1997 Ford Ranger engine problems

97 ford ranger 4wd ~79k miles, my wife was driving home freom work on back road doing 30 MPH. She thought she ran over something and the truck immediately died. No engine, power steering or anything. What happened was the crak shaft broke off at the engine block. A whole engine replacement was needed. Inspecting where the shaft broke off it is obvious to me, the mechanic and others that part was defective in the manufacture proces. About 40% of the ring of the shaft looks fine (solid steel).

Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford ranger. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the engine stalled. The vehicle restarted after several attempts. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing the mechanic was unable to locate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.