AWD (All Wheel Drive) system on Nissan or Infiniti car delivers balanced power to the front and rear wheels to create enhanced traction. All Wheel Drive system can turn on an AWD high temp stop vehicle warning message if it detects mismatched weight distribution on tires and hot disc clutch.
It can happen if you replace a factory tire with the wrong one and all four tires don’t match accurately. Flat or worn-out tires may also trigger this warning light. AWD high temp light isn’t a serious issue and you can avoid or turn off this message at your home garage following some simple tricks.
Article Summary
What Does AWD High Temp Stop Vehicle Mean?
This warning message comes out when ECU detects a heavy load on the transfer case’s electric-controlled coupling and multiple disc clutch becomes very hot. When this message occurs, computer shuts down AWD (All Wheel Drive) system temporarily and activates protection mode.
It also shifts transmission to RWD. You shouldn’t worry about this error message as it isn’t a malfunction like other messages on the dashboard. To remove this message from dashboard, stop driving your car and let transmission transfer case fluid cool down. This will restore AWD automatically and turn off the protection mode.
AWD high temp message can also turn on if system detects two different tire sizes in a front wheel and rear wheel. If so, the message will turn off automatically after eliminating the extra load and using same-size tires on both front and rear wheels.
How To Fix AWD High Temp Stop Vehicle Warning Message?
Your car can show this warning message while driving due to these potential reasons:
1. Replace Spare Tires
Your Nissan car can show this warning message due to using a spare tire or a different diameter tire in place of a factory tire. If you drive Nissan with a spare tire, particularly over 40 mph, dashboard can show this message within 1 minute of driving.
If you keep driving for a long time, car can activate limp mode and you may need to replace all four tires to fix the issue. You should also change the differential fluid to prevent damaging liquid due to overheating.
AWD system allows to use of up to 3/32″ of tread difference between tires. So, if the tread depth is different on R and L, system will activate AWD high temp message.
You can’t use different tires in different positions of the car. It’ll cause irreparable damage to the vehicle and it’ll require a costly fix. Though you should replace all four tires at a time, you can change two tires on the same axle if one is worn out. But make sure the tires are compatible with your car’s make, model, and tire size.
2. Maintain Tire Pressure
Your car can show a high-temperature warning message if one of the tires isn’t inflated fully. Partially inflated tires have less air volume and it reduces the tire’s diameter. If you drive with a less inflated tire, it can put extra pressure on the rest of the tire, trigger AWD light on the dash, and activate AWD mode. If so, inflate the tire, make sure it has 60 PSI pressure, and carry a 12V tire pump in your car.
3. Use AWD Controller During Winter
Nissan is an excellent car for drifting, thanks to its rear-wheel drive platform that provides decent balance and handling characteristics for drifting. However, if you drift the car in winter or drive on dry pavement, it can trigger an AWD high temp message.
Cold weather can freeze the cooling liquid, making the inside of the water pump stiff like stone. So if you drive in winter, it can overheat the engine internally without melting frozen cooling liquid sufficiently. Driving on dry pavement can destroy transmission. However, drifting during summer won’t cause any issues and you can bypass high-temperature warning lights using AWD controllers or syvecs.
4. Skip Sudden Brake Launching
Brake launching or brake-torquing can cause your car to activate AWD mode and trigger a warning message. It can mostly happen if you turn the vehicle to a higher HP or torque output. Brake system problem heats the trans fluid due to the torque converter’s friction. So you shouldn’t apply brake system launching particularly when the trans is already hot.
5. Replace Wheel Speed Sensor
If your car shows an AWD warning message when driving on the highway and all factory tires have proper inflation, it can be a result of a damaged wheel speed sensor. If so, your car will show an AWD light and warning text at a time. To verify the issue, monitor ABS sensor readings using a scanner and fix the problem accordingly.
Wheel speed sensor monitors wheel speed and transfers the information to a computer. If the sensor gets damaged, it can deliver wrong speed or wheel rotation data, resulting in the system activating AWD warning light. You may need to replace the wheel speed sensor to fix this problem.
Can You Drive With AWD High Temp Stop Warning Light?
You shouldn’t drive with an AWD temp warning light even if AWD light isn’t flashing or blinking. If the message comes out due to using a spare tire, your car will detect differences in speed per wheel. It’ll heat the AWD system and make driving inconvenient. Driving with AWD text for a longer time can also active limp mode.
If so, car’s auxiliary functions like air conditioning or heating system may stop working. It can also lock your automatic car into low gear. So you won’t be able to drive at high speed. However, your car may let you drive around 50 minutes so you can reach a location to repair or replace a tire or fix source of the issue.
What To Do When AWD High Temp Stop Vehicle Warning Light Comes On?
If AWD temp warning light illuminates while driving, park your vehicle in a safe area and turn off the engine. This will change driving mode from AWD system to 2WD to prevent malfunctioning. If this warning message appears due to increased oil temperature, turning off the engine will cool it down.
Check all the tires are from same brand and compatible with your car’s make and model. Make sure all tires have correct and same pressure and these aren’t worn. You should also make sure that the factory wheels or aftermarket wheels, ABS sensor, and wheel bearings are in good condition and match your car.
If the warning light turns off after a while, you can continue driving. But if the light is still on and you find any issue during an inspection, take the car to the nearest auto repair shop or Nissan dealer shop.
FAQs
Why is The Light Flashing On AWD Spare Tire?
If light keeps flashing on AWD spare tire, it can be a result of mismatched tire size. Make sure all four tires on wheels have exactly same dimensions. Spare tires may stay on for a maximum of 50 miles.
What Does AWD High Temp Mean For Nissan Rogue?
If AWD temp light on Nissan Rogue blinks rapidly, powertrain oil temperature may become higher than usual. Pull your vehicle to a safe location and idle in park to cool down the engine.
Should You Turn Off AWD System?
You can turn off AWD system when driving on a clean road. This will save fuel and reduce wear on the tire. However, you shouldn’t turn off the AWD system when driving on icy, snowy, or muddy roads.
Final Words
Hope you understand what causes AWD high temp stop vehicle message and how to turn it off. However, you can avoid getting this warning message by using same brand tire with correct psi and same tread and matching it with your car manufacturer, model and year.
If you need to change tires, replace four tires at a time. But if the message turns on, park your vehicle to cool down the engine and remove the message.
I replaced wheel speed sensor form nearby auto repair shop. They also used car scanner and I got relief from awd high temp stop vehicle warning message.