covered under the chrysler warranty. if you are concerned about it and MUST drive it, why not just unbolt your console and unplug the switch? that would prevent it from dropping into 4WD accidentally.

just FYI, you won't put a whole lot of damage on the car in this manner. the car is really AWD. your rear wheels always have power to them. all the 4WD LOCK button does is split the torque evenly from the front to rear.

[bigkat91]

Well if you put it that way it seems like I over reacted but the bloody truth is I just took delivery of this vehicle mid April and it seems silly that I have spent 23K on this vehicle that I use everyday to travel between work, school, and to take my ever aging parents to doctor visits and up most rely on. It would have taken three days of pay and getting this done around the community impossible with out a loaner. Now that I have a loaner my car will get fixed while I'm at work tomorrow and then I'll pick up and drop off my ride after work. If i wouldn't have gotten a loaner I would have been car less until the 20th.

[IRSmart]

don't misunderstand me, i'm not saying you shouldn't be upset that it isn't working. as long as you are getting it taken care of, that's the most important part. my point was that you shouldn't be concerned with damaging the vehicle unless there are other problems besides the switch.

[bigkat91]

Sorry that I miss read you its just been a stressful pass few days. A fail on my part and thanks for the info about the AWD system then. It was my understanding from the purchasing dealer that it was FWD until the switch was activated. I guess knowledge does conquer all.

[tripplec]

These jeeps as most don't have LSD at the rear and you can drive in 4X4 mode on dry roads anyway if you which. Unlike some Grand Cherokee's like mine it has two modes for 4x4 of which one of them can be used on dry roads without chewing tires etc on turns or gears binding.

If its the switch it merely engaging drive to the rear intermittently rather than on slip detection which causes it to engage.