When I switch the AWD Lock to on, the indicator light always stays on no matter what speed I drive at. According to the manual the light is supposed to go off when driven at at a high speed. I drove mine for around ten minutes at various speeds and the light never turned off. To turn it off I either have to push the lock switch again or turn the ignition off to reset it. Is the manual wrong? Does everyone's work this way too?

RedRogue wrote:When I switch the AWD Lock to on, the indicator light always stays on no matter what speed I drive at. According to the manual the light is supposed to go off when driven at at a high speed. I drove mine for around ten minutes at various speeds and the light never turned off. To turn it off I either have to push the lock switch again or turn the ignition off to reset it. Is the manual wrong? Does everyone's work this way too?

I don't know the exact answer but I heard it goes off at 25mph. I assume you traveled at least that fast, right?

The light might stay on to remind you the button is still depressed?

My light has stayed on too. I finally turned it off after 5 minutes as I wanted to save gas.

I am assuming that everybody is talking about the "indicator" light on the switch by their left knee (all those switches are poorly located IMO).

My guess is that maybe 25 is not "High Speed" enough to kick the AWD back into "Auto".

Has anybody ever seen their AWD Warning Light in the instrument cluster come on during AWD use either in "Auto" or "Lock" mode?

No, I am talking about the AWD Lock light that appears on the RPM gauge when the lock is engaged. I drove it at speeds up to 100 km/h and the light never went off. I can't be positive but it sure feels like the AWD lock was engaged even at those high speeds. After further testing I determined that above a certain speed (not sure exactly, but around 25mph) the AWD lock will not turn on when you press the button. But if it is turned on at a low speed, the drivetrain appears to be in AWD lock mode at all speeds until you turn off the switch.

My dealer told me the lock kicks off at 10mph, my light also stays lit on the dash regardless of speed.And those switches by your left knee suck, bad position.

My AWD Warning Light on the RPM gauge came on for the last couple days. However, the AWD indicator light "Auto" or "Lock" mode is not lit when the button is pushed...Weird. It comes on briefly and then off when the key is switched to the on position like the manual describes, though. Finally, took it into the local Nissan dealer to have it check. The service advisor tried the button but it didn't lite either. The local Nissan service advisor called back to say that my rogue has to stay overnight because they found two repair codes in the AWD system. The local nissan service advisor has been trying to contact the Nissan tech support to confirm the repair codes.

will update...

The AWD system automatically switches back to "auto" once the vehicle consistently travels above 16mph and the system senses there is no need for full time AWD.

The indicator light will remain on to remind you to turn the switch off (I think if you come to a stop and the button is still depressed the system will start on AWD lock again).

Okay, just called my service advisor to get an update on my rogue's AWD warning light that came on. Well, the codes call for the replacement of the anti-lock brake module and the awd control module. The service advisor told me that the nissan tech support said to replace the awd control module because the awd button on my car (when depressed) didn't display on or off on the gauge. So the awd control module is on ordered and will arrive tomorrow for replacement. They are not messing with the anti-lock brake thing because the warning light didn't come on for it. Hmmm...


Modified by sweetrogue at 11:38 PM 7/25/2008

Well, I called the service advisor today to check on my rogue again. Apparently, they replaced the awd control module and test drove it around and the AWD warning light went off. However, it came back on 15 minutes later. Therefore, it is still at the dealers. They called Nissan up and now Nissan said to replace another part that is related to the transmission. The part will be in next Tuesday. And... I thought I am off the hook with the transmission related problems because my car is rattle free.

FYI: The AWD warning light is different from the AWD lock indicator light. It's right in the Center of the meter, whereas, the AWD Lock indicator light is at the 9 o'clock position of the meter.

Whoo-hoo! I finally got my Rogue back today and everything seems to be working great. Missed it so much!!! I was driving a free rental S AWD Murano for the past few days and it took so much gas. Well, it turned out the fuse went out on the awd indicator light. The service advisor said that they replaced the fuse, fixed some wiring and now the awd button and indicator light are working and the awd warnig light disappeared. The service advisor said that I will get the receipt in the mail though...strange. Whatever, I am glad the problem is resolved. I appreciated the advisor's detail attentions to my rogue. I love driving my rogue!

Just started happening to my Rogue as well, the AWD light on the dashboard automatically comes and stays on even after driving it over 50mph...I have to stop the car and turn off the ignition to get it to not appear...Should I bring it to the dealership to get this addressed?

RedRogue wrote:When I switch the AWD Lock to on, the indicator light always stays on no matter what speed I drive at. According to the manual the light is supposed to go off when driven at at a high speed. I drove mine for around ten minutes at various speeds and the light never turned off. To turn it off I either have to push the lock switch again or turn the ignition off to reset it. Is the manual wrong? Does everyone's work this way too?

YOUR LIGHT WILL STAY ON, BUT THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL WILL DISENGAGE WHEN REACHING 6MPH. ITS GOOD ONLY WHEN STUCK IN SOMETHING AND YOU CANT GET OUT. ONCE YOU REACH A CRUISING SPEED OF ABOUT 6MPH THE SYSTEM AUTOMATICALLY GOES BACK INTO FWD NO MATTER WHAT. YOU WERE NOT "LOCKED" IN AWD EVEN WITH THE LIGHT ON.

had2seeu wrote:Just started happening to my Rogue as well, the AWD light on the dashboard automatically comes and stays on even after driving it over 50mph...I have to stop the car and turn off the ignition to get it to not appear...Should I bring it to the dealership to get this addressed?

