Alright so if i misname something im sorry i am not much of a car person.

I have a 2005 Dodge Dakota Crew Cab SLT V8 4.7 Liter, and i keeo having problems with the front drive axle. For some reason it keeps snaping on me and I dont know why. I originally replaced just that and it was fine for awhile and then it snapped again. I had my buddy look at it who is a prior mechanic and he said the ball joint was bad also. I than had a dealer look at it and he said the ball joint was bad also. I replace the drive axle and the ball joint. It has been fine for a couple months and just two nights ago it snapped on me again. I was wandering if anyone might know why it keeps breaking on me?

 

Exactly what is braking? The axle shaft? The CV axle? Ring and Pinion?

I will move this to the 3rd Generation Dakota Sub-Forum.

 

Its the axle? With the super greasy 3 pointed thing that fits into the socket?

Do you go 4wheelin a lot? Do you have a leveling kit? AWD or 4x4?

 

The driver side CV axle keeps breaking. I have 4WD and I do not go mudding a lot all i do is normal driving with the truck.

 

I broke my front axle (driver side) a couple weeks ago while mudding. But i beat the **** out of my truck, so i wasn't surprised. I have no idea what could cause it to snap from normal driving,

 

Don't take this the wrong way, just to clarify since it is the winter and sometimes people use 4wd when they really shouldn't, but you're not driving with 4lock on dry/wet pavement are you? I'm not sure how the drivetrain will take it, it's just that I've always been told it's a big no-no due the all the bindage that can happen.

 

I don't see how it can break while driving in "normal" conditions, hence 2wd unless.....
this is what you're doing...

 

It's a design flaw. I have the same problem. Rarely ever locked into four-wheel drive. Hitting a chuck hole or traveling over unrepared roads can tak a toll-
premature wea rand breakage. It is well known that these axles/universal joints are not heavy duty enough.