Front Differential Blew-up Twice

[Driflifysher]

In Maine's Great North Woods we have miles and miles of graveled logging roads in various states of disrepair and abandonment. That is the biggest reason why I got my 2024 Ranger Raptor. It currently has 14,750 mostly pavement miles on it and has never been abused. Due to my wife's medical issues, I have rarely been able to take it up North like I frequently did with my 2008 Toyota Tundra. I have had 4wd pickups all of my life and never had more than a flat tire or two while driving all of these vehicles. ( I am now 75.) Two weeks ago I drove along one of these graveled wood roads while grouse hunting and approached a rutted wet area. Rather than drive any further I decided to back out. I shifted from 2H to 4H and the tires spun. So, after a lengthy search in the owners manual and on the infotainment screen, I shifted from Park to Neutral to 4L and then using the touch screen was able to lock the front differential, all while at a complete stop. All dash indicators showed that the front axle was now locked. After consulting with my brother who had gotten out of the vehicle to supervise, I shifted into reverse and added just a little throttle in order to maintain traction on the slick clay. That's when there was a loud bang and vehicle shake. To make a long story shorter, my truck was towed to the local dealership and diagnosed with a blown front differential. After a little longer than a week I got my truck back and drove it the 10 miles to my house. On the way home, I heard a very faint, semi intermittent, whirring sound that was not normal. So, after arriving home I called the dealership and informed them of what I had heard. They were not alarmed, as it had been test driven, and said to talk to my service rep in the morning. I decided to drive my truck back to the dealers the next morning and about one mile from my house, the front differential blew-up again with a loud bang and shudder while driving down the highway in 2H at about 45 mph. I had it towed the rest of the way back to the dealers.

My reason for posting this long diatribe is not to belabor the issue, but hopefully to find out if others have had the same problem. My dealer says that they have had a couple of similar front differential problems in Bronco Raptors. I love my RR but now it feels like I can't trust it. Even if the dealership can get it fixed so that it will go more than 10 miles before the front diff blows up again, I am now gun shy. So far the towing and the repairs are being covered by Ford. But, I would like to think that my truck will last for well over a hundred thousand miles and that it won't leave me stranded in the North Woods of Maine--miles from help with no cell phone reception.

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[cc1999]

Not really seen others on here mentioning this.
The Bronco Raptor I am thinking has a different front diff.
Other then having the same engines, I think the rest of the drivetrain is shared either the F150.

Sounds like they didn’t get the replacement installed correctly.
Very strange deal.

 

[Grand Nat]

It's a bad feeling to not trust your ride. Being that your wife has some medical issues you need a reliable vehicle. I don't blame you for not trusting it after what happen. You might have just got a lemon. If you could afford to trade it in and get another Raptor being that you really like this type of truck you might have better luck the second time. And you will sleep better at night.

 

[John E Davies]

No vehicle is 100% reliable, and in the back country you need to always carry a satellite communicator that works independently from your cell phone. I went to a RR from a Land Cruiser 200, I have no regrets at all, but I know the Ford won’t always get me back home. On every trip I bring extra food, water, shelter and emergency stuff, and that communicator…

Good luck on the diff problems, if it happens a third time, Ford needs to buy it back or give you a different truck.

John Davies
Spokane WA USA

 

[embedded rock]

Did you get a new front differential for the first repair? If not, it's time to push for a complete front differential assembly.

 

[Driflifysher]

I visited the dealership this morning and talked to the Service Manager for my RR. He said that the first repair was a completely new front differential unit. He also said that the current (2nd) problem was the right front axle. Parts are ordered and my RR should be "fixed" again tomorrow if all goes well.

The S. Mngr. suspects that the rt. front axle was cracked during the first failure and then broke completely near the CV joint when I drove it a few miles after the front differential was replaced. He maintains, despite the second failure, once the axle is replaced the truck will be safe to drive and not a problem as far as future collateral damage that will results from the two front end failures.

I am still wondering why I was able to hear a slight whirring noise after the front differential was replaced while I drove it home from the dealership. Was this noise from a cracked front axle? And, if the crack wasn't obvious enough to spot during the repair or the dealership's test drive, why did it break completely while be gently driven in 2H after the front diff replacement?

When I pick it up this time I will be test driving my truck in every possible mode, while listening for any sounds that weren't there before the original front end failure. I hope there aren't any and I can begin to trust my truck again.

 

[pablo94sc]

Likely heard a bearing in the cv joint if that's what blew up the second time. Might want to push for the other front axle to be replaced before round 3 occurs.

 

[embedded rock]

The CV joint is packed in grease and stuffed in a rubber bag making a visual inspection unable to detect a problem. Sounds legit though. Hopefully you are good to go after this repair.

 

[Driflifysher]

Update--Today at noon I contacted the Ford Dealership. They had received the new right axle and parts but when they took a closer look and started the repair, they discovered that the newly replaced front differential was actually trashed for the second time. Unfortunately, there are not any more front diff units currently available. Ford is "projecting" they will be available starting December 12. The dealer is saying that lack of parts inventory may be due to more demand for replacement front diffs due to a defect in some of the Raptor trucks like mine.

 

[embedded rock]

Given my '17 F150 experience, a lack of OEM parts availability is nothing new.

 

[Dino Jockey]

Update--Today at noon I contacted the Ford Dealership. They had received the new right axle and parts but when they took a closer look and started the repair, they discovered that the newly replaced front differential was actually trashed for the second time. Unfortunately, there are not any more front diff units currently available. Ford is "projecting" they will be available starting December 12. The dealer is saying that lack of parts inventory may be due to more demand for replacement front diffs due to a defect in some of the Raptor trucks like mine.

When was your truck produced? Maybe hard to know if u don’t have it.

 

[Driflifysher]

Dino, as you stated, with my truck at the dealership I'm not "exactly" sure when my truck was built. Unfortunately, it was well before Ford's (September?) correction for the J-Brace issue, lol. I can tell you that I picked up my truck in June of 2024 and I think that it was built in April of 2024.

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