O/D light blinking and 4WD light comes on while driving

[Mikey178]

Hi everyone,

Over the weekend after a long drive on the highway and the vehicle being parked for about 10 minutes after, I start the 2000 QX4 and put the vehicle in drive and press on the gas and the engine revs higher than normal and the vehicle moves really slow.

After parking again and going online to do some research, it resulted in the vehicle being in "Fail-safe" mode which locks the transmission in 3rd gear due to a malfunction or prevent potential harm to the 4wd/transmission.

I go and start the vehicle and the o/d off light blinks for a good 8-10 seconds which is not normal. According to online research, this confirms the vehicle was in "Fail-safe" mode in its previous trip.

Vehicle drove normal again, but... while driving now the 4WD light will come on although the vehicle is in 2wd mode. Occasionally, on the vehicle startup now the o/d light blinks for the 8-10 seconds again. The 4WD light comes on after 5-10 minutes of driving.

Took the vehicle to Infiniti. They did a diagnosis and road test which the 4WD light did come on while driving. They said they were not sure what the problem is but believe it may be the ground wires, the vehicle grounds may not be grounded properly.

Im at a loss right now as I've never experienced this problem before and the transmission is shifting smoothly without any problems when its not in "Fail-safe" mode. I will be checking the grounds tonight to ensure they are all properly grounded to bare metal surfaces.

Any suggestions would be appreciated, Thanks.