2001 Freightliner Columbia

Routine

Owners filed 3 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the service brakes, air › antilock. It has been recalled 1 time.

What fails

Component	Reports	Crashes	Injuries
Trailer Hitches	1	1	0
Steering › Gear Box (other Than Rack and Pinion)	1	1	2
Service Brakes, Air › Antilock	1	0	0

1 safety recall

Part 573 reports

Suspension › Front › Hub03V112000

Filed Mar 21, 20035,716 vehiclesFreightliner Corporation

Defect. ON CERTAIN TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH TRUCK HUB UNITS MANUFACTURED BY SKF EXCLUSIVELY FOR USE ON ARVINMERITOR'S FF98X SERIES NON-DRIVE STEER AXLES, THE HUB UNIT BEARINGS CAN WEAR PREMATURELY.

Risk. SEIZURE OF THE BEARINGS CAN CAUSE WHEEL SEPARATION OR WHEEL END FIRE.

Remedy. DEALERS WILL REPLACE BOTH FRONT HUBS. OWNER NOTIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE SEPTEMBER 20, 2003. 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 TIME SHOULD CONTACT FREIGHTLINER AT 1-800-547-0712.

What owners reported

Newest filings

Trailer HitchesCrash

Filed Mar 7, 2011IN

2001 FREIGHTLINER COLUMBIA CLASS, UNIT 1 TRAILER BECAME DISCONNECTED. UNIT 1 TRAILER STRUCK THE POWER UNIT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO STOP. UNIT 1 POWER UNIT AND TRAILER CAME TO REST IN THE RIGHT LANE. *BF UPDATED 03/21/11 *BF (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT # 10-0047-90) *JB

Steering › Gear Box (other Than Rack and Pinion)Crash2 injured

Filed Jun 12, 2002MO

WE HAVE EXPERIENCED 5 SIMILAR STEERING GEAR BOX FAILURES ON OUR 2001 FREIGHTLINER COLUMBIA TRUCKS. IN EACH FAILURE THE TRUCK WOULD NOT TURN. NO ACCIDENTS OCCURRED IN FAILURES #2 - #5.ON 12/20/01 OUR 2ND FAILURE, [XXX] AT 170780 MILES, UNIT 3657.ON 04/01/02 OUR 3RD FAILURE, [XXX] AT 238661 MILES, UNIT 3725. ON 6-11-02 OUR 4TH & 5TH FAILURES, [XXX] AT 195001 MILES, UNIT 3747 AND #5 WAS [XXX] AT 305185 MILES UNIT 3634.*AK INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

Service Brakes, Air › Antilock

Filed Nov 6, 2000VA

DEFECTIVE BRAKE (AXLE FIVE LEFT SIDE, PUSH ROD TRAVEL IS 1/4 INCH), BRAKE SHOES FAILE TO MOVE. NLM

3 of 3 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2005

Year	Complaints	Recalls	Fires	Deaths	Assessment
2021	0	1	0	0	Routine
2020	0	2	0	0	Routine
2019	0	3	0	0	Routine
2018	0	2	0	0	Routine
2017	0	3	0	0	Routine
2016	0	3	0	0	Routine
2015	0	3	0	0	Routine
2014	0	5	0	0	Routine
2013	0	5	0	0	Routine
2012	0	6	0	0	Routine
2011	0	13	0	0	Routine
2010	1	18	0	0	Routine
2009	2	20	0	0	Routine
2008	1	30	0	0	Routine
2007	11	27	1	0	Routine
2006	14	21	2	0	Routine
2005	38	14	2	0	Routine
2004	13	10	2	2	Fatalities reported
2003	10	5	0	0	Routine
2002	2	3	1	0	Routine
2001 — this page	3	1	0	0	Routine
2000	1	3	0	0	Routine
1999	0	2	0	0	Routine
1998	0	2	0	0	Routine
1997	0	1	0	0	Routine

Compare every Columbia year →

Other Freightliner models

All Freightliner models →

Cascadia 250 Freightliner 129 Conventional 73 Business Class M2 54 Century 53 Sprinter 2500 49 FL-70 39 FS-65 33 M2 30 FLD120 29

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Mar 21, 2003. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.