Rear Diff Locked On Its Own, Unable To Unlock

[Glocker]

Sigh, you've maybe got a point; I didn't really consider this to be a likely possibility simply because <slowly looks around to see if any Ford employees are watching> I've done a lot of way way worse crossings before, without any apparent issue at the time...

However, I did do a wild crossing during our big storm earlier this year, didn't have a choice, water was at the grill so I had to block off part of the airbox, and I've only put about 1500 miles on it since then.



100%. This is also another reason why I wanted to diagnose as much as I can, before I take it in. I planned to remove the racks and tent and potentially the downpipe.

I know I am a closet case for Ford and the Ranger. I've had the unique opportunity to put thousands of miles of trails on the truck, but I carry about a half ton of gear with me, I've got a tune and downpipe, big front bumper, wind resistance, and a heavy foot.

I wish you much luck with this and can't wait to hear the root cause and solution! Keep us updated!

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[Bad Bob]

22K miles. It is under warranty. Call the stealer.

If it is anything like the elockers on a Jeep, the computer just grounds the relay to engage them. You may be able to take out the fill plug and see the plate and pop it back with a small screwdriver. It is just an plate and emagnet.

 

[Jason B]

Doesn't the Ford warranty cover towing? Or is that just the ESP?
It's your call to try and fix it yourself or not. If you do decide to remove the cover and try and free it yourself, Ford will know you have been in there and give you grief if you have to take it to them for final repairs.

 

[YaBoiNewton]

I'm not actively driving it, but I was trying to see if it was unlocking after various procedures like letting it sit, etc. I can't leave the truck on the street because of parking rules, so each time I've tested it, it involves going down the driveway. =(

I'm simply trying to get it to unlock so I can drive it to the dealer an hour away or at least to my primary home that's closer to the dealer. I'd rather not deal with towing if I don't have to, it's a hassle.

Ah I see you're far from home?
Regardless, I'd still get it towed to the nearest dealer before trying to drive anywhere. Especially when such a new truck is experiencing this failure. You might get it to unlock and then start burning rubber halfway home!

I see you've done some off roading - I also did a fair bit of aggressive off roading in the first 50k miles... and I'm on my second engine. Not saying my recreation was the cause, but I'm not seeing a ton of Rangers with the problems I had. Took about a year to fully sort out. You might be in for a similar journey.

Even purpose built off-road-only vehicles get messed up by mud and water crossings. Just can't expect a vehicle to stay reliable if you beat on it.

 

[Friday yet?]

3 foot

Wow. Not my truck. Rental? Hell yea. Mine? Nope. 3 feet is a lot of water.

 

[Frenchy]

Wow. Not my truck. Rental? Hell yea. Mine? Nope. 3 feet is a lot of water.

As long as the vehicle has been setup to handle it then it would be ok. If not then I would agree that it's a bad idea

 

[Jason B]

As long as the vehicle has been setup to handle it then it would be ok. If not then I would agree that it's a bad idea

3ft would be above the tires, unless you are running more the 36", impossible on Rangers.
So, how do you keep water out of the cab, engine, alternator, trans and diff's? What about fuel tank? Some people have problems with undercoating messing with tank sensors.

 

[Stevedbvik1]

3ft would be above the tires, unless you are running more the 36", impossible on Rangers.
So, how do you keep water out of the cab, engine, alternator, trans and diff's? What about fuel tank? Some people have problems with undercoating messing with tank sensors.

Exactly. The rear diff breather is the highest of them all. Front diff and trans/tcase are not even above stock tire heights. So if there’s water in the rear it’s everywhere else too

 

[Frenchy]

3ft would be above the tires, unless you are running more the 36", impossible on Rangers.
So, how do you keep water out of the cab, engine, alternator, trans and diff's? What about fuel tank? Some people have problems with undercoating messing with tank sensors.

It's called remote breathers. It's common to have on a 4x4 that normally heads out to do touring or the extreme stuff. That's why you see companies like ARB advertise breather kits for the Diffs, Transmission and Transfer case. Also Snorkels help with it too(even though it's not the main purpose). For the cab you will most likely see water come into the cab after a certain death(going to depend on vehicle and amount of lift including tires). As for the tank you can relocate the vents and breathers as well.

All part of setting a vehicle up for that stuff. Until it's done ist not the greatest idea. Some vehicles are already setup to handle this kind of stuff without modifications. All depends on how the manufacturer did things.

 

[maxbottomtime]

3’ of water? Sheesh someone has been watching the ford promo videos! Those cars are professional actors!

 

[got3fords]

Does the lock engage with power applied or disengage? Meaning, if it's parked with no power, is it engaged or disengaged?

 

[maxbottomtime]

Does the lock engage with power applied or disengage? Meaning, if it's parked with no power, is it engaged or disengaged?

engaged, unplugging the connector is removing power.

 

[Ranger6]

'21 Ranger Tremor, 22k miles, the rear differential has locked on its own and won't unlock. Any ideas?

I've tried the tips in the manual about going back and forward, wiggling wheel back and forth, coasting and trying to disengage, but the light does turn on and off when the button input, but the diff won't disengage.

The diff engaged itself about two blocks from my house after getting off the freeway, at the end of a 3 hour drive down from Tahoe. We did some light wheeling but nothing crazy. I was loaded with the rooftop tent and about 600 pounds of gear.

The diff was not engaged when we exited the forest this morning and I didn't use it this trip, only needed 4HI for some mud and snow. Halfway through the drive home, got gas, no binding. After exiting the freeway in the Bay Area, made a few turns without issue, stopped at a stop sign, and when I went to turn a block later, skurt skurt skurt.

I let it sit for a few hours and cool down, but it still is locked. Each time I leave my driveway, I'm chewing up our top layer of asphalt pretty bad.

Backstory: this isn't the first time the diff engaged itself without my input, but last time it was after some pretty extreme wheeling and getting stuck in the snow and being in 4LO for a few hours with a lot of gear. When we got to the highway, the rear end suddenly engaged after a few minutes even though we were going 55mph and wouldn't disengage until we let the truck warm up for 30 minutes. However I got a Powertrain Malfunction Error then. This time there is no code.

Thank you.

Do you have electronic-locking rear differential?

 

[Kemo Sabe]

Doesn't the Ford warranty cover towing? Or is that just the ESP?
It's your call to try and fix it yourself or not. If you do decide to remove the cover and try and free it yourself, Ford will know you have been in there and give you grief if you have to take it to them for final repairs.

i

I think I’d call Ford service number in the owner’s manual. They will tow it to a dealer, who will let it sit outside two months, then call you on the third month to tell you they will have parts and it repaired in 8 months.

 

[Rp930]

i

I think I’d call Ford service number in the owner’s manual. They will tow it to a dealer, who will let it sit outside two months, then call you on the third month to tell you they will have parts and it repaired in 8 months.

Incorrect. After two months they will call you to let you know the diff is full of water and ask how you would like to pay for it.

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