- Vehicles
- 3,500
- Built between
- Feb 2005 – Mar 2005
- Models
- 5
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 21 October 2005
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between February 2005 and March 2005. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2005 Freightliner American LafranceBuilt February 2005 to March 2005
- 2005 Freightliner Century STBuilt February 2005 to March 2005
- 2005 Freightliner ColumbiaBuilt February 2005 to March 2005
- 2005 Freightliner Sterling ActerraBuilt February 2005 to March 2005
- 2005 Freightliner Western StarBuilt February 2005 to March 2005
What the defect is
On certain heavy duty class 8 trucks equipped with accuride aluminum wheels, the wheels were not properly pre-stressed. This allows cracks to develop over time.
What could happen
This may eventually lead to wheel failure and possibly result in a vehicle crash.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WHEELS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 21, 2005.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtFebruary 2005 to March 2005
- Recall reported to NHTSA27 April 2005
- Owners notified21 October 2005
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 27 April 2005.
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 may contact freightliner at 1-800-547-0712.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- FL-448
- Recalling manufacturer
- FREIGHTLINER LLC
- 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
Freightliner recall no. FL-448.CUSTOMERS may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov.
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.