Imploded front diff and transfer case

[Kickit]

Hello all! Longtime member here, but more of a lurker than a poster. However, this weekend I’ve had to have my rig towed due to failed front diff and transfer case while off road.

A little background, black diamond, non SAS, 2.7, 10spd. No mods, about 20k miles. I’ve had the rig since November 2021 with nary a problem. Have done several light core off-road trips, multiple uses in 4h and 4l under less strenuous circumstances than I’m sure many of you have done.

This week, while on my way back from driving on a snowy forest service road, I stared hearing some heavy rotational clunking from the front drivers side. Of note I was moderately stuck in snow at one point and had to shovel out and air down, but was able to get it through with a few maneuvers while in 4h. Never did I gun the engine……..I thought maybe it was out of gear so I tried putting it back into 4h, 4l, 4A, and then again into 2h. It made the noise in all gears.

Now, I’m not a car person but it was definitely not a good noise. I hobbled the car the last two miles to the main road where I called ford and had it towed to the nearest dealer.
Side note: so far I’ve had a good experience with ford service, but I haven’t asked for a rental yet
It will be covered under warranty

Tech calls me back the next day and tells me I have large metal shards in the front diff and the transfer case. It’s not drivable until he can get it fixed and he’s waiting to hear from ford. Then to find out yesterday, he can get the front diff in by end of week, but I’m waiting until Feb 15 for the transfer case

I’ve searched the forum and found maybe 1 or two people who have had an issue with the front diff, but I know there’s got to be more. I guess I’m just looking for some reason this happened? Faulty part? Is ford aware? Is this an issue with the 10spd? Will my replacement part also eventually fail?

Thanks in advance for any advice or insight you can offer.

Here’s a few pics of me enjoying the rig over the last year prior to what’s happened. I’ve really loved the shit out of it up until now……

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[Cobrafang]

Sorry to hear this happened. Hope the timeline shrinks for you. Keep us posted.

 

[da_jokker]

What dealer did you take it to? Have they said anything about denying your warranty yet?

Seems like the moment you take it off the pavement, dealers want to void warranties.

 

[John Bronco_ I am here]

Of note I was moderately stuck in snow at one point and had to shovel out and air down, but was able to get it through with a few maneuvers while in 4h. Never did I gun the engine……..I thought maybe it was out of gear so I tried putting it back into 4h, 4l, 4A, and then again into 2h.....

This your story and stick to it.

 

[Kickit]

What dealer did you take it to? Have they said anything about denying your warranty yet?

Seems like the moment you take it off the pavement, dealers want to void warranties.

We were up in Shasta/trinity area so it was towed to Yreka motors. I’ve had only a positive experience with them so far. My tech up there said it definitely looks like an under warranty repair.

While they’ve been great, I’m from the Sacramento area so having the vehicle 4 hours away has been a pain

 

[Kickit]

This your story and stick to it.

Done and done

But truly, I wasn’t doing anything that should have caused that kind of damage

 

[RC Bronco]

Man, so sorry to hear you got done dirty by your Bronco like that... At least it happened in safe conditions and not deep in backcountry. Hopefully the parts come sooner than expected and you're able to get back out on the open road to take some more photos to share with us

 

[da_jokker]

We were up in Shasta/trinity area so it was towed to Yreka motors. I’ve had only a positive experience with them so far. My tech up there said it definitely looks like an under warranty repair.

While they’ve been great, I’m from the Sacramento area so having the vehicle 4 hours away has been a pain

I'm in Roseville that's why I asked. No way in heck I would take it to the Roseville Ford dealer. If they end up fixing this under warranty, I'll have to remember and maybe have it towed all the way up to Shasta if need be

 

[Kickit]

I'm in Roseville that's why I asked. No way in heck I would take it to the Roseville Ford dealer. If they end up fixing this under warranty, I'll have to remember and maybe have it towed all the way up to Shasta if need be

Oh yeah I feel some kinda way about Roseville ford. You couldn’t drag me to that dealer by my hair……

 

[goatman2]

What dealer did you take it to? Have they said anything about denying your warranty yet?

Seems like the moment you take it off the pavement, dealers want to void warranties.

Sorry, I don't think this is an accurate statement. Sure, modifications are not covered under factory warranty, and one modified part can void the warranty on an adjoining part in some situations. However, I do not think that there is a general trend for warranty to be not applicable to off road use. Yes, there are uneducated employees at some dealerships who have not had to deal with this type of vehicle before, meaning a vehicle that was designed to go off road, but we haven't seen Ford deny warranty because of off road use. Heck, most dealership people don't even know what type of things we might have been doing with it. Off road is a dirt road to a campsite or trailhead, or a scenic spot in a state or National Park.

Now, I can see a potential problem buying a lower equipped Bronco with the M190 front end and 31" tires, then adding a 2" lift and 35" tires, rather than buying a SAS Bronco from the beginning. But, that is a person's own choice, and we all have to accept potential warranty issues on parts that are modified. However, I do not think we are seeing warranty issues on non-modified vehicles, or vehicles modified to factory specs.

 

[goatman2]

Tech calls me back the next day and tells me I have large metal shards in the front diff and the transfer case. It’s not drivable until he can get it fixed and he’s waiting to hear from ford. Then to find out yesterday, he can get the front diff in by end of week, but I’m waiting until Feb 15 for the transfer case

I’ve searched the forum and found maybe 1 or two people who have had an issue with the front diff, but I know there’s got to be more. I guess I’m just looking for some reason this happened? Faulty part? Is ford aware? Is this an issue with the 10spd? Will my replacement part also eventually fail?

Thanks in advance for any advice or insight you can offer.

All guess work on what could have happened. This is why I almost didn't get the Bronco, because of not trusting all of the electronic and solenoid controlled shifting of the transfer case. It's possible that the front got bound up somewhere, and in the process did damage to the t-case. However, without actually seeing the parts inside the diff and t-case there's no way to even speculate. No idea how this might even apply, but I think we all need to be patient when shifting in and out of different modes because of the weirdness of depending on electric control and shifting. Bad things can happen if it's between gears and power applied, if the Bronco will even allow that to happen.

Bummer.

 

[Snacktime]

You can add Harold Ford, Downtown Ford and Future Ford to the don't warranty anything list... If a wheel or tires has a mark on it, declined.

Sounds like something let go and took everything out. I would venture to say t-case caused the damage. A blown front end usually doesn't drag the transfer case into the mix. Let us know what they end up replacing.

 

[BlueOvalBandit]

OP you can't just post your front diff and transfer case imploded without posting carnage pictures. Don't be a tease.

 

[swooshdave]

OP you can't just post your front diff and transfer case imploded without posting carnage pictures. Don't be a tease.

I don't think they were there for the autopsy.

 

[Kickit]

OP you can't just post your front diff and transfer case imploded without posting carnage pictures. Don't be a tease.

All you strangers on the inter webs will be the first to see my transfer case carnage if I get any pics of it, promise

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