Freightliner Power Train: Axle Assembly

Freightliner is recalling about 698 vehicles over a problem with the power train. If output shaft fractures while descending a grade, the compression braking will be ineffective.

Campaign
17V315000
Manufacturer
Daimler Trucks North America LLC
Reported
11 May 2017
Vehicles
698
Built between
May 2016 – Apr 2017
Models
2
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
7 July 2017
Repaired
77%
Unrepaired
164

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between May 2016 and April 2017. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2017 Freightliner CascadiaBuilt May 2016 to April 2017
  • 2017 Western Star 5700Built May 2016 to April 2017

Repair progress

164 of 698 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q4 2018.

77% repaired — 534 of 698 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 2017 Freightliner Cascadia and Western Star 5700 trucks built with NFD tandem rear axles. During the hardening process, the axle assembly output shaft may have been made brittle, possibly resulting in the output shaft fracturing while the vehicle is in use.

What could happen

If output shaft fractures while descending a grade, the compression braking will be ineffective. Additionally, large debris may land in the road. Both scenarios increase the risk of a crash.

What gets fixed

DTNA will notify the owners, and Detroit Axle dealers will replace the output shaft, free of charge. The recall began on July 7, 2017.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtMay 2016 to April 2017
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA11 May 2017
  3. Owners notified7 July 2017
  4. Latest repair reportQ4 2018 — 77% 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 11 May 2017.

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 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-738.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
FL-738
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