NHTSA Complaint #11288629 — 2004 DODGE RAM 1500

I WAS TRAVELING ON ROADWAY THERE WAS A LOUD BANG, TRUCK SKIDDED TO STOP AND WOULD NOT MOVE.TRUCK HAD TO BE TOWED, APPEARS THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL PINION SHAFT HAS SNAPPED OFF. THE TRUCK IS CURRENTLY PARKED IN A SNOW BANK UNTIL I CAN EVALUATE WHAT NEEDS REPAIRED/REPLACED. THERE HAVE HAVEN BEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS AND RECALLS ON DODGE DIFFERENTIALS, I CAN ASSUME DUE TO THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS OF THE CLUTCH PACK RETAINER CLIPS FAILING THAT THEY FAILED CAUSING SHOCK LOAD TO THE RING AND PINION GEARS AND THEREFORE SNAPPING THE PINION SHAFT AND WEDGING PINION GEAR AND RING GEAR. THIS TRUCK ONLY HAS 80,000 MILES ON IT HAS NEVER BEEN ABUSED, OFF ROADED OR DONE ANY HEAVY TOWING, HAD SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENED AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS AND OR TOWING A TRAILER IT WOULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC.