P0836

Four Wheel Drive (4WD) Switch Circuit

Severity: Medium
Driving: Drivable — book it in

A fault in the four-wheel drive switch circuit - the switch or selector by which the driver requests four-wheel drive. The module cannot tell what has been selected, so it will usually stay in whatever mode it considers safe, typically two-wheel drive.

Possible causes

CommonFailed 4WD selector switch
CommonWiring or connector fault at the switch
CommonCorroded connector under the vehicle or in the console
PossibleWorn switch contacts from repeated use
RareFailed control module input

What you might notice

Four-wheel drive will not engage
Mode indicator not changing or flashing
Stuck in one drive mode
Check engine light on

What to check, in order

Watch the switch state on the live data screen while operating the selector through every position.
Inspect the switch connector. Console switches suffer from spilled drinks; underbody connectors suffer from salt.
Check the wiring between the switch and the module.
Check the transfer case fluid level while underneath.
Check for transfer case codes stored alongside, which would move the diagnosis away from the switch.

Read this code from your own car

Plug an ELM327 adapter into the OBD-II port under the dashboard. Pin16 reads every stored, pending and permanent code, explains each one like this page does — offline, with no account — and shows what the car recorded when the fault was set.

Get Pin16 on Google Play

Where this code sits

B · Body C · Chassis P · Powertrain U · Network and communication