Mack R Series Recalls & Complaints by Model Year

NHTSA lists 18 safety recalls and 1 owner complaint across 20 model years of the Mack R Series (1968–1989). The most-complained-about year is 1984.

Pick your Mack R Series model year

• 1968
• 1969
• 1970
• 1971
• 1972
• 1973
• 1974
• 1975
• 1976
• 1977
• 1978
• 1979
• 1980
• 1981
• 1982
• 1983
• 1984
• 1987
• 1988
• 1989

What Mack R Series owners complain about

Across all model years, owners have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA. The 1984 model year has the most, with 1.

• Power train: driveshaft1

All Mack R Series recalls (18)

Every NHTSA safety campaign that lists a Mack R Series, most recent first, with the model years each one covers.

1. Steering wheel/handle bar (steering)

   NHTSA 89V086000 Reported May 22, 1989 16,000 vehicles potentially affected MACK TRUCKS, INCORPORATED

   Steering wheel retaining nuts may have been improperly installed and/or torqued.

   Remedy: Renew and retorque steering wheel retaining nuts.

   Model years: 1988, 1989

2. Suspension: front

   NHTSA 89V079000 Reported May 15, 1989 100 vehicles potentially affected MACK TRUCKS, INCORPORATED

   Torque rod bolts are grade 2 instead of grade 5, which is not to specification, and could fail.

   Remedy: Replace torque rod bolts with bolts of the proper specification.

   Model years: 1989

3. Hose, piping, and connections (steering)

   NHTSA 89V032000 Reported March 3, 1989 3,127 vehicles potentially affected MACK TRUCKS, INCORPORATED

   An incorrect high pressure power steering hose may have been installed.

   Remedy: Replace incorrect power steering hoses.

   Model years: 1987, 1988

4. Storage (fuel system)

   NHTSA 88V162000 Reported October 18, 1988 5,098 vehicles potentially affected MACK TRUCKS, INCORPORATED

   There may be insufficient weld where the step is welded to the fuel tank.

   Remedy: Replace fuel tank steps with cracks; modify others to prevent step from separating from the tank.

   Model years: 1987, 1988

5. Engine (engine and engine cooling)

   NHTSA 88V161000 Reported October 18, 1988 408 vehicles potentially affected MACK TRUCKS, INCORPORATED

   Certain engine support castings were produced with faulty metallurgy and could fail.

   Remedy: Replace rear engine supports as necessary.

   Model years: 1988

6. Wheels

   NHTSA 88V153000 Reported September 27, 1988 19 vehicles potentially affected MACK TRUCKS, INCORPORATED

   Fasteners that hold the rear wheel to the hub and drum assembly may be improperly torqued.

   Remedy: Properly torque rear wheel space fasteners.

   Model years: 1987

7. Linkages (steering)

   NHTSA 88V125000 Reported July 27, 1988 6,400 vehicles potentially affected MACK TRUCKS, INCORPORATED

   Some of the nuts/bolts used to fasten the steering pitman arm may loosen.

   Remedy: Retorque nuts/bolts where necessary.

   Model years: 1988

8. Center support bearing (power train)

   NHTSA 88V085000 Reported May 23, 1988 203 vehicles potentially affected MACK TRUCKS, INCORPORATED

   Clamp plates used between the drive shaft and carrier yokes may crack and could break due to improper heat treatment.

   Remedy: Install new clamping plates and capscrews in all locations as needed.

   Model years: 1988

9. Cables (vehicle speed control)

   NHTSA 86V007000 Reported January 17, 1986 26,760 vehicles potentially affected MACK TRUCKS, INCORPORATED

   The accelerator rod hole clearance is not adequate and can cause the accelerator linkage to bind. Consequence of defect: if binding occurs while in a full throttle position, accelerator control would be lost without warning and an accident could occur.

   Remedy: Enlarge the accelerator rod hole to eliminate interference within accelerator linkage.

   Model years: 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984

10. Leaf spring assembly (suspension)

    NHTSA 84V036000 Reported March 23, 1984 3,421 vehicles potentially affected MACK TRUCKS, INCORPORATED

    Spring seat can deform, which causes a decrease in the clamping force in the suspension assembly. Loss of clamping force may bring about axle misalignment or axle housing failure.

