2004 Freightliner Columbia Recalls, Complaints & Specs
10 safety recalls list the 2004 Freightliner Columbia, and owners have filed 13 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.
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10 safety recalls for the 2004 Freightliner Columbia
Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.
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Equipment
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2002-2017 Freightliner Cascadia, Century Class, Columbia and Coronado trucks and Western Star 4700, 4900, 5700, 5900 and 6900 trucks. These vehicles are equipped with Kidde Plastic-Handle or Push Button 'Pindicator' Fire Extinguishers that may become clogged, preventing the…
Remedy: DTNA will notify owners, and instruct them to contact Kidde for a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall began on April 11, 2018. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712, or…
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Fuel system, diesel
Daimler trucks is recalling certain model year 2004 through 2008 heavy trucks manufactured from july 11, 2003, through september 28, 2007, equipped with epa04 model mbe4000 engines built with plastic low pressure fuel lines and fuel filters mounted near the center of the engine on the left-hand side. The plastic low pressure fuel line…
Remedy: Daimler trucks will notify owners and the remedy will be performed by detroit diesel corporation authorized repair facilities. Vehicles will be inspected and the plastic low pressure fuel line will be replaced with a…
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Engine and engine cooling
Daimler trucks is recalling model year 2004-2010 trucks equipped with caterpillar c15 engine. The variable valve actuation oil line may rub against the p-clips retaining the oil line, causing an oil leak.
Remedy: Daimler trucks is working with caterpillar to remedy these vehicles. Please see caterpillar's defect report 09e-020. Caterpillar will inspect and repair the necessary components free of charge. The recall began on may…
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Check valve (service brakes)
Certain freightliner school bus chassis, heavy trucks, and thomas built school buses manufactured between july 2002 and july 3, 2007, equipped with bendix sr-7 spring brake control valves. The parker scv brass 90 degree single check valves (scv) which attach to the supply port of a bendix sr-7 spring brake modulating valve can break…
Remedy: Freightliner will notify owners and repair the vehicles free of charge. The recall began on january 11, 2008 to freightliner, sterling, and freightliner custom chassis owners; to thomas built bus owners on february 1,…
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Engine and engine cooling
On certain trucks equipped with caterpillar diesel engines, the variable valve actuation oil line may wear against the sharp edge of the cylinder head if not positioned correctly.
Remedy: Caterpillar, in conjunction with freightliner, will be conducting the owner notification and remedy for this campaign free of charge. Owners may call caterpillar at 309-675-6496, or freightliner at 1-800-547-0712.
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Linkages (steering)
On certain truck and motor home chassis equipped with i-shafts supplied by zf heavy duty steering, there is a potential for a failure of the fork/shaft connection.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and attach a tension collar to the steering shaft to secure the connection to the yoke. The recall began on november 16, 2005. Owners may contact freightliner at 1-800-547-0712.
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Hub (wheels)
On certain trucks equipped with 3rd generation conmet aluminum wheels, the drum mounting flange on the conmet truturn brake drum may have been manufactured with a taper from the pilot hole to the barrel of the drum.
Remedy: After further investigation and testing, freightliner has revised the population and the remedy (december 22, 2005). Therefore, the recall began on march 15, 2006. Owners may contact freightliner at 1-800-547-0712.
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Seats
On certain trucks equipped with seats built by gra-mag, the seat pivot bolts can loosen and possibly fracture or dislodge, causing the seat back to fail to provide full support to the driver's back.
Remedy: Dealers will repair these vehicles. The recall began on april 20, 2005. Owners may contact freightliner at 1-800-547-0712.
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Driveline (power train)
On certain vehicles, there is a defect in the interaxle driveline yokes. The bolt holes located on the earwork of the male shaft yokes were manufactured with an oversized minor thread diameter.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the suspect male shaft yokes. The recall began on april 4, 2005. Owners should contact freightliner at 1-800-547-0712.
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Manual transmission (power train)
On certain trucks equipped with manual transmission, the tapered joint that attaches the shifter to the transmission may become loose making it difficult to put the transmission into gear.
Remedy: Dealers will re-secure the shift lever to the transmission using threadlock and re-torquing the fastening bolt. Owner notification began on may 21, 2004. Owners should contact freightliner at 1-800-547-0712.
13 owner complaints filed with NHTSA
Owners of the 2004 Freightliner Columbia have filed 13 complaints with NHTSA; 2 describe a crash and 2 describe a fire. Reports cite 6 injuries and 2 deaths. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 246,365 miles. Complaints peaked in 2006 with 4 filed that year.
Most-reported components
What owners are reporting
“Personal friend/truck driver was driving 2004 freightliner columbia with mercedes engine on interstate highway. Other motorist saw him driving erratically, and called police. Dash camera records him w”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, October 7, 2008 · Engine and engine cooling
“2004 freightliner columbia conventional tire blow out. Consumer stated that when the tire blew out it caused the second trailer to hit a guardrail in two locations. *kb ohio traffic crash report # 10-”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, February 14, 2008 · Tires
Compare Freightliner Columbia model years
Recall and complaint counts for every Freightliner Columbia model year in NHTSA's database.
Checking a specific 2004 Freightliner Columbia
How do I know if my 2004 Freightliner Columbia has an open recall?
Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 10 campaigns currently list the 2004 Freightliner Columbia; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.
Is the recall repair free?
Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Freightliner dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 04V205000).
What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?
A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.
Other Freightliner models
- Cascadia253 complaints
- Freightliner135 complaints
- Conventional76 complaints
- Business Class M254 complaints
- Century53 complaints
- Sprinter 250049 complaints
- FL-7037 complaints
- FS-6533 complaints
Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.