Heat Protection - Rear Drive Unit (RDU)

During aggressive on road driving, the AWD system may implement a heat protection mode to protect the AWD clutch from damage. Without transfer case or Rear Drive Unit (RDU) temperature sensors, the PCM performs calculations to determine the need for the heat protection mode. If the AWD system detects an overheat condition, it enters a locked mode. If the heat in the Rear Drive Unit (RDU) continues to rise once in the locked mode, the PCM disables the Active Torque Coupling (ATC) solenoid. This condition may be indicated by an AWD Temporarily Disabled message in the message center. To resume normal operation, stop the vehicle in a safe location and turn the engine off for at least 10 minutes. After the engine is restarted and the AWD system has adequately cooled down, the AWD Temporarily Disabled message turns off and normal AWD operation returns. In the event the engine is not stopped, the AWD Temporarily Disabled message turns off when the system cools. Normal AWD operation returns once the message center displays AWD Restored.