NHTSA Investigation PE14019

Rear Differential Failure

On December 16, 2014, Chrysler Group LLC submitted a Safety Recall Report to NHTSA describing a defect in the rear differential of approximately 256,956 model year (MY) 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup trucks (NHTSA Recall No. 14V-796, Chrysler Recall No. P77).Chrysler's letter states that: 1) some of the recalled vehicles may have been built with an axle pinion nut that can loosen, due to an undersized spline on the pinion gear; and 2) a loose pinion may cause the rear axle to seize and/or the driveshaft to separate, resulting in the loss of vehicle control and/or a crash with little warning.The one crash and injury noted in Chrysler's Safety Recall Report is from a NHTSA complaint documented in Vehicle Owner Questionnaire (VOQ) 10508200.This complaint describes an incident in which the rear end of the truck locked up and skidded into a culvert, resulting in a head injury to the driver (concussion).ODI's failure counts in this resume do not include vehicles with evidence of previous repair or maintenance work that required removal of the pinion.Chrysler's recall remedy procedure will add a retention feature to the pinion nut on all affected vehicles.This investigation is closed based on Chrysler's recall.

An investigation is a separate record from a recall and from a manufacturer communication. A manufacturer campaign to repair a safety defect or a failure to meet a federal safety standard.