NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE14-019: Rear Differential Failure
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE14-019 on June 24, 2014 and closed it on December 23, 2014. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 for it and links recall 14V-796 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE14-019 (also written PE14019)
- Investigation type
- Preliminary Evaluation The first stage of most defect investigations: NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation gathers basic information about a possible safety defect, including from the manufacturer.
- Status
- Closed December 23, 2014
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
- Component
- Power Train — Driveline — Differential Unit
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 14V-796: Rear Axle Pinion Nut May Loosen at Differential, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- 2005 Dodge Ram 1500
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE14-019.
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.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE14-019. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to that page's NHTSA investigations section.
Dodge
Dodge Ram 1500
What an NHTSA investigation is
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks into possible safety defects in vehicles and equipment, often after owner complaints. An investigation usually starts as a Preliminary Evaluation, or as a Recall Query when it concerns whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or fixes the problem, and ODI can upgrade it to a more detailed Engineering Analysis. A Defect Petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation, and Audit and Equipment Queries are administrative investigations into whether companies complied with federal vehicle safety requirements, such as reporting, recall and certification rules.
An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.
To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Dodge VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for PE14-019
Investigation details come from NHTSA's investigations file, which try.vin imports once a day. The investigation types are described from the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General's May 2023 report on NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA's petition rules (49 CFR Parts 552 and 557) and NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation procedures. How try.vin reads NHTSA investigations.