4A issues. ford says this is normal?

[adam1991]

Here's my take. Running 4a when you don't need it will only cause problems in the long term and excessive wear and tear that isn't needed.

"The owner's manual says X, and Ford engineers have come out and confirmed that, but I refuse to believe it."

Fake news, eh?

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[Techun]

Here's my take. Running 4a when you don't need it will only cause problems in the long term and excessive wear and tear that isn't needed.

I've ran sport mode low speed and high speed, switched in and out slow and over 80. Has worked great and smooth.

I think everyone should run sport mode and turn on your power distribution to see when the fronts actually get power. It's quite often.

What's more impressive is when it gets none. It reacts to your steering wheel and disconnects it at a certain point.

I'm going to test this tomorrow with slippery mode. I have a hunch that slippery holds onto 4wd longer in slippery than it does in sport.

I'm a very mechanically inclined person with a very curious mind in regards to how things work. I have no problem using 4A, but that juice isn't worth squeeze long term using it daily IMO

You're a bad person and an idiot for thinking logically!!

 

[adam1991]

And I don’t have the 4A transfer case, but probably would take it out of 4A on dry pavement to possibly increase its longevity.

You know, if you don't run the engine then you don't use up those limited number of revs it has for its lifetime.

 

[Techun]

"The owner's manual says X, and Ford engineers have come out and confirmed that, but I refuse to believe it."

Fake news, eh?

If you still trust everything Ford says and does, you must have bought your first one yesterday.

 

[adam1991]

If the transfer case and front wheels are engaged then you get chatter on dry surfaces which is normal. It should be avoided. If the transfer case and front wheels are not engages it is not normal for the front wheels to chatter. Period.

Correct. And a properly functioning 4A transfer case does not engage on dry surfaces.

Ergo, a 4A transfer case that engages on dry surfaces is not functioning properly. It's broken.

And it's been shown that Ford knows this and will take care of it under warranty, forum members here notwithstanding.

 

[Ducati1098]

I just re-read the OP’s post. He had it in slippery mode. Is it possible 4A is more aggressive in slippery mode?

Highly unlikely. And even if it was, it would still never engage the clutch off throttle turning at under 5 mph
If they thought the 4wd engagement needed to be more aggressive I’m sure they would’ve just defaulted it to 4H instead of 4A

 

[flip]

I think too many people are expecting Subaru levels of AWD performance from the Bronco 4A.
They are NOT similar and will act differently.
I've had both, the 4A is really lacking compared to a quality AWD system.


Also, there have been, in my opinion, too many stories about 4A failures due to that clutch in the transfer case overheating/burning up for the system to be trustworthy to me.
Running it on dry pavement or even moderate conditions just seems to cause issues.

Ford's AWD/4A has definitely evolved over the years but still has what I consider to be inherent "flaws" between hardware, software and explanation of it's use. The t-cases and internal components have gotten smaller in an effort to reduce weight for fuel economy and in doing so, reduces the amount of fluid capacity and more ask of the internal components. For the majority of drivers this will never be an issue because actual use is probably less than 10% of the total driving time.

Ford does not lay out the strategy/parameters/conditions for the 4A system to the degree we can look at specific parameters while attempting to recreate an issue to determine if the system is operating as designed or not. Obviously, if there's an issue on the software/coding side, we have no way of fixing it and the best we can do is make sure the hotline programming group is aware of it and hope enough other techs report a similar issue to push Ford for a fix. Replacing failed parts or addressing specific use is not the problem, getting the granular info needed to diagnose this stuff is.

For years my opinion of 4A has been the same even as the technology has evolved. I think Ford should have advertised this as a feature not to be used on dry pavement and as the only setting to be used if vehicle speeds are above the 4H published limit. It's a good option when conditions fall into the gap between normal driving and a little sketchy. Once it gets to, the roads suck, and you're constantly having traction or control issues, 4H.

Everyone is free to use their drive modes as they wish but sometimes perception of how an advertised feature is supposed to work is not always how it does.

 

[adam1991]

If you still trust everything Ford says and does, you must have bought your first one yesterday.

There's a difference between "trust" and "hold them accountable".

When I discovered that the 4A transfer case of my 3 day old Bronco wasn't functioning as described, did I just sit there and say to myself "well, Ford said it should work but it doesn't, what should I expect, it's a Ford" and move on with my life?

No. I held Ford accountable. (And they stepped up to the plate! Imagine that!)

Apparently that's not what many people here do. They just accept the shit sandwich Ford hands them, they tell others to accept the shit sandwich when others ask an innocent question, and then they get upset for some reason when others don't accept that same shit sandwich.

