Failing differential and Polaris says it’s normal please help!

[Papa Hoc]

Thanks to all that take the time to read this and any help or support will be amazing. To shorten and simplify my 25 Ranger 1500 with less than 240 miles on it as metal in the rear differential oil, developed a loud clank on and off the throttle that was settled at first, and you can actually see the CV joints moving up and down in the differential, indicating the carrier bearings are loose. I have waited more than a month for an appointment to get this fixed and then got a call saying that it’s OK and normal. Can anybody check to see if they can duplicate axle shaft movement in the differential by rocking the vehicle with the left rear tire while it’s in park? You should see zero movement of that shaft up and down. I suspect all of you that reply and are not having issues we find its rock solid there and they do not move. That would support my case you guys I am literally 30 days not being able to use it and now being told to pick it up broken and Washington state lemon law will apply if I’m forced to pick it up in the situation that it’s in. I really don’t wanna go through that. I’d rather have the Ranger and have it working right. Please help and thank you.

 

[vm2]

Good morning mine lift up and down also. also had the clunk it was the axles on mine . I could rock it back and forth and it would clunk. let off gas and clunk. I investigated and found that my diff was full and that my axles at diff would move up and down at diff. I'm a mechanic thought that was strange . I re torqued the axles and clunk went away . that was at 400 miles its now sitting at a little over 1300 miles now with no problems.

 

[Cincronman]

Thanks to all that take the time to read this and any help or support will be amazing. To shorten and simplify my 25 Ranger 1500 with less than 240 miles on it as metal in the rear differential oil, developed a loud clank on and off the throttle that was settled at first, and you can actually see the CV joints moving up and down in the differential, indicating the carrier bearings are loose. I have waited more than a month for an appointment to get this fixed and then got a call saying that it’s OK and normal. Can anybody check to see if they can duplicate axle shaft movement in the differential by rocking the vehicle with the left rear tire while it’s in park? You should see zero movement of that shaft up and down. I suspect all of you that reply and are not having issues we find its rock solid there and they do not move. That would support my case you guys I am literally 30 days not being able to use it and now being told to pick it up broken and Washington state lemon law will apply if I’m forced to pick it up in the situation that it’s in. I really don’t wanna go through that. I’d rather have the Ranger and have it working right. Please help and thank you.

Mine does the same thing....

 

[TSkeen]

Thanks to all that take the time to read this and any help or support will be amazing. To shorten and simplify my 25 Ranger 1500 with less than 240 miles on it as metal in the rear differential oil, developed a loud clank on and off the throttle that was settled at first, and you can actually see the CV joints moving up and down in the differential, indicating the carrier bearings are loose. I have waited more than a month for an appointment to get this fixed and then got a call saying that it’s OK and normal. Can anybody check to see if they can duplicate axle shaft movement in the differential by rocking the vehicle with the left rear tire while it’s in park? You should see zero movement of that shaft up and down. I suspect all of you that reply and are not having issues we find its rock solid there and they do not move. That would support my case you guys I am literally 30 days not being able to use it and now being told to pick it up broken and Washington state lemon law will apply if I’m forced to pick it up in the situation that it’s in. I really don’t wanna go through that. I’d rather have the Ranger and have it working right. Please help and thank you.

Mine is doing the same thing.
I put mine in the shop and they told me pretty much the same thing.
Said it was not a mechanical issue and it operates as expected.
I can promise that I would not of bought it if it was doing that when I purchased it.
It was quiet and smooth, that's why I bought it. Mine started clunking at 1300 miles.
It has 2200 on it now and its getting worse. Polaris needs to step up and fix this issue.

 

[TSkeen]

Good morning mine lift up and down also. also had the clunk it was the axles on mine . I could rock it back and forth and it would clunk. let off gas and clunk. I investigated and found that my diff was full and that my axles at diff would move up and down at diff. I'm a mechanic thought that was strange . I re torqued the axles and clunk went away . that was at 400 miles its now sitting at a little over 1300 miles now with no problems.

