2008 Freightliner Cascadia Recall

On certain trucks equipped with "Fleet Engineer" mud flaps, the bracket for the mud flaps may partially cover the rear reflective tape. Canadian regulations require that reflective tape must be visible on the rear of the truck.

Reflective tape that is covered may make the truck less visible to others and could create an increased risk of a crash.

Daimler Trucks of North America (DTNA) will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your truck to an authorized DTNA Service Facility to inspect the reflective tape. It will be moved as necessary to meet the regulations.

On certain vehicles with air brakes, after several hard brake applications, the brake light pressure switch may not activate the brake lights with a light application of the brake pedal. If the brake lights do not illuminate, following road users would be unaware of the intent of the driver to slow the vehicle, which could increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Daimler Trucks North America authorized service facilities will repair the brake light pressure switch.

A failure of this component (brakes) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles water intrusion could occur, and corrode and damage inside of the Signal-detect and Activation Module (SAM) Chassis. This corrosion could cause electrical shorts or intermittent operation of trailer tail lamps, trailer stop lamps, trailer side marker lamps and trailer lighting. Failure of the stop lamps to illuminate when the brakes are applied may result in following road users being unaware of the driver's intentions, increasing the risk of a crash causing property damage and/or personal injury. Also, under certain conditions, an electrical short in the Chassis SAM could also cause melting in the SAM or other electrical components, which could result in a vehicle fire. Correction: Dealers will inspect the Signal-detect and Activation Module (SAM) Chassis for evidence of corrosion and proper drip loop wire routing, and SAM Chassis damaged by corrosion will be replaced. A drip shield will be mounted inside the cab over the SAM chassis if not previously installed.

A failure of this component (lights and instruments) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain trucks equipped with a Detroit Diesel DD13, DD15 or DD16 engine, the support system for the high pressure fuel line (between the fuel pump and the fuel delivery rail) may be damaged during a service repair procedure. Incorrect torque applied to the dampener "P" clip fasteners may damage the fasteners, which could allow the clips to loosen. This could result in a cracked fuel line and a diesel fuel leak. Diesel fuel leakage may ignite on a hot engine surface and cause a fire. As well, diesel fuel spilt on the roadway could endanger other road users by making the roadway unexpectedly slippery. These issues could result in property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the high pressure fuel line and install a more robust fuel line support system.

A failure of this component (fuel system) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles equipped with an MBE4000 (EPA07) engine, the intake air grid heater may short circuit and fail. This could result in a vehicle fire causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will install an additional external relay to prevent battery connection to the grid heater when the vehicle is not running and when grid heater control signal is absent.

A failure of this component (other) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain trucks equipped with a rack & pinion steering system, the lower pinion bearing may corrode and fail. As a result, the vehicle may require additional steering input while driving in a straight line. This could also cause a loss of steering power assist. These issues could ultimately result in property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will inspect the rack and pinion gear assembly. If it passes the inspection, new bellows will be installed and grease added to the bottom pinion bearing. A steering gear that fails the inspection will be replaced.

A failure of this component (steering) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain trucks, the plastic low-pressure fuel line between the engine-mounted fuel filter and the engine block may develop a diesel fuel leak. The location of the leak is unlikely to result in a vehicle fire; however, diesel fuel spilt on the roadway could endanger other road users by making the roadway unexpectedly slippery. This could ultimately result in a vehicle crash causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the plastic low-pressure fuel line with a steel version.

A failure of this component (fuel system) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles, specific operating conditions (such as tight, successive, highly banked curves in opposite directions), could trigger unintended Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system intervention. As a result, the ESC may unnecessarily apply one of the front brakes in order to correct the perceived oversteer condition. This may cause the vehicle to deviate from the intended path, thereby increasing the risk of a crash causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the ESC module.

A failure of this component (other) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain trucks equipped with a DD15 or DD16 engine, the bolt attaching a rubber isolator to a support bracket may become loose, back out, and contact the starter cable. This could cause an electrical short, which could result in a fire causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will install a new bolt and isolator, and apply thread-locking fluid to the fastener.

A failure of this component (electrical) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles, should the fuel filter become restricted, the low pressure fuel flange may develop a crack resulting in a fuel leak. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire causing property damage, personal injury or death. Correction: Dealers will replace the low pressure fuel flange with a more robust component.