THE AWD INDICATOR COULD BE DUE TO YOU HAVING A DYING BATTERY. I JUST EXPERIENCED THE SAME EXACT ISSUE. OR YOU COULD HAVE A AWD PROBLEM THAT NEEDS ADDRESSING. YOUR AWD IS A DIFFERENT INDICATOR LIGHT THAN THE ORIGINAL POST IS ABOUT. THEIR LIGHT IS A "AWD LOCK" LIGHT THAT IS TURNED ON VIA BUTTON ON THE BOTTOM LEFT OF THE DASHBOARD BY YOUR LEFT KNEE.

ImStricken wrote: YOUR LIGHT WILL STAY ON, BUT THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL WILL DISENGAGE WHEN REACHING 6MPH. ITS GOOD ONLY WHEN STUCK IN SOMETHING AND YOU CANT GET OUT. ONCE YOU REACH A CRUISING SPEED OF ABOUT 6MPH THE SYSTEM AUTOMATICALLY GOES BACK INTO FWD NO MATTER WHAT. YOU WERE NOT "LOCKED" IN AWD EVEN WITH THE LIGHT ON.

excuse my ignorance on the subject but I have been confused about the AWD on the Rogue, from your reply above, thats my understanding of how the Rogue's AWD works without hitting the "Lock" button, I guess my question is what's the difference between "Lock mode" and "Auto mode" if both mode goes to FWD when the car reaches 6MPH?

Nick2010 wrote:

ImStricken wrote: YOUR LIGHT WILL STAY ON, BUT THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL WILL DISENGAGE WHEN REACHING 6MPH. ITS GOOD ONLY WHEN STUCK IN SOMETHING AND YOU CANT GET OUT. ONCE YOU REACH A CRUISING SPEED OF ABOUT 6MPH THE SYSTEM AUTOMATICALLY GOES BACK INTO FWD NO MATTER WHAT. YOU WERE NOT "LOCKED" IN AWD EVEN WITH THE LIGHT ON.

excuse my ignorance on the subject but I have been confused about the AWD on the Rogue, from your reply above, thats my understanding of how the Rogue's AWD works without hitting the "Lock" button, I guess my question is what's the difference between "Lock mode" and "Auto mode" if both mode goes to FWD when the car reaches 6MPH?

your correct. we start out from zero mph to 6mph in awd, and then it turns to front wheels drive. i heard that using the lock switch will allow you to travel up to 15-25mph in a straight line ONLY FORWARD but that's unconfirmed by anyone. every mechanic says a different story. personally, wouldnt touch this switch unless your stuck and you think it might help you - or you are driving through really really rough snow/sand/mud and you wanna try it. otherwise, i think its useless as the system will detect wheel slip as it is, and engage AWD on its own.
Edit: When driving in deep snow where you are likely to bog down, the key is turning off the VDC, not turning on the AWD lock.

ImStricken wrote: your correct. we start out from zero mph to 6mph in awd, and then it turns to front wheels drive. i heard that using the lock switch will allow you to travel up to 15-25mph in a straight line ONLY FORWARD but that's unconfirmed by anyone. every mechanic says a different story. personally, wouldnt touch this switch unless your stuck and you think it might help you - or you are driving through really really rough snow/sand/mud and you wanna try it. otherwise, i think its useless as the system will detect wheel slip as it is, and engage AWD on its own.
Edit: When driving in deep snow where you are likely to bog down, the key is turning off the VDC, not turning on the AWD lock.

I never really done any test about AWD LOCK and VDC switch, but one day I'll test it I don't even know the procedure if I should hit those switch while on the move Or from a complete stop

interesting test from some guy in youtube below, he mentioned on the comments that they played around with VDC with different scenario and didn't really get good result. He did say he have 35K miles stock tires so that affects the performance.

I will conduct my own test when we get snow this winter and will record too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pagEBcWsOW8

Nick2010 wrote: I will conduct my own test when we get snow this winter and will record too.

VDC = traction control. keeps the tires from slipping. turn it off, and you will have wheel spin on slippery area's. since the rogue has a weak engine, i dont see any wheel spin unless on ice.

AWD LOCK: kinda useless in my book since its automatically in awd every time we are 0-6mph. its good when your stuck in something i guess.

OD: overdrive is the final or last gear ratio available for highway speeds. your car doesnt go into the Overdrive gear ratio until its at least near 50mph or so. it helps when towing, going up a hill, having a heavy load in the car, or when a little spirited driving is needed on highways.

have a read: when-do-i-press-these-buttons-t566770.html

My awd lock light went out around 15 mph. I have a 2016 SL AWD and not sure if all models have the feature I am about to describe. If you run through the options on the info screen between the tach and speedometer using the button on the steering wheel, you will see a screen that shows what amount of power is going to the front or rear wheels. When lock is off it pretty much stays at 100% to the front wheels. When on it shows 50% to each front and rear.