About 3 weeks ago the dash on our 24 130 X Dyanmic SE started to light up yellow. Notification states that our driver assist features are unavailable. My big issue is that it’s winter and this error forces you into 2wd. Driver assist and AWD usually come online 15-30 minutes after starting the vehicle, so it has to be buggy software. We live at the bottom of a steep hill and need AWD when it snows.

Anyone else have this issue? Vehicle has been at the dealer for over a week. Tuesday we received a text from the dealer stating that they’ve cleared the error and that they just needed to drive it. I followed up today and the error is back but they planned to give it a few more driving cycles to see if it will clear. Feels like they have no idea what to do though.

 

Hmm, that’s not good.

I’ve read this a few times and thought it through— I don’t believe a driver assist error is the root cause. Instead, it seems more likely to be a symptom of another problem.

In other words, there may be an underlying issue that’s causing the driver assist to become unavailable, rather than the driver assist system causing the AWD to fail. If JLR allowed for something like that, it would be a serious oversight—like a failed power window motor causing the engine to stall. Like that would be ridiculously stupid.

For instance, if ice were blocking the radar sensor on the grille (a known issue that can disable driver assist systems), and that somehow rendered AWD unavailable, it would be a significant problem.

This is indeed puzzling .. do circle back and tell us what the problem was when they figure it out!

 

How do you know you were in 2WD? The Defender is a full time AWD system, and unlike other vehicles, it doesn't turn off power to an axle to get better gas mileage. I have AWD immediately at start-up, not 15 to 30 minutes later. There should not be any delay in AWD being available.

As for driver assist unavailable, I get that all the time when driving in falling snow and that is normal. As nashvegas noted, snow and ice build up on the front radar. On a recent trip to Western New York, driver assist was unavailable for 3 hours as I drove through a snowstorm. But the AWD was certainly working perfectly fine in snow mode.

 

Low battery

 

This isn't the case anymore. The Defender went to the Active Driveline (iAWD) on diesel models for the 2021MY, and the rest of the lineup for the 2023.5MY. The transfer case is completely different, and the infinitely-variable locking center differential has been replaced by an electronically-controlled clutch pack that mimics the old center diff, and has a variable torque split that can send as much as 50% of the torque to the front axle. It can also completely disconnect the front axle and bring the front driveshaft to a complete stop while driving in certain situations to increase fuel economy. It is always AWD when driving from a stop, under 21 mph, over 100 mph, using TR modes, at temperatures below 37°F (3°C), and if you're off-road. The system is also proactive, so whether your lights & wipers are on and cold temperatures will affect the AWD system's operation.

Another benefit of this new system is if you break your front axle, you will still be able to get back to pavement and drive home, as the torque is always sent to the rear. Hell, you can still drive the vehicle if you remove the front driveshaft. If you broke any axle on the old system, you wouldn't be able to move at all.

 

Your car is too new to have these issues. Take it to the dealer and let them sort it out. Most likely you have a bad battery or a bad ground. Good luck and let us know what you find out.

 

I have been waiting for this type of scenario to pop up as I think it invites a good discussion about the 23.5 hardware changes.

The 2023.5 and up models do have a front axle disconnect and can operate in 2wd mode. It's called iAWD or something in marketing speak? (I could be wrong about what they call it, but someone gave it a name somewhere).

Read Sarek's post #9 in this link, I think of anyone here he has explained it best several times to us plebes --> https://landroverforums.com/forum/20...system-124024/ In summary: the position is that it is an improvement to the vehicle for several reasons, and an overall advantage offroad. For example, on the 2020-2023 system, f you break a front axle, you lose all drive and are stuck. On the 2023.5 system, if you break a front axle, the system goes into rear wheel drive mode and you can carry on -- which makes total sense. Advantage, 2023.5 system.

