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Mostly due to NOT going into AWD-low. If the message does not appear at startup, I immediately engage low range and cycle thru all 6 4WD-low speeds forward and reverse. Do this weekly and the message will never appear.
If the warning is intermittant, its almost certainly a bad or chronically low battery. There isn't much voltage margin in the small battery before the ECU goes funny. Charge it and see if the warning disappears. Get the battery checked for capacity. If you drive under miles 150 mi/wk.(+/-), you may need to invest in a battery tender to keep it charged fully.
I just ran into this intermittently.
I followed Dilberto's advice and have not seen it again.
Not scientific but I hope it helps someone else.
Thanks Dilberto!
My Cayenne has never shown the 4wd faulty message before, but I was on a long road trip this week and it came up several times.
First time was about 800 miles into driving for the day, the car had been driven straight through with only a couple of short stops (less than 15 minutes each stop), after the light came on, we stopped, initially, no fault but after a short time, it came back on.
Driving around Florida for the week, the fault never came up. On the way home, about 800 miles or so in, the fault showed back up.
Any thoughts on that scenario? I didn't dare activate low range to test while we were away from home, so I guess I should try try that now.
My Cayenne has never shown the 4wd faulty message before, but I was on a long road trip this week and it came up several times.
First time was about 800 miles into driving for the day, the car had been driven straight through with only a couple of short stops (less than 15 minutes each stop), after the light came on, we stopped, initially, no fault but after a short time, it came back on.
Driving around Florida for the week, the fault never came up. On the way home, about 800 miles or so in, the fault showed back up.
Any thoughts on that scenario? I didn't dare activate low range to test while we were away from home, so I guess I should try try that now.
did you get this repaired? Mine is doing same thing now.
did you get this repaired? Mine is doing same thing now.
How is your battery? Surprisingly, a weak battery will trigger this error. As the battery starts to fatigue and approach end of life, the dip in amperage during peak load like starting will trigger the error.
2nd vote for battery. My car randomly gave the 4wd error, not necessarily on startup but after a while. Never once done it after I replaced the battery. Second thing everyone should do is to use the low range once in a while. Just toggle in on and off every now and then, not even necessary to engage gear or drive anywhere.
My 08 Cayenne clucked and jerked during deceleration, kind of like when you let a clutch out to fast, later the 4wd warning came on. I checked for fault codes and got 2039. As a result I replaced the stepper motor with a new one from ebay.
The installation is very easy and as mentioned before getting the electrical plugs off took the longest. They have little hooks on one side and it helps if you know where they are. Here are some pictures to help the next person. On the top plug you'll see how I stuck a screw driver into the plug connector to get it to un-clip. I also included a picture of how I hooked up the stepper motor to the car battery, so I could rotate the gear to the same position as the stepper motor that I removed.
Is the part number the same or different for automatic and manual vehicles?
I have a 2013 Manual Cayenne, it is a base model.
I attempted to charge the battery first per the comments in this thread and sadly that did not work.
So, if this is an easier project I'd like to order the part and give it a go.
Hey, just splurged on the icarsoft POR II V 2.0 and it tells me Potentiometer fault and random misfires but focusing on cyl 6. Ordering new plugs and coil packs to just take care of it all there, but is the Potentiometer a seperate part or is it integrated into the servo motor? I currently drive with PSM off manually so my 4wd fault doesn't kick in and it doesn't shudder when at cruising speed. Probably will just have transmission fluids and filter changed as well. Sadly all that stuff is still cheaper than working on my 2013 Elantra GT lol. Porsche is not too expensive if you can turn a 🔧 it's just those greedy shops charging an arm and a leg to keep the logos on their shirts pretty. 162K miles and still passing chevy while pulling a boat. 😁
Last edited by CayenneOne; 02-22-2022 at 08:10 PM.
Reason: "Ah made a spellun misstaik!"
OMG - I think the Driving in Reverse FAST and throw it into Neutral .... let it slow down and then Stop and shut off// wait then Start Again and my Rocker Lit Up and was working again
I original believe i had my Rocker Pushed up with my Laptop while sitting in car on side of road writing an Email- I thought I burned it out having it pressed forward not realizing it -
Anyway I don't think i will be engaging the locking Diff - unless in an emergency for awhile there i couldn't get it out of the Reduce Locked position -
But Error code is now gone (might be time for a 2012 Cayenne S)
2008 cayenne S
Originally Posted by Dilberto
The immediate way to "unstick" the stepper motor, is to go fast into reverse anf quickly shift into neutral.....not drive! Stop car, shift into Park and shut off vehicle. Restart and you'll see the 4WD faulty warning disappear. Otherwise, you need a new battery.
I have this error pop up when i first start my newly acquired 05 cayenne S. If i shut it off and restart it will go away but sometimes takes a few restarts. I never thought battery cause it has no hesitation starting at all.
02-27-2015, 10:00 PM
Reverse Attempt Worked
