2011 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, the fifth wheel locking mechanisms could be susceptible to damage and/or wear. This could cause the locking mechanism to fail properly engage, potentially resulting in a towed trailer unit separating from the truck tractor. As a result, the trailer could strike another vehicle, stationary object, or bystander, causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Fontaine dealers will replace all Ultra LT fifth wheel units with Ultra NT model fifth wheel units.

A failure of this component (structure) 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, the air tank mounting brackets may crack, which could allow the tank to detach from the vehicle. An air tank separating from the vehicle could strike another vehicle, a stationary object, or a bystander. As well, loss of an air tank would cause a loss of service brakes, which could increase stopping distances, possibly causing a crash. These issues could result in property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the air tank mounting brackets.

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 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 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, the fifth wheel hitch assembly may fail to latch securely around the trailer king pin. A trailer separating from the towing vehicle could strike another vehicle, stationary object, or bystander, causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the fifth wheel hitch lock bar with a revised version.

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, the driveshaft may not have been welded correctly during the manufacturing process. This could allow the driveshaft to fracture along the length of the tube seam weld when torque is applied. The fractured tube can twist or sever, which could result in additional damage to the driveline, the vehicle to which it is attached, and any additional nearby components. Should the brake air lines become damaged, it could allow spring brake application, causing immediate brake lock-up. If this occurs while the vehicle is in motion, it could result in a crash. Also, failure of the driveshaft would result in lost vehicle propulsion which, in conjunction with traffic and road conditions, and the driver's reactions, could increase the risk of a crash. Either condition could result in property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the driveshaft assembly.

A failure of this component (powertrain) 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 slack adjuster housings may have been manufactured incorrectly, which could allow the housings to fracture and fail. As a result, the wheel brake to which the slack adjuster is attached would no longer function, which could increase vehicle stopping distances. Should a steer axle slack adjuster fail, it could also cause the vehicle to pull to one side during braking. Either problem could result in a crash causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the slack adjusters.

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, the rear suspension springs may fracture and fail. This could allow the rear end of the spring to separate from the vehicle and strike another vehicle, stationary object, or bystander, causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the mono leaf springs.

A failure of this component (suspension) 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 alternator cables may be routed in a way that allows contact with an engine heat shield, which could result in cable insulation damage. A positive alternator cable (with damaged insulation) which contacts a grounded component would cause an electrical short circuit. This could result in a vehicle fire causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary replace the alternator cables. In addition, the cable routing and securing will be modified to ensure sufficient clearance to the heat shield.

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, the recommended cold tire inflation information, as required by the Technical Standards Document No. 120S5.3.1, was inadvertently omitted during vehicle assembly. Missing recommended cold tire inflation information may lead to incorrect tire pressures, potentially resulting in tire failure. Correction: Dealers will replace the incorrect labels.

A failure of this component (label) 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 a DD13 and DD15 engines, over time, the barrel of the Bosch high pressure fuel pump element may develop a crack due to hydrogen induced stress corrosion, which could result in a diesel fuel leak. Diesel fuel spilt on the roadway could endanger other road users by making the roadway unexpectedly slippery. Correction: Dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump element with a more robust 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, 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).