The electronic rear locker on Badlands and Sasquatch trucks is a single button on the dash hero switches. Press it once with the truck in 4H or 4L below roughly 20 mph and a straight steering wheel. The amber locker icon means engaged. The rear axle now drives both wheels at exactly the same speed regardless of traction. Use it whenever you need it; turn it off before pavement and tight turns.
The 6G's electronic rear locker lives in the rear Dana M220 axle on Badlands trim and on every Sasquatch-equipped truck. It's not a limited-slip; it's a true mechanical locker that mechanically couples both rear wheels. With it engaged, a wheel lifted in the air can't spin uselessly — the wheel still on the ground gets full torque.
The hero switch for the rear locker is the second-from-right button on the row above the screen for a rear-only setup (Badlands without Sasquatch), or one of two adjacent locker buttons if you also have the Sasquatch-package front locker. The icon shows a rear axle with the X-marker between the wheels.
Engagement conditions are straightforward but enforced. The transfer case must be in 4H or 4L — the truck refuses to engage the locker in 2H. Vehicle speed should be at or under 20 mph; some trucks accept the request a bit higher but the actuator may not engage until you slow further. Keep the steering close to centered when you press the button. If the icon flashes amber, the system has accepted the request but the actuator hasn't latched yet — keep driving slowly and straight and it'll latch within a couple of wheel rotations. Solid amber means locked.
When to use it: anytime you cross-axle (one rear wheel in the air, one on the ground), anytime one rear wheel is on slick rock or ice and the other has grip, and any climb where the rear is breaking traction unevenly. The factory open differential without the locker will throw all available torque to the wheel with the least grip — exactly the wrong wheel. The locker fixes that.
When NOT to use it: on dry pavement, on tight turns of any kind, or above the speed at which it'll disengage. A locked rear axle forces both wheels to rotate at the same speed, so in a turn the inside wheel must either skip or the outside wheel must scrub. On pavement that destroys tires and stresses driveline parts. Above its disengage speed (around 25–30 mph in most conditions) the system will automatically unlock — but don't rely on automatic disengage; turn it off intentionally before transitioning back to road driving.
Sasquatch trucks add the front locker on the M210. Use them in sequence: rear first, then add the front only if the rear alone doesn't move you. The front locker compromises your turning radius significantly because the front axle is now forcing both front wheels to rotate together — even in low-speed dirt that's a noticeable difference.
If the locker icon flashes and never goes solid, the actuator solenoid may be stuck or the differential clutch isn't seating. Cycling 4H to 4L and back, or rocking the truck a few feet forward and back, usually frees it. Persistent failure to engage warrants a dealer scan — the system stores DTCs.
Written and maintained by an AZ wheeler and driveway wrencher. Always cross-reference your factory service manual — modifications affect vehicle safety and warranty. Work at your own risk.