RecallMyCar

Freightliner Sterling Recalls & Complaints by Model Year

NHTSA lists 5 safety recalls and 2 owner complaints across 7 model years of the Freightliner Sterling (1997–2004). The most-complained-about year is 1999.

5
safety recalls, all years
2
owner complaints, all years
2000
year with most recalls
1999
year with most complaints

Pick your Freightliner Sterling model year

Model yearRecallsComplaints
2004 Freightliner Sterling10
2002 Freightliner Sterling01
2001 Freightliner Sterling10
2000 Freightliner Sterling40
1999 Freightliner Sterling11
1998 Freightliner Sterling10
1997 Freightliner Sterling10

What Freightliner Sterling owners complain about

Across all model years, owners have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA. The 1999 model year has the most, with 1.

All Freightliner Sterling recalls (5)

Every NHTSA safety campaign that lists a Freightliner Sterling, most recent first, with the model years each one covers.

  1. Suspension

    NHTSA 05V284000 Reported 634 vehicles potentially affected FREIGHTLINER LLC

    Certain freightliner trucks and thomas school buses equipped with holland/neway air suspension systems, a transverse beam casting may fracture under normal loads. If a casting breaks when the vehicle is traveling on a roadway there is the potential for pieces of the casting to become projectiles and the suspension's transverse beam may…

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the defective transverse beam assemblies. The recall began for thomas built owners on february 10, 2006; and for freightliner owners on april 14, 2006. Owners may contact freightliner…

    Model years: 2004

  2. Fifth wheel assembly (trailer hitches)

    NHTSA 03V227000 Reported 2,000 vehicles potentially affected FREIGHTLINER CORPORATION

    On certain truck tractors equipped with jost international jsk 37u series fifth wheels, a fatigue crack can develop in the bracket pin weld under certain loading conditions.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the bracket pins and repair instructions free of charge. Owner notification began november 12, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not…

    Model years: 2000

  3. Service brakes, air: controls, pedals and linkages

    NHTSA 01V189001 Reported 4,400 vehicles potentially affected FREIGHTLINER CORPORATION

    Vehicle description: vehicles equipped with certain haldex brake system two and four port relay valves. The valve may stick open when a high-pressure application is released.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace these valves. Owner notification began october 17, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable…

    Model years: 2000, 2001

  4. Suspension

    NHTSA 01V167002 Reported 222 vehicles potentially affected FREIGHTLINER CORPORATION

    Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with chalmers 1000 and 800 series suspension kits. These suspension kits may have insufficient penetration of the weld attaching the torque rod eye to the torque rod tube.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace all chalmers fixed torque rods on these vehicles. Owner notification began march 14, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive…

    Model years: 2000

  5. Antilock (service brakes)

    NHTSA 00V232002 Reported 35,405 vehicles potentially affected FREIGHTLINER CORPORATION

    Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks and school bus chassis built with bendix air ABS with an ec-17 1030r electronic control unit (ECU), there have been reports of unwanted ABS activation at low speeds caused by 1) chafed ABS wheel speed sensor wires on rotating parts or 2) a damaged component at the wheel end that generates a certain…

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the ABS ECU.

    Model years: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000

Other Freightliner models

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.