2016 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.

Brake vibrations may cause a steering tie rod to fail. If the tie rod fails and separates, the connection between the front wheels could be lost, reducing a driver’s ability to steer. Note: This problem only affects one vehicle built with a specific combination of a Hendrickson 5" drop axle, brake linings and stamped brake spiders.

A reduced ability to steer could increase the risk of a crash.

The company will notify owners by mail. Owners will be instructed to take their vehicle to a Daimler Trucks North America authorized service facility to have the brake spiders and tie rod replaced.

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 castellated nut and cotter pin on the steer axle may not have been tightened to specification. This could cause the tie rod to become loose in the steer axle, which would result in audible noise and/or looseness in steering. If the vehicle were continued to be operated in this condition, the tie rod could disconnect from the knuckle, resulting in a complete loss of control of a vehicle wheel, which would increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Daimler Trucks North America authorized service facilities will inspect the torque of the castellated nuts on the tie rod, and replace the tie rod stud and knuckle as necessary.

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, the specified front axle weight limit may be greater than the hub capacity. If the axle load exceeds the maximum weight capacity of the hub, there is an increased risk of hub fatigue, which could cause a complete separation of the wheel(s) and a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace the incorrectly specified front axle hubs.

A failure of this component (wheels) 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 Bergstrom Parksmart HVAC units, there maybe be inadequate electrical contact within the connector at the top of the compressor. This could cause an increased resistance in the circuit resulting in localized heating, which would increase the risk of fire causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will remove the open style design connector cap and replace it with an improved closed design cap, and will also inspect the compressor connector terminal for any signs of heat discolouration and replace the harness if discolouration is found.

A failure of this component (heater and defroster) 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 Control Module (ECM) may develop an internal electrical short circuit that could blow a fuse in the ECM's electrical supply circuit. This could cause the engine to stall without warning and prevent the vehicle from being restarted. Engine stalling would result in lost propulsion which, in conjunction with traffic and road conditions, and the driver's reactions, could increase the risk of a crash causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the ECM.

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 vehicles built with a front axle built by Detroit Axles, the steering arm bolt may not have been sufficiently tightened at time of assembly. This could allow the bolt to loosen and potentially result in the separation of the steering arm from the steering knuckle, which could result in a loss of steering. This could increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will inspect the bolt torque and re-tighten or replace as necessary.

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).