We just got a "new to us" 09 Mariner and bought it knowing we would need to replace tires soon. They have plenty of tread, but are wearing on the inside and are 4 year old tires so they are just old. Just had the alignment done on them yesterday, because the tires were leaning inward which the mechanic we took it to thought surely was the reason for the uneven wearing on the insides. We're shopping around for new tires so we've got the originals on there still and today on my husband's drive to work the slip indicator light came on? Could this be due to the tires being worn unevenly? We didn't see this light come on over the weekend, just after the alignment was done? Any insight much appreciated!
Is this the traction control light you are referring to ? possibly under a different name ? It may have been a one off / glitch but could possibly be a wheel speed sensor / wiring for the abs. has been disturbed whilst adjusting the alignment .
Is this the traction control light you are referring to ? possibly under a different name ? It may have been a one off / glitch but could possibly be a wheel speed sensor / wiring for the abs. has been disturbed whilst adjusting the alignment .
Yes, I believe that's the same thing. It seems to have maybe been a fluke though.. husband had no light on the way home, and I drove it out to the store last night and back with no light either?
If the tires are wearing unevenly, I'd suspect a front end component is wearing out. A good alignment shop will let you know this. Driving the vehicle over rough roads every day can lead to misaligned front tires and leaving the front end components without any damage or excessive play. It won't hurt to get a proper inspection done. When you get new tires, another alignment might be warranted. If the tires are at 4/32nds at their lowest spot or even less, I would have replaced them then, and had an alignment done with new tires.
Nonetheless, newer vehicles are so electronically controlled that a slight variance in grip between the front tires, to the rear tires, can cause some traction systems to 'panic'. Which may explain why the light came on the dash. I have reason to believe that the alignment was done correctly, as the vehicle weight is now biased to riding on the area of tire with the most tread. As the tires were wearing on the inside, the alignment would have made the tires more biased to where the tread is thicker; on the outer edge, allowing for slightly less road contact on the inner edge. This can also affect braking and even trigger ABS when it's not really required.
As an example, the Audi Quattro AWD system is so advanced that if you wear out 50% of the tire tread, and lose a tire to a nail. The dealer will tell you that it's in your best interest to buy 4 new tires. This is so the electronics can better balance out the power to either axle, which effectively aids traction, braking and overall performance of the AWD system. If the vehicle is under warranty, the dealer might have to install 4 new tires in order to maintain the power train warranty. If you choose to install one new tire only, then your warranty is voided and you'll knowingly have an expensive repair bill after the winter. If you lease, the onus would be on you to purchase 4 new tires; look at the lease fine print before you sign! Acura has a similar policy for vehicles utilizing their SH-AWD. Most vehicles do run low profile tires and have a life span of maybe 30K miles. Most owners overlook the long term, as well as short term costs of vehicle ownership. Ford isn't quite as advanced, so you can effectively run slightly different tire diameters and the system won't fault you for it, but not having a set of tires with 100% of the contact surface actually on the ground, can cause errors.
The AWD term is so loosely used these days. IIRC, the Acura SH-AWD has two forms, both have a clutch at each rear wheel but one form has a extra one feeding/powering both. This is the closest to a real AWD system yet. I can see it being touchy.
In 2009, Ford had a web page for the AWD Fusion with a selectable moving graphic of different road conditions with the direction of power to the wheels. On a "S" curved road it showed power being shifted between the RR and LR wheel as it went through the curve. The Ford system isn't capable of doing thisas it can only direct power to both rear wheels. Maybe that's why the page was pulled after a while.
The AWD term is so loosely used these days. IIRC, the Acura SH-AWD has two forms, both have a clutch at each rear wheel but one form has a extra one feeding/powering both. This is the closest to a real AWD system yet. I can see it being touchy.
In 2009, Ford had a web page for the AWD Fusion with a selectable moving graphic of different road conditions with the direction of power to the wheels. On a "S" curved road it showed power being shifted between the RR and LR wheel as it went through the curve. The Ford system isn't capable of doing thisas it can only direct power to both rear wheels. Maybe that's why the page was pulled after a while.
I believe the Ford system also uses an open rear differential and transfers power to the wheel with the least grip? This is a good video of basic lower priced AWD systems. The Edge was included in this video, but similar systems abound on the Escape & Mercury variants.
I believe the Ford system also uses an open rear differential and transfers power to the wheel with the least grip? This is a good video of basic lower priced AWD systems. The Edge was included in this video, but similar systems abound on the Escape & Mercury variants. Subaru AWD Uphill Comparison Test - YouTube
Yes, that's true but I "took" it as though they were trying to show that it was sending power where needed, not where it isn't. Operation of an open differential would be true on any vehicle and not unique to AWD, correct? Why show it this way at all? Either way or for whatever reason, it's gone!
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09 Mariner Slip Indicator
Linear Mode
