4x4 light still blinking, no chime and still in 4

Yes, I've searched and read a few other threads about this issue.

2016 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road with ~14600 miles
I was doing some work on Saturday and had to get in and out of some steep terrain with some mud holes. On the way in to the job I had no problem going from 2WD to 4WD and then down to 4LO with the rear differentials locked.
Coming out from the job I couldn't get the 4WD to turn off and the light kept blinking all the way back down into town. I washed everything out that I could from the skid plates, disconnected the negative terminal on the battery to see if that would reset it. Nope...
I've tried going back and forth multiple times from drive to neutral to drive to reverse and it still doesn't pop out of 4.

Thought's or solutions to this issue?

Not sure why Toyota did away with the manual 4 shifter, seemed like a reliable way to get in and out of 4 like my '98 had.

 

If it is blinking, it may not be engaged. Can you tell?? Is it in 4Lo?? Sounds like a trip to the dealer.

G.

 

are you sure you are stuck in 4wd? aside from the light blinking, you can actually feel the truck in 4hi??

I bet these 3rd gens will have all the same front add actuator issues that the 2nd gens have... heck, I bet they even have the same part numbers...

 

hMake sure you go back and forth from 2h to 4h while you are rocking back and forth. Sometimes it takes a few tries. Electronic shift is bullshit....give us a freakin lever back.

 

took me 10-15 minutes of this madness to disengage it at the top of the trail miles from anything. such a common complaint. yessir give me the lever!

 

I believe the entire front Diff is the same, including the axle actuator (which sucks)

 

I go 4lo from 2wd in N and then back up.. sometimes you need to shift into R but if you go in 4lo then back to 2wd it will generally come out but these 4x4 systems are a turd.. mine is always stuck.. I generally know its out when I hear a loud pop like it was bound up.. then the truck drives smooth and I get better mpg

 

You guys wanting a lever... I owned three 5th gen 4Runners. All with a lever. The lever only shifts the transfer case. You still have to electrically actuate the Automatic Disconnecting Differential (ADD) just like we have in the Tacoma, so the lever is not the greatest thing since sliced bread. I'm waiting for someone to say "I wish we had manual locking hubs..." That's fine, as long as a pair of vice grips are included from Toyota...

OP, sometimes you have to shift and back up a short distance to get everything correct and the light to quit blinking. It's in the manual. When you crank the steering wheel to it's stop while doing a low speed turn do you get a surging? If not, it's unlocked and the 4WD light just didn't get the message. In that case you have to put it back in 4WD and go through the unlock procedure again. Hope this helps.

 

I was having tons of issues with my 4x4 engaging when my truck was new. I started putting it in 4x4 several times a week while driving at low speeds. It now engages and disengages perfectly at all speeds. Hopefully it's nothing major.

 

You haven't had this system in the Tacoma very long I take it. I'm on my 4th add actuator. They fail constantly, well known issue

 

I've had it in the 4Runner(s) since 2010. Never failed one. Basically same design ADD. I have read about a few failures though. I think "constantly" is not a good description. From what I've read the failure rate is a percent of one percent.

 

Holy 98.

 

Thanks everyone. I'll try rocking it back and forth a few times to see if I can get it to pop out. I know it's still in 4HI because when I make a sharp turn I do get the surging and it definitely doesn't turn like it does in 2HI. I'll report back what I find out and what needs to be done.

 

Bad actuator, you aren't the first 3rd gen member to have this happen.

Call dealer, have it towed in stuck in 4wd. Stop making sharp turns (assuming you are on dry pavement) stuck in 4wd unless you want to see what the inside of a transfer case looks like.

 

Please quit perpetuating that myth. And please don't show me the one picture on the internet of that shattered Jeep transfer case. Sharp turns on pavement are not good for the truck but you will not grenade the case. If that were true then every guy that forgot to take it out of 4WD would have a busted case.

 

This has happened to me, had to rock it back and forth for a while to get it to switch. I'm switching to the fj case in the future tho

 

Yes, I also want manual hubs. Even less rotating resistance when unlocked. Also, when unlocked, you can reach down and pull the lever in to 4 hi any time you want in order to circulate lube through the tcase and diff. Even in dry conditions.

 

whats the process for changing them?

 

I think I read in the manual that Toyota recommends putting the trunk in 4x4 for at least 10 miles per month. Perhaps this has something to do with it.

 

Electronic shift is awesome, my Ford had no issues it was instant, literally click, in, click, out. Zero delay with zero issues for over 200k miles.. These Tacos are another story.