Daimler Trucks North America: Engine and Engine Cooling
Daimler Trucks North America reported this defect to federal regulators on Oct 8, 2009 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 18,067. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
DAIMLER TRUCKS IS RECALLING MODEL YEAR 2007-2010 FREIGHTLINER, STERLING AND WESTERN STAR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH DETROIT DIESEL DD15 EPA07 ENGINES WHICH WERE MANUFACTURED WITH GRID HEATERS. INCREASED INTERNAL GRID HEATER RESISTANCE CAUSED BY IMPROPERLY TIGHTENED SCREWS MAY MELT THE SOLDER ON THE GRID HEATER CIRCUIT BOARD LEADING TO A SHORT CIRCUIT.
The risk
A SHORT-CIRCUITED GRID HEATER COULD RESULT IN A VEHICLE FIRE AND INJURY TO VEHICLE OCCUPANTS.
The remedy
THE ENGINE CONTROL LOGIC WILL BE REPROGRAMMED FREE OF CHARGE BY DETROIT DIESEL AUTHORIZED REPAIR FACILITIES AND DIRECT WARRANTY CUSTOMERS TO PROVIDE COLD WEATHER STARTING WITHOUT THE NEED OF A GRID HEATER. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 4, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DETROIT DIESEL AT 1-313-592-5800 AND DAIMLER TRUCKS AT 1-800-547-0712.
24 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 Freightliner Cascadia | 12 | 23 | 1 | 1 |
| 2010 Freightliner Century | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 Freightliner Columbia | 1 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 Sterling 8500 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 Sterling 9500 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 Western Star 4900 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 Freightliner Cascadia | 19 | 24 | 3 | 0 |
| 2009 Freightliner Century | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 Freightliner Columbia | 2 | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 Sterling 8500 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 Sterling 9500 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 Western Star 4900 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 Freightliner Cascadia | 8 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 Freightliner Century | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 Freightliner Columbia | 1 | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 Sterling 8500 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 Sterling 9500 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 Western Star 4900 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 Freightliner Cascadia | 1 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 Freightliner Century | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 Freightliner Columbia | 11 | 27 | 1 | 0 |
| 2007 Sterling 8500 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 Sterling 9500 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 Western Star 4900 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 09V400000.
Full record for the 2010 Freightliner Cascadia → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →