What Does Check AWD System Mean on Toyota RAV4?

Toyota RAV4 is a famous SUV among Americans because of its competitive price and extraordinary features. It provides great fuel economy and contains the All-wheel drive feature (AWD) for better stability and control.

What Does Check AWD System Mean on Toyota RAV4? Check AWD System light appears on the Toyota RAV4 screen when you cannot engage the feature. It represents dead batteries, faulty electric connections, bad transmission components, and opened gas caps. Moreover, the check AWD means issues in exhaust and engine parts, damaged speed sensors, overheating of the system, and faulty fuel pumps.

Driving with the check light on is unsafe because it can cause skidding of tires and accidents. In addition, it can also completely damage the connected components.

What is Check AWD System on Toyota RAV4?

The small light blinks with the message Check AWD System to alert the driver. It represents an issue with this component, which is temporarily disabled from your vehicles.

The electric control unit automatically disables the feature after detecting issues in them. It also disables the system when the wheel’s differential lubrication is poor.

The poor lubrication increases the friction between differentials which leads to overheating. In addition, the system also detects the electrical faults in these components and disables them.

The electric malfunctioning comes from their poor ground connections and damaged or loose wirings.

What does the Check AWD System represent in Toyota RAV4?

The check AWD light comes on your screen when something is interrupting in supplying power to the wheels of your SUVs.

Dead battery

The batteries power the various components of vehicles to run the wheels. The weak and dead battery cannot generate enough power to run all of the wheels.

In addition, it cannot supply equal power to the rear and front tires. The batteries die because of their poor maintenance and the user’s negligence.

In addition, incorrect cleaning, corroded terminals, and cracked batteries cannot supply enough power for the movement of all wheels simultaneously.

Clean the batteries properly and use the electric cleaners to remove rust from their terminals. Ensure that the terminals are tight and caps are correctly installed.

Bad transmission components

The transmission supplies the engine-generated power to the wheels via gears. The generated power is helpful in the rolling movement of tires.

The bad and faulty transmission cannot supply enough power to propel the tires forward on the roads. Sometimes the transmission and gears can also get stuck and hinder the forward movement of the SUV.

You cannot activate the all-wheel drive feature because of faulty and bad transmission components. The issue also comes when there is leakage in transmission fluid, and their levels are low.

The low transmission fluid cause issue in the shifting of gears and delay in their movement. It is necessary to change the transmission fluid because contaminants and dirt accumulate in them.

Opened gas caps

The gas or fuel caps are outside the vehicles for fuel refilling in the tanks. The filler caps secure the tank’s openings and prevent the evaporation of gas from them.

It also acts as the safety component to prevent fuel from leaking and keep the dust and dirt particles away from the tanks.

Sometimes people forget to close them properly after filling, and you cannot start the engine. You cannot activate the AWD in your Toyota RAV4 when the engine is turned off.

The transmission cannot supply the power from the engine to the wheels for their forward movement.

Engine and exhaust issues

The check light also comes on when it detects an issue with the engine or exhaust component and prevents them from further damage.

The issues in engine compartments come when the head gaskets are loose or damaged. Moreover, the low levels of motor oils hinder the smooth functioning of engine parts and increase overheating risks.

In addition, low coolant levels also increase the compartment’s temperature and lead to unburnt fuel’s misfiring. The exhaust components also become faulty and cannot remove the harmful gasses from the vehicles.

Malfunctioning in exhaust components comes when condensation, debris, and dirt build on the tailpipe of your SUV.

The clogged tailpipe and faulty oxygen sensors cause an issue in the removal of toxic gases, and these remain in the compartment.

Damaged speed sensors

The speed sensors are located on the wheels, which can transfer information to the electronic control module for functioning stability and traction control features.

The damaged or broken speed sensors cannot transfer any information about the spinning and speed of wheels on the speedometer.

The check light comes on your screen when there is an issue with speed sensors. For example, driving on poor and unpaved roads produces wear and tear in the speed sensors.

Moreover, water enters inside when you drive on flooded and muddy roads for longer.

Overheating in system

The overheating in AWD leads to disengagement of the feature, and you can see a warning light blinking on your Toyota RAV4 screen. The overheating in the system comes from poor driving habits and road conditions.

The issue comes when you drive on deep sandy and snowy roads. The tires need more power from these poor roads, leading to system overheating.

The tires usually get stuck on these roads, and getting out of them is challenging. Turn off your SUV and wait a few minutes to cool down the system.

Turn on the ignition again, and the warning light disappears from the screen.

Faulty fuel pumps

The Toyota RAV4 contains the fuel pump for gasoline supply into the combustion chamber instead of injection nozzle sprays. These are not accurate and also cause the extra dripping of fuel into the combustion chamber.

The unburnt fuel increases the risk of misfiring in the engine parts and is dangerous for your vehicle. The faulty or stuck fuel pump cannot supply enough gasoline for ignition.

The engine cannot generate sufficient power for wheel movement when the fuel supply is less because of the failure of fuel pumps. The fuel pump failure occurs due to rust, dirt, and debris accumulation on their surfaces.

Incorrect size of tires

The same size of the rear and front wheels is necessary for working all-wheel drive. These cannot work, and you can see a warning light when tires are of different sizes.

The incorrect size issue comes from the manufacturers and the company’s negligence. Moreover, the issue comes when you add the wheels as aftermarket additions.

In addition, people do not notice the feature of new wheels during replacement which can cause traction and stability control problems in your Toyota RAV4 SUVs.

What to do when Check AWD System appears on your Toyota RAV4? 

Many drivers panic when they see the check AWD light on the screen. However, you do not need to get worried because 2WD is also the standard feature in the Toyota RAV4, and you can continue driving with it.

You can connect the OBD II scanner to the scanning port to know the exact problems. The scanning tools give the error codes on the screen, and every code shows a distinct issue.

Moreover, you can also drive forward, but it is necessary to change the way of drive. Driving on smooth and dry roads is better because these provide better traction than on sandy, unpaved, and off-roads.

In addition, it is also suitable that you only drive in street areas when AWD is not working.

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