NHTSA Complaint #10652823 — 2012 DODGE RAM 3500

MY DRIVER WAS TRAVELING AT 80 MPH IN CRUISE CONTROL WHEN HE STARTED TO NOTICE A VIBRATION FROM THE TRUCK THAT WAS SHAKING THE MIRRORS. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE OUT OF CRUISE CONTROL AND STARTED TO DECELERATE. AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH A LARGE BANG WAS HEARD FROM BENEATH THE VEHICLE AND THE FRONT END OF THE TRUCK WAS LIFTED OFF OF THE PAVEMENT. THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO BE TURNED SLIGHTLY SIDEWAYS WHEN IT CAME BACK DOWN INTO CONTACT WITH THE PAVEMENT WHILE TRAVELING AT 70 MPH! THANKFULLY MY DRIVER WAS ABLE TO CORRECT THE VEHICLE STRAIGHT BUT WHEN HE PUSHED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL IT WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. HE WAS ABLE TO COAST THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND EVENTUALLY BRING IT TO A STOP. PARTS FROM THE TRUCK HAD BEEN STREWN DOWN THE INTERSTATE OVER APPROXIMATELY 200 YDS. THERE WAS A VEHICLE TRAVELING BEHIND MY DRIVER AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT BUT LUCKILY THEY WERE FAR ENOUGH BEHIND THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTIONS TO AVOID ANY FLYING DEBRIS. THANKFULLY THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR AFTER INCIDENT ACCIDENTS THAT OCCURRED THOUGH I WOULD ATTRIBUTE THIS TO THE ALERT AND RESPONSIVE DRIVING OF BOTH MY DRIVER AND THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE BEHIND HIM. HAD THERE BEEN A VEHICLE DIRECTLY BEHIND OR TO THE SIDE OF HIM THERE COULD HAVE BEEN A MAJOR ACCIDENT POSSIBLY RESULTING IN INJURIES OR DEATH. THIS VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DODGE RAM DEALER WHERE WE WERE INFORMED THAT THE FRONT DRIVE SHAFT WAS THE PART THAT FAILED. WE WERE INFORMED BY DEALER PERSONNEL THAT THIS DRIVE SHAFT HAS A JOINT THAT IS NON-SERVICEABLE NOR EASILY INSPECTED AND THAT THIS WAS THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. OTHER PARTS THAT WERE EFFECTED WERE THE TRANSFER CASE (THE CASE WAS BROKEN IN TWO PIECES AND THE INTERNALS WERE BLOWN OUT), TRANSMISSION CRACKED BEYOND REPAIR, BRAKE LINES HAD BEEN SEVERED, FUEL LINES HAD BEEN SEVERED AND A HOLE WAS PUNCHED THROUGH THE CAB BOTTOM INTO THE PASSENGER AREA. *TR