Patent ID: 8382633

Claim:
A drive axle assembly comprising: a carrier member including an outwardly extending trunnion having an opening therethrough; an output shaft axially outwardly extending from said carrier member through said opening in said trunnion; a differential assembly including a differential case supported for rotation within said carrier member and a side gear being rotatably mounted about said output shaft; a clutch collar disposed about said output shaft and non-rotatably coupled thereto and configured to selectively drivingly engage said side gear; an annular clutch actuator mounted to said trunnion for axially moving said clutch collar between a first position in which said clutch collar drivingly engages said side gear and a second position in which said clutch collar is disengaged from said side gear, wherein said annular clutch actuator is coaxially and non-rotatably secured within said trunnion of said carrier member; a shaft retention collar locked to said output shaft and frictionally engaged to said output shaft so as to restrain or prevent relative rotation between said shaft retention collar and said output shaft, and to ensure relative rotation between said side gear and said shaft retention collar; and an elastomeric O-ring disposed in an annular groove of said output shaft and compressed between said shaft retention collar and said output shaft to restrain or prevent relative rotation between said shaft retention collar and said output shaft, and to ensure relative rotation between said side gear and said shaft retention collar.