Freightliner Trailer Hitches

Freightliner is recalling about 1,500 vehicles over a problem with the trailer hitches.

Campaign
80V031000
Manufacturer
FREIGHTLINER CORP.
Reported
21 March 1980
Vehicles
1,500
Built between
Jun 1979 – Feb 1980
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
23 July 1980
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between June 1979 and February 1980. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1973-1980 Freightliner FreightlinerBuilt June 1979 to February 1980

What the defect is

Cracks may develop in the truck"s rear towing crossmember which supports the trailer hitch and to which the safety cables are attached. Should these cracks progress to the point of complete separation, the crossmember and the trailer could become detached from the truck.

What gets fixed

DEALER WILL REPLACE THE "A" FRAMES AND ANY OTHER DAMAGED PARTS AT NO CHARGE TO OWNER.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtJune 1979 to February 1980
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA21 March 1980
  3. Owners notified23 July 1980

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 21 March 1980.

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.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
FREIGHTLINER CORP.
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

Vehicle description: trucks equipped with a rear towing crossmember and "a"frame assembly.system: structure; rear towing crossmember.consequences of defect: trailer detachment can occur without prior warning,resulting in a vehicle accident.

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