Suzuki Jimny automatic 2010 4 wheel drive potential fault

Hi all, I have a low mileage 2010 suzuki jimny automatic with genuine 30,000 miles from ne and we have had the car for about a year and my wife and I are senior persons and we use the car for local journeys only and never off road. We were driving along a main road today around 60mph and suddenly there was a humming noise which felt like severe tyre noise for a few minutes we slowed down and then there was a clunk which seemed to come from the gearbox and then the problem went away. When we arrived home i put the 4 wheel drive button on and the steering went slightly stiff and went offset slightly to the right and driving very slowly felt very strange I tried to turned off the 4 wheel dive and then the icon on the dashboard started flashing and went off after a few minutes with me pressing the button several times and turning ignition on and off. Can anyone advise me a mechanic that is experienced with these 4 wheel drive cars near West Sussex any guidance will be much appreciated. Thanks Bob

The strange noise you heard could possibly be caused by one of the vacuum hubs engaging, which is commonly caused by a leaky vacuum solenoid. The solenoids can be removed and cleaned, or replacements can be sourced from anyone who has fitted manual hubs.

Your description of what happened when you turned 4wd on and off sounds typical of using a fully functioning 4wd system on a grippy surface. Everything tightens up as tension builds up within the transmission, and the tension prevents the system from disengaging easily. I wouldn't be concerned by your experience, but it's a handy reminder why you shouldn't use 4wd on grippy surfaces.