Freightliner Trailer Hitches: Fifth Wheel Assembly

Freightliner is recalling about 5,801 vehicles over a problem with the trailer hitches. If the fifth wheel and locking mechanism are sufficiently damaged, the locking mechanism may fail to operate as intended and the trailer may unexpectedly detach from the tractor, increasing the risk of a crash.

Campaign
15V616000
Manufacturer
Daimler Trucks North America LLC
Reported
1 October 2015
Vehicles
5,801
Built between
Apr 2010 – Jun 2013
Models
4
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
20 November 2015
Repaired
27%
Unrepaired
4,247

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between April 2010 and June 2013. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2011-2014 Freightliner Business Class M2Built April 2010 to June 2013
  • 2011-2014 Freightliner CascadiaBuilt April 2010 to June 2013
  • 2011-2014 Freightliner Columbia GliderBuilt April 2010 to June 2013
  • 2011-2014 Freightliner CoronadoBuilt April 2010 to June 2013

Repair progress

4,247 of 5,801 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q1 2017.

27% repaired — 1,554 of 5,801 reported

Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.

What the defect is

Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Cascadia, Business Class M2, Coronado, and Columbia Glider vehicles manufactured April 5, 2010, to June 15, 2013. The affected trucks are equipped with Fontaine Ultra LT Fifth Wheel connectors, which, due to cumulative damage to the fifth wheel and its locking mechanism, have a locking mechanism that may fail to operate or to properly engage.

What could happen

If the fifth wheel and locking mechanism are sufficiently damaged, the locking mechanism may fail to operate as intended and the trailer may unexpectedly detach from the tractor, increasing the risk of a crash.

What gets fixed

DTNA will notify owners, and DTNA authorized service facilities will replace the fifth wheel with an Ultra NT model fifth wheel, free of charge. The recall began on November 20, 2015.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtApril 2010 to June 2013
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA1 October 2015
  3. Owners notified20 November 2015
  4. Latest repair reportQ1 2017 — 27% repaired

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 1 October 2015.

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 DTNA customer service at 1-800-745-8000. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-692.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
FL-692
Recalling manufacturer
Daimler Trucks North America 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

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to 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.

Same component

Same brand