2006 Ford Escape XLT. Anytime the vehicle gets in any mud, snow, or ice, it immediately starts flashing the 4WD indicator light.

MANUAL TRANSMISSION? or auto, well no matter
the transfer case matters./
FIRST TIME EVER USING PART TIME 4WD, CAR?
IF YES IT ONLY WORKS OF ROAD OR ICE/SNOW, NO ON PAVEMENT UNLESS COVERED IN ICE SNOW.
IT IS NOT FULL TIME 4WD OR AWD.
i CAN NOT SHIFT THE 4WD LEVER TO NEUTRAL YOU MEANT?
WELL THAT MEANS YOU WOUND UP THE FRONT AND REAR AXLES LIKE A SPRING,AND THE ONLY CURE IS 1 WHEEL(TIRE) MOVE TO DIRT.?(ICE) OR MORE.
THEN IT UNWINDS.
This car has no center differential.
and is not AWD or full time 4wd,
it s part time, means (ice or dirt ) said simple
moving car like that steering goes wild and fights you.
4wd is pure ww2 jeep like or like my new jeep wrangler
the user guide lost 32 years ago tells this same story..
of dry pavement locked , are you.
jack one wheel off ground and it un-winds.
with PART time 4wd, turning the inside wheel spin slower
and you wind it up just like clock. a very unsafe practice

Take it to a qualified repair shop. Having a factory or some other professional type scan tool An doing a full vehicle scan of all the computers on the vehicle is where too start .

Your question is too general but here is my best answer. It is telling you that something is not working correctly within the system and needs immediate attention. It could be as simple as a blown fuse to a bad transfer case and everything in between.

I have a 2005 Ford Escape and have this problem. I can tell you that if the light comes on every .8 miles and blinks for 8 times, learn to live with it. After taking to dealer when it first started in about 2008, having the tone ring changed on the CV's for the tires, after been told maybe an alien lived in there....the light sell happily blinks on.If it comes on and stays on I would worry more than if it blinks intermittently. Mine has what they call "Intelligent 4-Wheel Drive" [which must be an oxymoron], but still has the 4X4 light to indicate when supposedly it switches in to 4-wheel drive according to driving conditions. Certainly if you haven't noticed any other abnormalities with how the vehicle drives this could very well be the culprit.Hope this helps.

Continuous Memory Diagnostic Test Code (DTC) P1270 has a generic description of "Excessive Engine RPM/Vehicle Speed".
This DTC indicates that the vehicle was operated in a manner which caused engine or vehicle speed to exceed a calibrated limit. Possible causes for this DTC are:
> Wheel slippage caused by mud, snow, water, ice. etc.
> Excessive engine RPM in Park or Neutral
> Vehicle driven at an excessive rate of speed

If you are aware that one of the possible causes above occured, then there is no problem.
If there are no other drivability symptoms or fault codes, simply clear the code and move on.

Tone ring. I have had this replaced on the rt and lt front because of the flashing 4x4 light. Leave it go and it gets worse. get it fixed now

Yes sometimes diagnosis takes a while. They are most likely perfomring electrical tests o nthe rear axle coupler to see why its functioning incorrect. If I knoew the codes its storing I could help you

considering its winter the best way is to put some thing in front of front tires and try to move forwards if you cant put it in 4 wheel mode and then try it. if you climb over then axles are engaged.

put some dot 3 in the brake resavor until it gets to the full line that may halp

The difference between 4WD Full-Time and 4WD Part-Time is not exactly what one would guess simply from the names without knowing. The main difference is basically an added differential in the transfer case vs. the front and read driveshaft being locked together.

Here's what that means to you.

4WD Full-Time (open differential in transfer case)- Is great for snow and ice. It is safe to leave locked into this mode anytime, even on dry pavement or highway.

4WD Part-Time - This is the traditional type of 4WD that you have in vehicles. It will give you added traction offroad, it's good for mud, rock climbing, snow... It is actually not as good on ice as 4WD Full-Time. Do not drive on dry pavement, especially around corners, in this mode. It can cause major damage, and at the least will cause unnecessary wear to the components.

I hope this helps.