NHTSA Complaint #10627436 — 2012 DODGE RAM 3500

TRAVELING CLOSE TO MAX LEGAL HIGHWAY SPEED FOR THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY I WAS TRAVELING ON. FELT AND SOUNDED LIKE TWO FRONT TIRES BLEW AND WAS TRAVELING ON THE RIMS (SPARKS AND SOUNDS AND RESPONSIVENESS ON VEHICLE). PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER AND DISCOVERED THAT THE FRONT DRIVELINE GOING INTO THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL HAD SEPARATED. IT WAS STILL ATTACHED TO THE TRANSFER CASE IN THE REAR. THE UNIVERSAL JOINT AND APPROXIMATELY ONE FOOT OF DRIVE SHAFT WAS CHERRY RED. BEARING RACE WAS FOUND ON SIDE OF ROAD AND HAD STARTED A SMALL FIRE (WAS PUT OUT BY DRIVER). APPARENT DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE WAS A GOUGE OUT OF TRANSMISSION HOUSING (LESS THAN AN INCH AT A JOIN BOLT), SLIGHT DENT IN TRANSMISSION PAN, TORN (~2") TEAR IN DIFFERENTIAL WHERE DRIVE SHAFT ENTERS FRONT DIFFERENTIAL. DRIVE SHAFT AND WHAT IS LEFT OF FRONT BEARING ARE FREE TO TURN BY HAND. DIFFERENTIAL FLUID (ASSUMED) WAS COVERING MOST SURFACES ON UNDERCARRIAGE OF VEHICLE. UP TO ACCIDENT ALL APPEARED NORMAL EXCEPT FOR A SLIGHT INTERMITTENT INCREASE IN ENGINE RPM (200-300 RPM) ABOUT 5 MILES PRIOR, ONCE WHILE CLIMBING A HILL EASTBOUND OUT OF SPOKANE ON INTERSTATE, AND JUST BEFORE FAILURE OF VEHICLE. VEHICLE AND BOTH RECOVERED PARTS AT DODGE DEALERSHIP IN KENNEWICK WA. INCIDENT REPORTED TO DODGE. DAMAGE TO HIGHWAY OBSERVED TO BE A GOUGE (2-3' LONG APPROX 2" MAX DEEP) OUT OF PAVED SHOULDER OF INTERSTATE. TRAFFIC TO HEAVY TO SAFELY CHECK ROADWAY, BUT NO APPARENT DAMAGE OBSERVABLE BY DRIVER FROM SHOULDER OF ROAD. *TR