Last friday, travelling in an ice storm, i ran over a huge chunk of ice that fell off a truck in front of me. Didnt think much of it. A few moments later, the check batt alarm came on. Again, didnt think much of it, clicked ok and figured id check it next stop. A few moments later, the engine began to stumble, the headlights flickered, various indicators on the dash flicked on and off. I immediately pulled over and stopped and turned the engine off. Noticed alot of smoke coming out the front. Popped the hood and saw flames under the engine. I crawled under and my passengers handed me ***** of snow that i managed to throw onto the fire. The off road skid plate made it difficult to get at or even see what was burning. Got the flames out. Tried the engine, it started. Noted the pwr steering felt odd.....jerky. Assessed my situation in the middle of nowhere and decided to try and make syracuse......about 13 miles. I shut down all uneeded electric loads, radio, heater, dimmed the dash. Truck ran fine for about 11 miles, then all hell broke loose. The dash lights started flashing randomly, i got several system warinings.....brakes, battery, brakes again, tpms failure then service advance trac soon.....all lights went out at that point including headlights. The fog lamps stayed on and that was it. There was a sudden loud bang and then a grinding scraping noise like a muffler dragging on the ground.....which it wasnt.
The engine was stumbling badly as i made it to an exit. The sterring was almost impossible. Took all i had to turn the wheel just enough to curve around the exit and coast to a stop at a qwik mart.

Called ford roadside and they towed it to a ford dealer. The dealer examined it the next day, although i fear not in detail. He told me my driveshaft was warped.....more on that later......and the front diff seal had blown out. He claims the hydraulic fluid caused the electric issues, but for the life of me, i dont see much wiring in that area. I know for a fact the seals were not leaking, as i am required to put cardboard under my truck while at clients homes working.
My front diff needs replacement, which, after hearing that sound, im sure is true.
4 wd was not engaged at the time of the incident, but had been engaged awhile before.

My question is, could a sudden, total loss of electric power while underway cause the 4 wd system to destroy itself this way?

As far as the drive shaft, with no power, the tow guy couldnt shift the vehicle into nuetral, so he dragged the truck a ways with the rear wheels locked. Could that account for drive shaft damage? There was no indication of shaft damage while we were travelling.....no vibration, shake, noise, nothing.

Any input would be appreciated. This truck has always been absolutely reliable and trouble free. It has 105,000 miles on it, but they are creampuff, back road, low speed miles for the most part.

Thanks again.


2011 f150 lariat.