- Vehicles
- 2,601
- Built between
- Oct 2007 – Nov 2008
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 12 May 2017
- Repaired
- 48%
- Unrepaired
- 1,357
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between October 2007 and November 2008. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2008-2009 Sterling Bullet 4500Built October 2007 to November 2008
- 2008-2009 Sterling Bullet 5500Built October 2007 to November 2008
Repair progress
1,357 of 2,596 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q1 2019.
48% repaired — 1,239 of 2,596 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 of North America (DTNA) is recalling certain model year 2008-2009 Sterling Bullet 4500 and 5500 chassis cab vehicles manufactured October 15, 2007, through November 10, 2008. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. These inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity, high temperatures, and temperature cycling.
What could happen
An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
What gets fixed
Sterling will notify the owners and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. An interim letter was mailed to owners on July 22, 2016. The remedy is now available. Notification was mailed to owners on May 12, 2017.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtOctober 2007 to November 2008
- Recall reported to NHTSA9 June 2016
- Owners notified12 May 2017
- Latest repair reportQ1 2019 — 48% 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 9 June 2016.
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 Sterling customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-714.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- FL-714
- Recalling manufacturer
- Daimler Trucks North America LLC
- Recall initiated by
- ODI
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.