However, I believe this assumes the software and hardware is operating properly. As in this case, the car has a gremlin/problem // something is NOT operating properly. The Defender has now lost AWD/4WD. Which then makes this front axle disconnect a clear distinct disadvantage... the guy can't even get out of his driveway in light snow or whatever perhaps because he's in 2wd mode for no reason whatsoever ? And thus, the new system when not working properly is a total disadvantage over the mechanically linked system of the earlier models, which would easily figure it out.

Good food for thought?

@sarek would love to hear your thoughts. You know way more than all of us combined surely.

 

I personally think the new system has a lot of benefits. Active Driveline as it was previously called, now Intelligent AWD (iAWD) is a very solid system. I have always been a strong proponent of active AWD systems that offer a real-time torque split, especially when they are RWD-biased. It makes it more fun on twisty roads, whether you are in a sports sedan or an off-road SUV. You get that classic RWD driving characteristics but have the traction when needed. The PTM AWD system in my Macan is excellent. It is always heavily rear-biased, never looses grip when driving at 10/10ths, will let you slide around with traction and stability controls turned off and it is excellent in the snow.

This tech isn't new, its been around for decades, and as I said, it is essentially the Instinctive AWD system developed by LR engineers for the Jaguar brand. I LOVE the tuning in Jaguars. You can still act an *** and slide around, as the system is smart enough to figure out if you're purposely trying to slide, it will send more torque to the rear, let you do a power slide, but still sending a bit to the front to keep everything in check. Last week I was in an F-Pace loaner, and we got some snow. I set Jaguar Drive Control (JDC), Jaguar's version of Terrain Response to Rain/Ice/Snow and the car was rock solid, even on the UHP all-seasons that were fitted. Rain/Ice/Snow honestly felt a bit more stable and linear than Grass/Gravel/Snow because everything was working in the background so quickly and seamlessly, I was shocked. Zero traction issues. I also feel that the Rain/Ice/Snow was tuned more for inclement weather and on-road use compared to Grass/Gravel/Snow, which is tuned for slippery surfaces on hard ground. Plus, when this mode was selected, the front driveshaft was always engaged, as evidenced by the menu on the touchscreen that shows the torque split in real-time.

LR tunes the system differently, as they tune it for off-road capability and traction. LRs also have the option of the two-speed transfer case. As I stated above, AWD is always activated when taking off from a stop, under 21 mph, over 100 mph, when you're off-roading or have TR set to an off-road program. It proactively engages at temperatures below 37°F and if your lights and wipers are on. It also monitors steering/braking/throttle inputs to proactively activate AWD if deemed necessary. As @sarek said, it is beneficial if you snap your front axle, as you always have torque being sent to the rear and theoretically make it home. I don't go on trails extreme enough to where I'm worried about snapping an axle, but I'd rather have the new system in that regard. You also have the benefit of better fuel economy from the Active Driveline, but fuel economy isn't a priority for people buying these cars. The variable torque split also can help when off-roading by sending the right amount of torque to the axle that needs it the most, and theoretically works better with the ABS and TC to always find traction. You do miss out on the center differential, but the electronically-controlled clutch pack acts just like the differential and should be able to react even faster.

I'd like to see a comparison of two identically-equipped Defenders on the same tires, but one with the old permanent 4WD system, and one with the new iAWD. I'm sure the difference off-road is negligible, but still would be interesting to see.


I also wanted to add that on the new system, if there's a fault with the new AWD system, the car will default to RWD until the fault is clears on its own or gets fixed. This in turn could cause the driver assist tech to be inoperable, as the driver assist tech is interlinked with the powertrain/drivetrain.

 

Take a 10mm wrench and disconnect the negative ground on the battery - reconnect after 10 minutes. It's kind of a hard reboot. I keep a 10mm wrench in the truck with me all the time

 

Thank you for all the above information. I learned something new today and found the answer to a mystery. When I swap wheels on our 2021, the front hub does not spin and it's easy to mount a tire and center the lug bolt studs in the wheel holes. On our 2023 and 2025 the front hubs can spin freely so it's a little harder to get the wheels on and center a bolt stud in a wheel hole. Now I know why.