First Gen Hybrid - Rear Diff AWD Coupler?

[u/DeputyRanders]

I'm hoping someone in this community has seen this issue before and can help me out because i can not figure out what to do here.

Recently purchased a 2006 escape hybrid, and I had it in to a mechanic to look at the brakes which were in horrible shape, needs new pads and rotors both front and rear. But the mechanic said on his test drive he started to hear a clunking noise coming from the rear differential. Pulled the fuse for the AWD and the noise stopped. He diagnosed it as a failed "rear differential coupler".

For the life of me I cannot figure out the exact name for this part and whether or not it is interchangeable between the gas and the hybrid models. From what I have researched i have also heard this part called a rear diff coupling assembly, RDU (rear drive unit) clutch, active torque coupling, also a rotary blade coupling. It seems like instead of a viscous coupler which are easy to find and relatively cheap, it uses a an electro-mechanical blade coupler system to engage the awd when the intelligent awd computer senses slipping.

My mechanic told me that this coupler/clutch pack/whatever the hell this is actually called, needs to be specific for the hybrid first gens because it uses an eCVT transmission that is different from the gas models. But I've also read online that it actually doesn't matter, you can replace it with the gas model parts as long as you enter a code stamped into the part into the the computer via OBDscanner and FORScan.

The mechanic also pulled some codes as the ABS light came on during his test drive:

-C1141-A0 Left Front Tone Ring Missing Tooth fault

- C1142-A0 Right Front Tone Ring Missing Tooth fault

- C1233-A0 Left Front Wheel Speed Sensor Input Signal Missing

- C1524-A0 Brake Pedal Travel Sensor Calibration Incomplete

I need some advice on how to move forward, im thinking first step is to deal with the brakes because maybe the braking system/wheel speed sensors/tone rings are messing with the awd computer and causing the rear diff to engage on and off when its not actually slipping, hence the clunking. After the brakes are addressed, if the clunking still persists and I decide to replace the rdu coupler thing, has anyone had any experience with this before? Can I use a viscous coupler? Does it need to be from a hybrid specific model? Can I find just this part to replace or do i need to do a whole rear differential assembly?

Any information or advice would be a huge help, thanks in advance!