Broken manifold studs on my 4.7 PITA!!!!!

I've been hearing the dreaded tick from my 02 dakota for a couple of months then recently it has gotten louder. I found two broken studs on my drivers side exhaust manifold. WTH? Is this common? I hate working on daily drivers. The only good thing is that they are broken off right at the nut and there is enough room to grab them with vice grips or weld a nut on them. Now I have to pull the manifold and pray that I don't break any more. I just have to vent.:angry7: