FREIGHTLINER Complaints

THE PARKING LAMPS HAD FAILED PREMATURELY ON THIS VEHICLE. THIS IS NOT THE ONLY INSTANCE OF THESE LAMPS FAILING ON THE 2012 MODEL YEAR FREIGHTLINER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT GEARS. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSIS. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY NEEDED TO REPLACE THE GEAR SHIFT LEVER. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 420,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 440,000. ...UPDATED 07/19/12 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE FAILRE WAS DU TO THE GREASE FITTINGS BEING LEFT LOOSE DURING THE MANUFACTURING OF THE TRUCK. WHICH COULD CAUE A FIRE IN THE CLUTCH ASSEMLY. THE CONSUMER STATED SIX CLUTCHES HAVE BEEN REPLACED IN OTHER TRUCKS. UPDATED 07/23/12

THE TURBO RESONATOR ON THESE VEHICLES IS A KNOWN FAILURE ISSUE, THIS VEHICLE HAS EXPERIENCED TWO FAILURES WHILE STILL UNDER WARRANTY. THE 2ND FAILED AT 70,000, THE MANUFACTURER IS QUITE WILLING TO REPLACE UNDER WARRANTY BUT DESPITE NUMEROUS PRODUCT CHANGES THE (Q5 IS THE LATEST VARIANT) THE COMPONENT CONTINUES TO FAIL UNPREDICTABLY POTENTIAL RESULTING IN A SERIOUS TRAFFIC INCIDENT. THE TURBO RESONATOR IS UNDER FULL TURBO BOOST PRESSURE (APPROXIMATELY 35"MAP) THUS IS MOST LIKELY TO FAIL WHEN UNDER MAX LOAD I.E. CLIMBING HILLS, ETC. AND IN HOT CONDITIONS. WHEN FAILURE OCCURS THE VEHICLE WILL IMMEDIATELY GO INTO "LIMP HOME MODE", SPEED WILL IMMEDIATELY DROP TO DANGEROUSLY LOW MPH (18MPH IN MY LAST EXPERIENCE) AND THE VEHICLE BECOMES A MAJOR TRAFFIC IMPEDIMENT. THIS LONG STANDING PROBLEM HAS BEEN WIDELY IGNORED BY MERCEDES TO DATE AND NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FREIGHTLINER M2. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE BRAKE SPIDER FRACTURED AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,130.

I HAVE A 1993 FREIGHTLINER AND IT HAS CAME TO MY ATTENTION THAT THE SAME THING I AM HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THERE IS A RECALL ON IT AND THE RECALL DEPARTMENT FOR FREIGHTLINER IS TELLING ME THAT THE RECALL RAN OUT IN 1997 AND IT HAS BEEN GIVING ME PROBLEMS FOR A WHILE AND BEEN WORKING WITH THEM TO GET IT FIXED UNTIL THEY TOLD ME THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO FIX IT BECAUSE THE RECALL HAS EXPIRED AND I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT RECALLS DIDN'T RUN OUT CAN U PLEASE HELP ME! *TR

NORTH CAROLINA PUBLIC SCHOOL BUS LOCATED IN MECKLENBURG COUNTY WAS IN ROUTE WITH SIX CHILDREN AND A DRIVER WHEN THE DRIVER SMELLED SMOKE AND SAW THE SMOKE COMING FROM THE AREA BELOW THE STEERING COLUMN. THE DRIVER STOPPED THE BUS IN A SAFE AREA AND IMMEDIATELY STARTED EVACUATION PROCEDURES AND SUCCESSFULLY UNLOADED THE CHILDREN TO A SAFE PLACE. WITHIN APPROXIMATELY 5 TO 7 MINUTES AFTER EVACUATION FIRE WAS SEEN IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT AND PROCEEDED TO SPREAD THROUGH OUT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AREA AND THEN TO THE REAR OF THE BUS BODY. THE BUS WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED BY THE FIRE. INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION WAS CONDUCTED WITH PRELIMINARY INDICATION THAT FIRE ORIGINATED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT NEAR THE REAR OF ENGINE WHERE WIRING HARNESS IS ROUTED AROUND METALLIC HEATER SHUTOFF VALVE. THERE APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN AN ELECTRICAL SHORT WHERE THE INTAKE HEATER WIRE CHAFFED THROUGH THE WIRE HOUSING AND CONVOLUTED TUBING FROM RUBBING THE HEATER VALVE CREATING A SHORT TO THE HEATER VALVE WHICH IS SPECULATED TO HAVE STARTED THE FIRE. THE FIRE THEN BREACHED THE FIRE WALL THROUGH THE ENGINE ACCESS COVER LOCATED IN THE CENTER OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WHERE THE SMOKE WAS SEEN BY THE DRIVER. MULTIPLE BUSES IN THE NORTH CAROLINA FLEET OF THE SAME YEAR RANGE HAVE BEEN INSPECTED AND SIMILAR WIRE CHAFFING HAS BEEN DISCOVERED, HOWEVER AT THIS POINT NO ADDITIONAL FIRES HAVE OCCURRED. THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE FLEET IS CURRENTLY BEING INSPECTED BY THE LOCAL AGENCIES OPERATING THE BUSES TO HOPEFULLY PREVENT FURTHER CHAFFING UNTIL AN ACTUAL FIRE ORIGINATION IS CONFIRMED. UPDATED 02/27/12 *BF THE LIKELY CAUSE OF THE FIRE WAS THE RUBBING OF THE INTAKE HEATER WIRE AGAINST THE METALLIC HEATER SHUT OFF VALVE. OVERTIME, THE TUBING WAS DESTROYED AND THE WIRE COVERING WAS RUBBED THROUGH ITS CORE, POSSIBLY CAUSING A SHORT AND SUBSEQUENT FIRE. UPDATED 03/21/12 *TR

