- Vehicles
- 16,000
- Built between
- Jul 1999 – Dec 1999
- Models
- 19
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 22 May 2001
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between July 1999 and December 1999. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1999 Freightliner ArgosyBuilt July 1999 to December 1999
- 1999 Freightliner CargoBuilt July 1999 to December 1999
- 1999 Freightliner CenturyBuilt July 1999 to December 1999
- 1999 Freightliner FLBBuilt July 1999 to December 1999
- 1999 Freightliner FLDBuilt July 1999 to December 1999
- 1999 Freightliner FLNBuilt July 1999 to December 1999
- 1999 Freightliner FS-65Built July 1999 to December 1999
- 1999 Freightliner S112Built July 1999 to December 1999
- 1999 Freightliner XCBuilt July 1999 to December 1999
- 1999 Orion IIBuilt July 1999 to December 1999
- 1999 Orion VBuilt July 1999 to December 1999
- 1999 Sterling A LineBuilt July 1999 to December 1999
- 1999 Sterling CargoBuilt July 1999 to December 1999
- 1999 Sterling L LineBuilt July 1999 to December 1999
- 1999 Thomas MVP EFBuilt July 1999 to December 1999
- 1999 Thomas MVP ERBuilt July 1999 to December 1999
- 1999 Thomas Built Buses Transit Liner ERBuilt July 1999 to December 1999
- 1999 Western Star ConstellationBuilt July 1999 to December 1999
- 1999 Western Star HeritageBuilt July 1999 to December 1999
What the defect is
Vehicle description: trucks, school bus and motor home chassis, and transit buses equipped with tie rod assemblies manufactured by trw. The suspect tie rods contain 24-DL model ball sockets. Certain of the tie rod ball-socket bearings have a below-specification case depth and/or hardness, which can lead to premature wear of the socket.
What could happen
If this condition occurs, the driver can lose partial control of the right front wheel, possibly resulting in a crash.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE BALL SOCKETS AND/OR DRAG LINKS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MAY 22, 2001.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJuly 1999 to December 1999
- Recall reported to NHTSA21 February 2001
- Owners notified22 May 2001
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 21 February 2001.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Manufacturer contact
Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact freightliner at 1-800-547-0712 or trw customer service at 1-866-280-3287.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- FL-284
- Recalling manufacturer
- FREIGHTLINER CORPORATION
- Recall initiated by
- MFR
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
Also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.