Yes Andy, I suspect it is due to a difficult recovery I did last weekAndy wrote:
Nasser, Im sorry to hear about you troubles as well, I hope its not too long until its fixed. Do you have any idea, how or why its broke?
There was this Pathfinder similar to yours (or should I say another plastic pig ) which was literally hanging nose down in a small bowl and there was no way to pull it out except from the rear with 4 brutal snatches and I strongly suspect this was the reason for the front axle problem. The other problem is a normal one that recurs due to 5 months of continuous abuse offroad rear differential noise.
LESSONS LEARNT: (strange that although I am aware of this, I did not implement it)
Avoid brutal snatches as much as u can. Brutal snatches directly impact the axles, gear box and chasis 8O
Use expanding tow ropes....the expansion process minimizes the strain on your rig and produces kinetic energy that kicks into action to help pull out a stuck.
Whenever possible, reverse to the stuck vehicle and use your rear towing points (as opposed to your front towing points) as this minimizes any adverse effects to your vehicle.
I am sure others will have more input on this issue.