Faulty Pinion Gear

joshuawilson

I own a 2006 Ram 1500 4x4. The truck has been well maintained its entire life, and I am the sole owner. A few weeks ago, my rear wheels locked completely while on the highway. I was able to keep control of the truck and use the front wheels to drag it out of traffic. I was very lucky that no accident resulted because of this failure. It turns out that the pinion gear in my rear differential failed and broke off, lodging in the housing and locking my differential. Dodge/Chrysler recalled the 2005 models for this same defect, but did not recall the 2006's; even though they appear to have the same components in the rear differential. Chrysler has not been willing to speak with me at all so that they can diagnose the truck and see why my gear failed so suddenly and without any warning. This was my third Ram 1500, and until this, I would have continued to be a lifelong buyer. Not only did Dodge produce a faulty truck, they failed to recall it for a known issue and are flatly refusing to talk with me to address the situation, despite promising that I would be contacted. They quickly delete posts to their Facebook page asking why they have not contacted me yet. I am afraid that I will have no choice but to repair the truck and sue Chrysler to recover.