1. RADIATOR TANK CRIMP FAILURE. EXCESSIVE CORROSION DUE TO UNDETERMINED ORIGIN CAUSED TANK CRIMPS TO RUST TO THE POINT OF FAILURE. VEHICLE WAS KEPT CLEAN AND DRY. CRIMPS CANNOT BE SEEN VIA NORMAL WALK AROUND INSPECTION. FAILURE CAUSES TOTAL LOSS OF COOLANT. 2. TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE. CORROSION ON "J" CONNECTORS BETWEEN TRANSMISSION AND ENGINE CAUSED SHORT AND FAILURE OF NON PROTECTED TCM. TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT. DISPLAY INDICATED "TCM FAILURE". CONNECTORS CANNOT BE SEEN VIA NORMAL WALK AROUND INSPECTION. TCM IS NOT PROTECTED FROM SHORTS. 3. ENGINE BLOW- BYE. OIL BLOW-BYE IS EJECTED FROM THE ENGINE DIRECTLY ONTO THE ENGINE SIDE OF THE RADIATOR THEREBY CAUSING THE RADIATOR FINS TO CLOG AND PREVENT ENGINE COOLING. FREIGHTLINER KIT TO FIX ISSUE HAS NOT BEEN PUBLICIZED, BUT WAS MADE STANDARD ON SUBSEQUENT MODEL YEARS. ENGINE SIDE OF RADIATOR CANNOT BE SEEN VIA NORMAL WALK AROUND INSPECTION. *TR

IN HAVE TRIED TO LOOK AT EVERYTHING THE TURNING SIGNAL WORKS GOOD UNTIL U GET ON THE ROAD THEN QUITS BLINKING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FREIGHTLINER MOTORHOME. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN THE RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 07V584000 (STEERING:GEAR BOX:SHAFT PITMAN). THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS NECESSARY TO REMEDY THE FAILURE WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO NOTIFY THE MANUFACTURER, BUT THE MANUFACTURER WOULD NOT RETURN ANY PHONE CALLS. THE PARTS HAD BEEN UNAVAILABLE FOR APPROXIMATELY EIGHT MONTHS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 18,000. UPDATED 03/05/12*LJ THE CONSUMER PUT A LINE THROUGH THE YEAR 2004 AND STATED THE MOTOR HOME IS A 2005. HOWEVER, THE VIN HE SUPPLIED STATED THE YEAR IS A 2004. UPDATED 03/06/12

THE SPRING IN THE PARKING BRAKE CHAMBER FAILED, BROKE IN 3 PLACES. THEN PUNCTURED THE DIAPHRAGM CAUSING A MAJOR AIR LEAK, THE TRUCK IS EQUIPPED WITH FOUR SPRING BRAKE CHAMBERS, 3 OUT OF THE FOUR SPRINGS WERE BROKEN, THE CHAMBER THAT THE SPRING WAS NOT BROKEN WAS INSTALLED A FEW WEEKS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. WHEN THE AIR PRESSURE DROPPED TO 55 LBS, THAT CHAMBER STARTED TO APPLY THE PARKING BRAKE, THE TRUCK WAS OPERATING ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, AT 65 MPH, THE DRIVER DID NOT FEEL ONE WHEEL DRAGGING AND OPERATED THE VEHICLE UNTIL THE WHEEL GOT SO HOT THE TIRE BLEW, THE DRIVER HEARD THE TIRE BLOW,AND PULLED OVER, WHEN HE GO OUT OF THE TRUCK, THE SECOND TIRE BLEW, AND THE TRUCK STARTED ON FIRE, THE TRUCK BURNED AN WAS A TOTAL LOSS.