What did you re torque ??

 

[Captain Bob]

I have the 2025 Ranger XD, mine started that clunk shortly after I got it, the dealer that I purchased it from tried Loctite on the axles but that did not help. It continued to get worse so I asked that dealer again to look it and he said there was nothing they could do. A week after that I called another dealer in Cobb WI and he said they recently received a bulletin from Polaris about the clunk and they had already repair 3 with good success. I took mine there and they fixed it in less than a day. Bulletin R-24-09-01 explains the fix, they Loctite the Yoke in the differential. I have just over a 1,000 miles on it since they did that and absolutely no clunk, Yippee!

 

[NAZ4me]

I have the 2025 Ranger XD, mine started that clunk shortly after I got it, the dealer that I purchased it from tried Loctite on the axles but that did not help. It continued to get worse so I asked that dealer again to look it and he said there was nothing they could do. A week after that I called another dealer in Cobb WI and he said they recently received a bulletin from Polaris about the clunk and they had already repair 3 with good success. I took mine there and they fixed it in less than a day. Bulletin R-24-09-01 explains the fix, they Loctite the Yoke in the differential. I have just over a 1,000 miles on it since they did that and absolutely no clunk, Yippee!

I can't find that bulletin (R-24-09-01) on the Polaris site nor by searching. Do you have a copy that you could post?

 

[vm2]

a

What did you re torque ??

axles to 89 ft pounds . I really think Polaris made a mistake on the rear axle torque there 89 ft pounds and front are 179 believe . Dont know how they cold be that far off looks like same size axle .

 

[Northwoods Ranger]

Thanks for sharing this Papa Hoc

I've not noticed any issues with mine ( bought 10/31/25 ) dealer was insistent I bring it back around 500 mile for
a check up. When I heard that I drove it like I stole it especially seeing my dealer is 4hrs. away.
nothing noted, no surprise there and since have driven it through 2ft of snow from the blizzard two weeks ago
and now the mud infested forest service roads.

Seeing how a few members have chimed in with the same issue, I wonder if it's on a certain production run.

Is there another dealer you can take it to

 

[Captain Bob]

I did ask Polaris for a copy of that Bulletin and this is what they sent me "
Thank you for providing the VIN number. While I’m unable to share the bulletin itself, as it contains internal dealership-only information, I can offer a paraphrased summary for your reference. Below is an overview of the information included in Bulletin R‑24‑09‑01:

"If a RANGER XD 1500 is experiencing a clunking noise from the rear of the vehicle, technicians will inspect the rear hub and driveshaft areas to identify the source. In cases where the noise is coming from these components, Polaris has confirmed that it does not indicate damage or mechanical failure, and the vehicle can continue to be used. As part of the service process, technicians may apply a thread‑locking compound to the rear driveshaft and yoke components. Polaris is continuing to review this condition and will provide updates if additional guidance becomes available."
This is the information I’m able to provide regarding that bulletin."

 

[Papa Hoc]

I have the 2025 Ranger XD, mine started that clunk shortly after I got it, the dealer that I purchased it from tried Loctite on the axles but that did not help. It continued to get worse so I asked that dealer again to look it and he said there was nothing they could do. A week after that I called another dealer in Cobb WI and he said they recently received a bulletin from Polaris about the clunk and they had already repair 3 with good success. I took mine there and they fixed it in less than a day. Bulletin R-24-09-01 explains the fix, they Loctite the Yoke in the differential. I have just over a 1,000 miles on it since they did that and absolutely no clunk, Yippee!

Absolutely great news! Based on this, I have a new appointment at a different dealer next week not a month from now! Thanks again for the help!!

 

[vm2]

Absolutely great news! Based on this, I have a new appointment at a different dealer next week not a month from now! Thanks again for the help!!

