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2006 Sterling Acterra Recalls, Complaints & Specs

7 safety recalls list the 2006 Sterling Acterra, and owners have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.

7
safety recalls
2
owner complaints to NHTSA
2 / 0
complaints citing a crash / fire

7 safety recalls for the 2006 Sterling Acterra

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

  1. Reservoir/tank (service brakes)

    NHTSA 19V370000 Reported 741 vehicles potentially affected Daimler Trucks North America LLC

    Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2004-2019 Freightliner 108SD, 114SD, 122SD, Cascadia, Columbia, Classic, FL80, FLD 120SD, Business Class M2, Western Star 4700, 4900, 6900, Sterling Acterra, L7500, LT7500, L8500, LT8500, L9500, and LT9500 vehicles. The vehicles may have an insufficient service brake air…

    Remedy: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will add air reservoir capacity to the affected vehicles. Owner letters were mailed on November 29, 2021. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number…

  2. Engine (engine and engine cooling)

    NHTSA 11V455000 Reported 43 vehicles potentially affected DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA

    Daimler trucks north america is recalling certain model year 2005 through 2012 freightliner m2, sterling acterra, 7500 & 8500, and thomas built hdx vehicles manufactured from june 23, 2004, through march 15, 2011, equipped with specific mbe900 epa04 and epa07 model engines. The intake air grid heater may short circuit and fail due to…

    Remedy: Daimler trucks will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. Repairs will be performed by detroit diesel corporation authorized repair facilities. The safety recall began on september 12,…

  3. Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings (fuel system)

    NHTSA 08V668000 Reported 24,650 vehicles potentially affected DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA

    Daimler trucks north america (dtna) is recalling 24,650 school and non-school buses, motor home chassis, and trucks manufactured from march 9, 2004 through august 18, 2006, equipped with epa04 certified mbe900 engines, manufactured by detroit diesel between march 1, 2004, and july 31, 2006. The high pressure fuel lines and transfer…

    Remedy: Detroit diesel will notify owners and the vehicles will be repaired with more robust lines and vibration dampers free of charge. Repairs will be performed by authorized detroit diesel distributorships. The recall began…

  4. Axle assembly (power train)

    NHTSA 08V137000 Reported 28,764 vehicles potentially affected DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA

    Daimler trucks is recalling 28,764 my 2001 through 2008 fccc b2 and fs65 school bus chassis, fccc fb65 conventional buses, and sterling acterra, freightliner fln, and business class m2 heavy trucks, built from january 26, 2000, through march 24, 2008, manufactured with arvinmeritor or axle alliance company 6,000 through 8,000 pound…

    Remedy: Daimler trucks will notify owners and will repair the vehicles free of charge. The recall began on january 8, 2009. Owners may contact daimler trucks at 1-800-547-0712.

  5. Fifth wheel assembly (trailer hitches)

    NHTSA 07V530000 Reported 38,000 vehicles potentially affected FREIGHTLINER LLC

    On certain truck-tractors equipped with holland simplex se or se ii fifth wheels, the latch lever pivot bolt assembly may have been over-tightened which could distort the pivot bolt spacer sleeve. Corrosion or contaminates in the pivot may cause it to bind and prevent the fifth wheel jaw from latching securely around the trailer king pin.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the pivot bolt and sleeve with a hex head shoulder bolt and washer. The recall began on january 3, 2008. Owners may contact freightliner at 1-800-547-0712.

  6. Check valve (service brakes)

    NHTSA 07V302000 Reported 75,000 vehicles potentially affected FREIGHTLINER LLC

    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,…

  7. Motor (visibility)

    NHTSA 05V550000 Reported 1,819 vehicles potentially affected FREIGHTLINER LLC

    On certain trucks equipped with visteon windshield wipers, the motor may have been produced without grease applied to the output shaft gear.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect the wiper motor for the presence of grease and grease the wiper motor gears if necessary. The recall began on february 13, 2006. Owners may contact freightliner at 1-800-547-0712.

2 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 2006 Sterling Acterra have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA; 2 describe a crash. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 141,604 miles. Complaints peaked in 2008 with 2 filed that year.

Most-reported components

What owners are reporting

“Tl*the contact owns a 2006 sterling acterra. While backing the vehicle into the garage, the contact placed the vehicle into drive and it accelerated, but would not stop. The accelerator pedal was stuc”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, February 26, 2008 · Vehicle speed control

“Tl*the contact owns a 2006 sterling acterra. The contact shifted into drive and, when he depressed the accelerator pedal, it became stuck. He depressed the brake pedal as hard as possible, but the veh”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, January 29, 2008 · Vehicle speed control

Compare Sterling Acterra model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Sterling Acterra model year in NHTSA's database.

Model yearRecallsComplaints
1994 Sterling Acterra10
1995 Sterling Acterra10
1996 Sterling Acterra10
1997 Sterling Acterra20
1998 Sterling Acterra40
1999 Sterling Acterra70
2000 Sterling Acterra170
2001 Sterling Acterra110
2002 Sterling Acterra61
2003 Sterling Acterra42
2004 Sterling Acterra50
2005 Sterling Acterra61
2006 Sterling Acterra72
2007 Sterling Acterra110
2008 Sterling Acterra131
2009 Sterling Acterra60
2010 Sterling Acterra50
2011 Sterling Acterra10
2012 Sterling Acterra10

Checking a specific 2006 Sterling Acterra

How do I know if my 2006 Sterling Acterra 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. 7 campaigns currently list the 2006 Sterling Acterra; 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 Sterling dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 05V550000).

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 Sterling 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.