    Remedy: The axle housing will be inspected and replaced, if necessary. The spring seats will also be replaced.

    Model years: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982

11. Steering wheel/handle bar (steering)

    NHTSA 84V033000 Reported March 22, 1984 4,393 vehicles potentially affected MACK TRUCKS, INCORPORATED

    Improper steering clamp bolts and torque applied during installation. The bolt could fail, allowing the steering yoke to become loose.

    Remedy: Inspection and, if necessary, installation of proper steering shaft clamp bolts tightened to specifications.

    Model years: 1983, 1984

12. Exterior lighting

    NHTSA 81V153000 Reported December 29, 1981 209 vehicles potentially affected MACK TRUCKS, INCORPORATED

    The right hand clearance lamp is obscured, from certain angles of vision, by the in-line precleaner air cleaner cap. The involved vehicles fail to conform to federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment".

    Remedy: Dealer will replace the air cleaner with one of acceptable height.

    Model years: 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981

13. Shaft pitman (steering)

    NHTSA 81V155000 Reported December 29, 1981 225 vehicles potentially affected MACK TRUCKS, INCORPORATED

    The pitman arm retaining bolt may not have been tightened to the required specifications due to a design change. Inadequate retention of the bolt to the output shaft could allow the pitman arm to loosen.

    Remedy: The dealer will inspect and, if necessary, retorque the retaining bolt to proper specifications at no charge.

    Model years: 1981

14. Hand control/valve (service brakes)

    NHTSA 81V088000 Reported July 8, 1981 10,000 vehicles potentially affected MACK TRUCKS, INCORPORATED

    The retaining pin for the brake control knob has been misaligned (off the center line of the valve plunger hole). This causes the knob to be overstressed at the retaining pin hole area causing it to separate from the valve.

    Remedy: The holes will be retooled to provide correct alignment and plastic knobs will be replaced by knobs of stronger material having metal reinforcements.

    Model years: 1979, 1980

15. Steering wheel/handle bar (steering)

    NHTSA 80V162000 Reported December 10, 1980 1,524 vehicles potentially affected MACK TRUCKS, INCORPORATED

    The weld on the upper steering shaft where the female spline connects to the tube assembly may have been incorrectly positioned and actually missed the seam.

    Remedy: The dealer will inspect and, if necessary, replace the affected shaft with one that has been properly welded, at no charge.

    Model years: 1980

16. Arm (steering)

    NHTSA 80V053000 Reported May 6, 1980 219 vehicles potentially affected MACK TRUCKS, INCORPORATED

    The steering arm may develop cracks due to insufficient fatigue life in the machine radius of the taper at the steering knuckle end.

    Remedy: Install steering arms that have been magna-flux inspected for cracks and shot peened for improved fatigue life. This will be done without charge.

    Model years: 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976

17. Gear box (other than rack and pinion) (steering)

    NHTSA 80V054000 Reported May 6, 1980 109 vehicles potentially affected MACK TRUCKS, INCORPORATED

    The prefabricated pinch bolt clamp at the lower steering shaft lower yoke may not perform adequately when tightened to specifications. The clamp may then deform and loss of clamping force and steering shaft disengagement may result.

    Remedy: Dealer will retrofit with lower steering shaft lower yokes that provide for integral pinch bolt installation in place of previous separately fabricated clamp for the pinch bolt.

    Model years: 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980

18. Air (parking brake)

    NHTSA 80V052000 Reported May 6, 1980 9,666 vehicles potentially affected MACK TRUCKS, INCORPORATED

    On certain vehicles, the knob that operates the tractor park valve may break off, rendering the valve inoperable.

    Remedy: Defective knobs will be replaced with an improved type, without charge to owner.

    Model years: 1979, 1980

Other Mack models

• Mack28 complaints
• Anthem (an)12 complaints
• Granite (gr)9 complaints
• CXU6127 complaints
• Ch6 complaints
• Gu6 complaints
• CH6005 complaints
• Cxu5 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.