Freightliner Service Brakes, Air: Check Valve

Freightliner is recalling about 5,176 vehicles over a problem with the service brakes, air. Bolts torqued below specification will not reliably prevent air leakage at the affected ABS valve package interface joints once the component begins normal vehicle operation.

Campaign
02V018002
Manufacturer
FREIGHTLINER CORPORATION
Reported
22 January 2002
Vehicles
5,176
Built between
Not published
Models
5
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
4 April 2002
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

The manufacturer did not publish a build-date range for this recall, so the model and year list below is the only way to tell whether your vehicle is covered.

  • 2001 Freightliner Business Class
  • 2001 Freightliner Century
  • 2001 Freightliner FLD
  • 2001 Sterling Acterra
  • 2001 Sterling Sterling

What the defect is

On certain heavy duty trucks equipped with meritor wabco pneumatic anitlock brake system (ABS) valve packages, the assembly bolts on these valve packages were not tightened correctly.

What could happen

Bolts torqued below specification will not reliably prevent air leakage at the affected ABS valve package interface joints once the component begins normal vehicle operation. If air leaks develop at any of the ABS valve package interface joints, brake system pressure reductions could occur during braking or normal operation with units equipped with the traction control option, potentially extending stopping distances, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL TIGHTEN THE FASTENERS TO THE PROPER SPECIFICATION. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN APRIL 4, 2002.

Timeline

  1. Recall reported to NHTSA22 January 2002
  2. Owners notified4 April 2002

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 22 January 2002.

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.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
FL-390
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.

Same component

Same brand