Great ! I really think its normal for the axle to move up and down there is no way all these machines have bad rear diffs. like I said earlier mine does same thing found that out around 400 miles . sitting just over 1300 now with know problems . Be interested what they say . I might take a ride to dealer and see if I can duplicate axle movement on a new one in the show room .

 

[Papa Hoc]

Great ! I really think its normal for the axle to move up and down there is no way all these machines have bad rear diffs. like I said earlier mine does same thing found that out around 400 miles . sitting just over 1300 now with know problems . Be interested what they say . I might take a ride to dealer and see if I can duplicate axle movement on a new one in the show room .

You are correct axle movement is normal. I guess it has to do with a floater carrier for the locker feature. I have encountered a really cool dealer in the Auburn Washington area that has been willing to dig in and get this rectified for me. And I only had to wait a week for an appointment! I’ll keep you guys updated on the outcome, but I believe most of you encountering the snapping/ clicking issue is actually the yolk on the differential because most in the threads I’ve read say the tightening of the axles and the Loctite doesn’t do any good. Let you guys know as soon as I do!

 

[LowlyOilBurner]

Correct on the axle movement. My 2024 Xpedition did this, 2016 & 2019 RZR Turbos, same thing.

Interesting they are saying to loctite the rear drive shaft. That’s where I hear the clunk as well. You can grab the shaft and rotate it back and forth and duplicate the sound. It looks like backlash in the diff/transmission, not the splines on the yoke’s though?

 

[vm2]

Correct on the axle movement. My 2024 Xpedition did this, 2016 & 2019 RZR Turbos, same thing.

Interesting they are saying to loctite the rear drive shaft. That’s where I hear the clunk as well. You can grab the shaft and rotate it back and forth and duplicate the sound. It looks like backlash in the diff/transmission, not the splines on the yoke’s though?

On mine if you look real careful while rocking machine back and forth by tire you could see the out put shaft and the drive shaft move separately not much but enough to hear a clunk. I pumped grease in it and its gone now.

 

[Papa Hoc]

On mine if you look real careful while rocking machine back and forth by tire you could see the out put shaft and the drive shaft move separately not much but enough to hear a clunk. I pumped grease in it and it’s gone now.

I am sorry, but it’s unclear to me – where did you inject the grease?

 

[Papa Hoc]

I have found a dealer willing to help me next Thursday. It may be several days before I get it so I should have something for you guys within 7 to 10 days to let you know what he did and if it helped.

 

[Papa Hoc]

Mine is doing the same thing.
I put mine in the shop and they told me pretty much the same thing.
Said it was not a mechanical issue and it operates as expected.
I can promise that I would not of bought it if it was doing that when I purchased it.
It was quiet and smooth, that's why I bought it. Mine started clunking at 1300 miles.
It has 2200 on it now and it’s getting worse. Polaris needs to step up and fix this issue.

I agree 100% here we aren’t just buying an entry level product, we paid brand new F150 4 x 4 money and saying a clunk in a drive train is normal is a cop out. They built it, they need to figure out how to make it work right. Also encountered a gentleman by the name of Bryan ans and Polaris. He supposedly I’d love to check – if you ever interact with him, just don’t bother to hang up and call back for someone else. Arrogant, condescending, and can’t de-escalate even the smallest issue.

 

[Papa Hoc]

Sorry guys, I was using type to text and hit reply instead of correcting mistakes. That should have said, I encountered a level two technician, whose name was Brian,f I remember correctly. My second call after discovering the service bulletin and was just trying to get copies of it, I spoke with a different technician who was level one with less abilities, but the guy was amazing he sympathized with me, stating the whole reason they’re here is to have happy customers. He understood where I was coming from and did everything he could to help I wish I could remember his name!

 

[Papa Hoc]

On mine if you look real careful while rocking machine back and forth by tire you could see the out put shaft and the drive shaft move separately not much but enough to hear a clunk. I pumped grease in it and its gone now.

Could you please explain where you put the grease? I’m unclear there and I apologize for that thank you.