CarScan
Green or blue — information only

All-wheel drive

All-wheel drive or low range is engaged. Depending on the car it shows either the rear axle being connected or a locked differential.

These lamps are not about a fault: they say a system is switched on, or remind you of something simple to do.

What to do now

  1. Hard-locked all-wheel drive must not be used on dry tarmac — the transmission works against itself.
  2. ⚠️ If the symbol blinks and will not settle, the clutch failed to engage. Often it is the oil level in the transfer case.
  3. Low range engages at a standstill or very low speed, otherwise the gears will not line up.
  4. If it came on together with ABS, start with the wheel speed sensors: all-wheel drive compares axle speeds, and without honest figures the clutch disengages itself.
  5. Different tyre pressures — and different tread wear between axles — read to the clutch as slip, and it overheats. On some cars the handbook forbids driving like that.

Codes usually behind it

The lamp only says that something is wrong. The code says what exactly — read it with an adapter and look it up here.

C0196Yaw rate sensor malfunctionC1145Wheel speed sensor — intermittent signal, usually a corroded connector

What to read next

A lamp is not a diagnosis. The same symbol lights up for a dozen different reasons, and only the code stored in the car tells them apart.

How the app helps

CarScan reads the codes behind the lamp through an OBD-II adapter, explains them in plain words and puts them into a report you can show to a mechanic.

See what the app does