- Vehicles
- 195
- Built between
- Apr 1981 – May 1981
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 9 December 1981
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between April 1981 and May 1981. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1981 Freightliner FreightlinerBuilt April 1981 to May 1981
What the defect is
The four bolts used to attach each fuel tank support bracket to the frame contain "quench cracks" due to improper heat treatment in the manufacturing process. These defective bolts could give way, allowing the fuel tank to become dislodged from the bracket or the bracket from the frame.
What gets fixed
ALL BOLTS AND NUTS USED TO ATTACH THE FUEL TANK BRACKETS TO THE FRAMES WILL BE REPLACED AT NO CHARGE TO OWNER.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtApril 1981 to May 1981
- Recall reported to NHTSA1 September 1981
- Owners notified9 December 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 1 September 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: trucks.system: fuel; fuel tank bracket bolts.consequences of defect: the possibility exists for the hanging tank to contactthe tires of the drive axle and disrupt proper control of the vehicle. Thepossibility also exists for the dislodged tank to slide into a traffic lane,presenting a hazard to other drivers. An accident could occur in either case.
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.