Intelligent vehicles and control logic for managing faults for dual-independent drive unit axle powertrains

Presented are control systems for operating dual-independent drive unit (DIDU) powertrains, methods for making/operating such systems, and electric-drive vehicles with fault management and mitigation for DIDU axles. A method of operating a motor vehicle with a DIDU axle includes monitoring first and second drive units (DU) that are independently operable to drive respective road wheels via respective axle shafts of the DIDU axle. A vehicle controller receives an indication of a fault condition in the first DU from a fault sensing module and responsively determines a fault type for the fault condition. The controller ascertains the vehicle's current speed and determines a respective torque limit for each of the DIDU drive units based on the fault type and current vehicle speed. Torque output of the first DU is concomitantly constrained to a first torque limit while torque output of the second DU is constrained to a second torque limit.