 

[Fordified1]

You know, if you don't run the engine then you don't use up those limited number of revs it has for its lifetime.

Overdrive reduces the amount of revolutions an engine makes for its lifetime. I get your point though. And agree there are some common issues with the 4A transfer case that should not be accepted as normal.
We could make a long list of common issues the Broncos have. Hardtop wind noise for instance. My 2024 doesn’t but many do and the owners and dealerships have dismissed it as normal. Bullshit, it’s common, shouldn’t be accepted as normal.

 

[Fordified1]

The advanced transfer case and its computer controls are apparently glitchy as heck. Look how many transmission failures there have been (apparently) caused from the 4A tc shifting itself back into gear while being towed or NOT going into neutral as it’s supposed to. Ford STILL refuses to accept responsibility for its shortcomings. Number one reason I avoided the 4A system. I flat tow.

 

[adam1991]

Look how many transmission failures there have been (apparently) caused from the 4A tc shifting itself back into gear while being towed or NOT going into neutral as it’s supposed to.

Has anyone determined that the failures correlate strictly with the Advanced 4x4 configurations and never at all with the standard configurations?

Or, better yet, has anyone determined and declared the actual cause of the failures?

Beyond random forum talk, that is.

Number one reason I avoided the 4A system. I flat tow.

Perfectly reasonable.

I don't flat tow, never will, and have many reasons to want 4A.

Hence why Ford offers both. They sell things, and want to maximize sales. Choices are great, aren't they.

But to tell me the choice I made when I paid money for the car, based on Ford's information, doesn't work and I should just get over it and accept it--that's bullshit.

 

[Fordified1]

Has anyone determined that the failures correlate strictly with the Advanced 4x4 configurations and never at all with the standard configurations?

Or, better yet, has anyone determined and declared the actual cause of the failures?

Beyond random forum talk, that is.

Perfectly reasonable.

I don't flat tow, never will, and have many reasons to want 4A.

Hence why Ford offers both. They sell things, and want to maximize sales. Choices are great, aren't they.

No conclusion other than forum talk, but every reported failure I found (there were a couple of others who researched online as well) on this and the rv forum was with the 4A t-case. We were the only ones actually asking the questions (4A or not) and I had to make a decision of whether I was keeping the Jeep or Buying a Bronco. I really wanted a Sasquatch package but because of our research decided a safer bet for flat tow was the regular transfer case. This was also why we waited until 2024, to see how the flat tow fiasco panned out.
There is a somewhat conspiratorial theory that Ford has since quietly updated The software and fixed the 4A flat tow issues. (quietly to avoid paying warranty claims they had already blamed on the owners)
There are other issues related to brakes locking up while towing now.

 

[broncobase1]

Yes.
Low speed parking lot maneuvers in 4A should not be binding.
Realistically it should never bind in 4A, which is why it's acceptable for all driving/road conditions.

"it should never bind in 4A"

That is a stretch. Anytime there is power going to the front wheels (4WD engaged) there is a potential for binding, some anyways. Is it more than it should be in this case, perhaps. If the tires are just chirping a little I wouldn't be worrying about this -- shouldn't be using 4AT on dry pavement. If there is severe binding like being in straight 4WD mode, maybe there is an issue.

 

[brettclutch]

I have the same issue with 4A in my badlands 4-door Bronco. I notice it when I have 4A on, and the slippery patches are intermittent (some ice and some standard road) and when I need to make a U-turn. I felt the binding and hoped I didn't roast my transmission. Its been fine 1 summer after that so I'm really not sure. Glad I'm not alone I guess but my gut says it doesn't feel right and that there is an issue that ford needs to correct in terms of the clutch slippage programming (probably specific to tight turns). @Ford Motor Company would really appreciate if you could track this down and start tracking cases, I feel its a real issue on the bronco that needs your help.

 

[3People1Body]

I run in 4A (Sport) most of the time (tired of accidently spinning 37's and wasting tread)... I also have the Power Distribution on the screen, allowing me to see when the front wheels are engaged... I don't see my front wheels engaging very often while parking. At my house I have a slight gravel up-grade until I hit concrete, and even still the fronts don't engage until the rears start to slip (leaving rear wheel divot in my gravel).
I'm quite impressed with when it engages the fronts.. on the way to church, there's a turn that I take on the four lane at about 70 mph.... Normally I won't see the fronts engaging at all in that turn, however last Sunday morning, the roads were wet, but it wasn't raining, the fronts were fully engaged all the way around that turn which is abnormal, but in this case I definitely wanted the fronts pulling me too. I assume the camera picked up on wet roads because I wasn't using my windshield wipers.
My 2¢, what you're seeing isn't normal as far as my Wildtrak acts.

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