- Vehicles
- 1,333
- Built between
- Sep 1980 – Dec 1980
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 27 July 1981
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between September 1980 and December 1980. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1980 Freightliner FreightlinerBuilt September 1980 to December 1980
What the defect is
On certain vehicles, some cotter pins may be missing at the ball joint connections of the drag link ends and tie rod ends in the lower front axle steering system. Steering joint could separate if the ball stud retaining nut loosens and falls off due to absence of cotter pin.
What gets fixed
STEERING LINKAGE FROM THE FRAME DOWN TO AND INCLUDING THE FRONT AXLE WILL BE INSPECTED. COTTER PINS WILL BE INSTALLED, IF NECESSARY.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtSeptember 1980 to December 1980
- Recall reported to NHTSA10 February 1981
- Owners notified27 July 1981
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 10 February 1981.
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: heavy trucks.system: steering; drag link and tie rod ball joint ends; cotter pins.consequences of defect: driver could experience loss of steering controlwithout warning and an accident could result.note: if any nuts on the front axle linkage are missing, the vehicle should notbe moved.
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.