A failure of this component (fuel system) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles, the "LifeGuard RollTek" Advanced Occupant Protection System, designed to provide additional protection to vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle rollover, may not have been properly installed, which could reduce its effectiveness. Reduced effectiveness of the Advanced Occupant Protection System may increase the risk of injury or death in the event of a vehicle rollover. Correction: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, install additional retainers.

A failure of this component (seats and restraints) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles, the engine grid heater may fail, which could result in a vehicle fire causing property damage, personal injury or death. Correction: Dealers will reprogram the engine control logic to provide cold weather starting without the need of a grid heater. Wiring to the grid heater will be removed.

A failure of this component (engine) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain trucks, the plastic low-pressure fuel line may fatigue crack and leak. Diesel fuel leakage may ignite on a hot engine surface and cause a fire, which could result in property damage, personal injury or death. As well, diesel fuel spilt on the roadway could endanger other road users. Correction: Dealers will replace the plastic low-pressure fuel line with a steel low-pressure line.

A failure of this component (fuel system) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain trucks, the side-roll sensor - designed to detect vehicle pitch and control deployment of the system's seatbelt pretensioner and side airbag - may have been manufactured incorrectly. A failure of the sensor could be interpreted by the side-roll protection system as a vehicle roll, resulting in an inadvertent deployment of the seatbelt pretensioner and lateral airbags. In some instances, inadvertent deployment could cause injuries to vehicle occupants. Correction: Dealers will inspect and, if required, replace the side-roll sensor.

A failure of this component (airbag) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain trucks, the left inner tie rod end may loosen and eventually separate from the steering rack. Tie rod failure could result in a loss of steering control and a crash, causing personal injury or death. Correction: Dealers will remove and inspect the left inner tie rod. Damaged steering racks will be replaced.

A failure of this component (steering) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain trucks, the Chassis and Cab Signal-detect and Activation Modules (SAMs) may suffer water intrusion, which could cause an electrical short or intermittent operation of tail lamps, stop lamps, side marker lamps and trailer lighting. Also, in some cases, the starter motor may activate without turning the ignition key. Failure or intermittent operation of certain lamps may result in the following road users being unaware of the driver's intentions, as well as reducing vehicle conspicuity during hours of darkness. Unintended activation of the starter in a vehicle equipped with a manual transmission may cause it to move. Both problems could result in a vehicle crash causing personal injury or death. An electrical short in the Cab SAM or Chassis SAM may cause and electrical short which could result in a vehicle fire. Correction: Dealers will inspect and, if required, replace the SAMs, and affect modifications to control possible sources of water intrusion.

A failure of this component (electrical) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

Certain vehicles may have been assembled with an incorrectly manufactured Bendix MV-3 dash control valve. If the double check valve becomes lodged, in the event of a primary reservoir failure, air pressure can leak past the lodged valve, thereby depleting the secondary reservoir, causing a reduced ability for modulating the emergency brakes. Extended stopping distances may result in a vehicle crash, causing property damage, and/or personal injury or death. Correction: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the dash control valve.

A failure of this component (brakes) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles, incorrect fasteners may have been used to attached the brake caliper to the brake anchor plate during vehicle assembly. The incorrect fasteners may not provide adequate clamping force, potentially resulting in reduced brake effectiveness. Extended stopping distances may result in a vehicle crash causing injury or death. Correction: Dealers will inspect and, if incorrect bolts are found, will check for possible additional damage, and repair as required.

A failure of this component (brakes) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain trucks, an incorrectly manufactured steering gear sector shaft may cause the steering to "stick or bind". This could severely restrict the steering turning angle, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash with injury or death. Correction: Dealers will replace the steering gear assembly.

A failure of this component (steering) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain trucks, the fifth wheel hitch assembly's lever arm may have been incorrectly installed during the manufacturing process. The lever arm pivot bolt may have been over-tightened which could distort the pivot bolt spacer sleeve and prevent the fifth wheel latch jaw from closing and latching securely around the trailer king pin. This could allow the towed unit to separate from the towing vehicle while underway, potentially causing a crash with injury or death. Correction: Dealers will replace the pivot bolt and sleeve with a hex head shoulder bolt and washer.

A failure of this component (other) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).