2019 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA Complaints

I am writing to bring to your attention a potentially dangerous situation caused by what I believe to be a manufacturer design flaw with the SS 1034797 M2, 108SD, 114SD Coolant Level Sensor P/N 06-93316-002. On [XXX], one of our trucks (VIN: [XXX]) experienced a low coolant warning and an automatic engine shutdown while traveling on the interstate in a construction zone. As you can imagine, the sudden stoppage of a tractor-trailer in the traffic lanes of a freeway presents an extremely hazardous situation, not only for our driver but for all motorists in the vicinity. For us as a motor carrier, this is compounded by the likelihood of legal liability resulting from any collision involving a stationary truck in such conditions. The root cause of this incident appears to be the failure of the magnet within the surge tank to maintain its buoyancy. When the magnet sinks to the bottom of the tank, it signals the engine control module (ECM) that the coolant level is critically low, triggering an engine shutdown. While I understand the intent is to protect the engine from potential damage, this design flaw creates an unacceptably dangerous scenario—especially since, in many cases, the engine is not actually at risk of damage. In this instance, I instructed the driver to unplug and after a 15-minute period, he restarted the truck and drove to a nearby truck stop. Remarkably, the truck remains operational without the sensor repair, further underscoring the superficial nature of this issue. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. We have encountered similar sensor failures across our fleet, but this particular event was the most severe. While I am not an engineer, it seems logical that the coolant level sensor should be paired with a high-temperature reading before an engine shutdown is initiated. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

While approaching an overpass the collision mitigation system activated my brakes nearly causing the vehicle behind me to rear end my trailer, hit my brakes so hard i was thrown forward.

My 2019 Freightliner Cascadia forward collision brakes activates automatically while on the road without any other vehicle nearby, airbrake malfunction (not released appropriately and fully released) and extremely fuel consumption.

Truck will apply brakes when no objects or vehicles are around. It is very scary and unexpected when the system does this.

The contact owns a 2019 Freightliner Cascadia. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the Forward Collision Avoidance feature engaged inadvertently. Recently, the contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the brake assist system engaged after a plastic bag flew by the vehicle. The Forward Collision Avoidance alarm sounded during the failure. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that the feature could not be deactivated. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 254,180.

The contact owns a 2019 Freightliner Cascadia. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60–70 MPH, the brake assist system engaged without an object nearby. While depressing the brake pedal, the system released and reset. The Forward Collision Avoidance alarm sounded. The contact called the local dealer and was referred to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 200,674.

My truck just came to a screeching halt on the interstate with no obstacles in front of it. It nearly caused a major accident. I could not override it. I was approaching an overpass approximately 100 yards away. Collision warning lights went on. Horn started beeping and brakes engaged immediately.

This complaint comes from a private truck fleet operating over 700 trucks experiencing excessive amounts of false positive emergency braking and/or haptic following distance warnings (brake stab) on 2018-2020 Freightliner Classis Cascadia tractors. The system experiencing the highest incidents are equipped with the Wabco OnGuard Collision Mitigation System. Some of these false positives have resulted in neck and shoulder injuries. False positives occur while approaching bridge overpasses and other road objects such as steel plates or overhead signs. Wabco has been contacted and state the system is discontinued and outdated so no support or fixes is offered other than a single software upgrade. All units have received the software update but still experience false positives. These unexpected false positive occurrences have resulted in injuries, potential loss of control, and accident risks to other motorists. Although false positives have occurred and continue to occur since first receiving trucks with this technology in 2018, the first injury occurred on 3/3/2022. The system should be recalled to provide a solution to the excessive false positives.

This Truck that I'm buying from USCryo Carriers that is a Freightliner has been in the shop numerous times for electrical issues and lighting issues and body and tires problems and they have yet to fix them and get them properly repaired and the Truck is shocking me while driving and whenever laying in the bunkso much it hurts and causes headaches I pay insurance and for the truck, but my company is steady making me pay all repairs even though I have insurance

Cruise control will shut off and then engage again on its own. It will have a hard time to disengage at times. Lane departure goes off when there is nothing there. The collision warning system goes off a lot. Locked up the brakes in the rain causing a slide. Locked up on ice almost causing a jackknife. Then this summer it has locked up when nothing is around. Came to a complete stop, then not releasing the brakes for a few seconds. Luckily, no one was around. It has been in for repair several times. It is in the shop now. I lease this vehicle from Penske. They refuse to give me a safe truck.