FREIGHTLINER Complaints

I WAS DRIVING SOUTH OF ATLANTA ON I-75 IN "CRUISE CONTROL" MODE WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN TWO VEHICLES IN FRONT OF ME HAD AN INCIDENT REQUIRING THEM TO BRAKE IMMEDIATELY. I APPLIED MY BRAKES AND THE "CRUISE CONTROL" DID NOT DISENGAGE. MY BRAKING EFFORT WAS AFFECTED BY THE FACT THAT THE ENGINE WAS STILL AT FULL POWER. FORTUNATELY I HAD TIME TO FIND THE "CRUISE CONTROL" ON THE DASH AND WAS ABLE TO DISENGAGE THE "CRUISE CONTROL". I CONTINUED MY TRIP NOT USING "CRUISE CONTROL". LATER THAT SAME DAY A MOTORIST PULLED UP ALONG SIDE OF ME AND ADVISED ME I HAD NO "STOP LIGHTS" I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO FREIGHTLINER APRIL 27,2015. THE PROBLEM WAS IDENTIFIED AS "THE SWITCH IN THE AMU-1 WAS OPEN CIRCUIT AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT". THE REPAIR BILL WAS $619.28 . THE SERVICE ADVISOR SAID SHE COULD NOT LOCATE ANY RECALLS FOR THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM. I RESEARCHED THE WEB AND DID FIND REFERENCE TO BRAKE LIGHTS NOT WORKING RECALL, BUT DID NOT FIND A RECALL CONCERNING NOT BEING ABLE TO DISENGAGE THE "CRUISE CONTROL" WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL. FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE DRIVER THIS WAS A HARROWING EXPERIENCE OF TRAVELING 60 MPH, NEEDING TO QUICKLY STOP ONLY TO FIND OUT THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN AT FULL THROTTLE ESSENTIALLY NEGATING ANY BRAKING EFFORT! IT IS MY OPINION THIS PROBLEM IS SERIOUS AS IT NOT ONLY AFFECTS THE ABILITY TO NOT STOP BUT ALSO AFFECTS THE OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE STOP LIGHTS AT THE SAME TIME.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 70 MPH, ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS MERGED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED ALL OF THE WARNING LIGHTS WENT AWAY, BUT AFTER DRIVING FOR SEVERAL MINUTES THE WARNING LIGHTS BECAME ILLUMINATED AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE SIGNAL DETECTION AND ACTIVATION MODULE HAD MALFUNCTIONED DUE TO WATER GETTING INTO CONTACT WITH THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V127000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 600,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE IN PARK, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. IN ADDITION, THE STABILITY CONTROL, CHECK ENGINE, FUEL AND OIL PRESSURE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 600,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START INTERMITTENTLY AND ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT ALSO NOTICED A BURNING ODOR COMING FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR VENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE SAM CHASSIS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS AWARE OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V127000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 583.

THIS SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES OCCURS EVERY TIME I PASS UNDER THE RAILROAD OVERPASS, GOING SOUTHBOUND, ON A WEEK DAY (BETWEEN 10 AND 20 TIMES SO FAR). FREIGHTLINER ALWAYS ACTED LIKE THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF THIS BEFORE. WHEN I TOLD THEM TO CHECK THE GPS AND THEY WOULD SEE THAT IT ALWAYS OCCURS IN THE EXACT SAME LOCATION THEY'D GIVE ME SOME MUMBO JUMBO. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS FREIGHTLINER OVERRODE THE FAULT CODES AS I WAS TALKING TO THEM. BUT CERTAIN THINGS WERE CHANGED BY FREIGHTLINER. AFTER ABOUT THE FIRST 10 OF THE EVENTS I NO LONGER RECEIVED EMAILS FROM VIRTUAL TECHNICIAN REGARDING THEM. THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN LIGHT NO LONGER CAME ON AND THE DERATE BEGAN DISAPPEARING WITHIN 30 MINUTES. THAT WAS THE CASE UNTIL THE EVENING OF MONDAY, 6/22/15. AS I PASSED UNDER THE OVERPASS THE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. 15 MILES LATER THE ENGINE DERATED. THE LIGHTS AND DERATED STAYED ON UNTIL THE EVENING 6/23 AT WHICH TIME THE SHUTDOWN LIGHT CAME ON AND, ON THE HIGHWAY 99 FREEWAY, IN THE DARK, I WAS REDUCED TO A MAXIMUM OPERATING SPEED OF 5 MPH. I CALLED VIRTUAL TECHNICIAN AND THEY TOLD ME THE ONLY COURSE I HAD WAS TO GET TOWED TO A FREIGHTLINER SHOP. I WENT TO SLEEP FOR THE NIGHT AND CALLED MC & SONS TOWING OUT OF PIXLEY, CA, NEXT MORNING. AS I AWAITED THEIR ARRIVAL I CALLED DETROIT DAIMLER AND DESCRIBED MY SITUATION. JUST AS THE TOW TRUCK ARRIVED DETROIT OVERRODE THE CODES

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE SPEED REDUCED TO 45 MPH AND THEN SUDDENLY ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL FAILED TO DISENGAGE. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FREIGHTLINER M2. WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH, THE REAR DRIVER SIDE BRAKES WERE EMITTING SMOKE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE REPAIR DETAILS WERE UNKNOWN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 43,000. UPDATED 09/25/15*LJ UPDATED 10/26/2017*CN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FREIGHTLINER CORONADO. WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT ANY SPEED, THE LIGHTS SHORTED OUT UNEXPECTEDLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE HARNESS CONNECTORS SHORTED OUT AND WERE CORRODED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AND THE HARNESS WAS REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000. UPDATED 7/16/15*CN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA. WHILE APPROACHING A STOP AT A LOW SPEED, THERE WAS A LOAD ABNORMAL NOISE COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE POWER STEERING LINE AND THE HOSE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS MADE AWARE OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V185000 (SERVICE BRAKES, AIR) BUT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 FREIGHTLINER BUSINESS CLASS M2. WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH, THE INTAKE HEATER WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,500.