Durango Spare Tire GONE!!!!

Has anyone out there lost their full size spare tire on a Durango? We own a 1999 SLT which has 85,000 miles on it. The spare has been used once. Coming back on a trip, the cable broke which holds the spare up underneath.

We are baffled on how this could happen?

Anyone else?

It was probably stolen. Someone quickly cut the cable and got away with the tire.

How do they do that? Isn't the cable behind the tire and secured to the floor? The only exposed part is the metal flange part that fits in the rim. You have to come in from the top to lower the tire.

But I guess the important question is, how does one "lock" the spare up?

I'm not sure how it locks, but was the cable cut or frayed or rusted?

Don't these things have those crank fittings on the back of the truck, where you stick the crank handle inside just above the bumper or something and crank the tire down?

I know on my truck, I could run up to it with the crank in hand and stick it in, spin it around as fast as I can and have the tire off the truck in probably less than a minute. That's all it would take...

I bet it was stolen.

So how do we lock them up then? If all it takes is spinning the handle ring in the center of the tire, what do we do to lock it in?

They have the crank, but it is inside door.
Look on ebay for the spare lock. cheap!