The worst 1996 Freightliner Century problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
Recalls 7
Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: linkages
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks. The windshield wiper connecting linkage sockets can wear out prematurely due to insufficient greasing during assembly.
- Risk
- This can lead to a separation of the linkage and loss of wiper function, impairing the driver's visibility.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the connecting linkages with new links that are properly lubricated.
Recall number 98V326000 · Recall details
Suspension: front
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with meritor interaxle driveline u-joints. Deflector rings, a part of the system to seal the u-joints from contaminates, are loose. This allows water to enter the u-joint bearing area result in dilution of the lubricant, oxidation of the bearing and seal surfaces, and loss of lubricant.
- Risk
- If this problem goes undetected, the interaxle driveline can separate from the vehicle, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the u-joints with the current design u-joints.
Recall number 98V085000 · Recall details
Steering: steering wheel/handle bar
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: heavy duty truck. Leaks through the firewall or steering shaft boots allows water to run down the steering shaft. The steering shaft slip spline corrodes causing it to seize.
- Risk
- Increased steering effort can result increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the steering shaft with a new design that is installed in an inverted orientation so no water can enter the splines.
Recall number 97V112000 · Recall details
Seat belts: front: anchorage
- What is wrong
- Due to undersized rivets and oversized holes, the b-pillar anchorage will not meet the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) no. 210, "seat belt assembly anchorages."
- Risk
- In the event of a crash, the seat belt assembly anchorage may not hold an occupant increasing the risk of personal injury or death.
- Remedy
- Dealers will make the necessary repairs to the seat belt assembly anchorages.
Recall number 97V006000 · Recall details
Suspension: rear
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: all vehicles equipped with eaton drive axles and axilok spindle nuts. The drive axle housings consist of a plate steel center section and two forged spindles, one of which is welded to each end of the center section. Each spindle contains a keyway slot in which the locking tab for the wheel bearing nut locking mechanism is inserted. The length of the keyway slot may not be long enough to accommodate the tab causing the tab to be deformed or damaged during installation.
- Risk
- This locking tab prevents the wheel bearing nut from loosening during vehicle operation. If this tab is deformed, the nut can loosen allowing the wheel to separate from the axle increasing the risk of a vehicle accident.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the drive axle housing nuts with a conventional wheel nut hardware system.
Recall number 96V233003 · Recall details
Visibility: defroster/defogger/HVAC system
- What is wrong
- An electrical short can occur in the auxilliary heater/airconditioning blower if exposed to water.
- Risk
- The shorted relay can result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will remove and replace the relay with one that resists shorting if contacted by water and does not support combustion even if shorted.
Recall number 96V197000 · Recall details
Vehicle speed control
- What is wrong
- These vehicles are equipped with a detroit diesel optimized idle system. If the ignition is turned on and the fuse for the electronic control module (ECM) power feed line is removed or burned out, the safety features designed to prevent injury to persons working in the vicinity of the engine will be bypassed, and unintentional cranking of the engine will occur.
- Risk
- If unintentional cranking of the engine occurs, persons working in the vicinity of the engine could be injured and the vehicle could move.
- Remedy
- Detroit diesel distributors will rewire the vehicles using a revised ECM which will eliminate unintentional cranking.
Recall number 96V181001 · Recall details
See all 7 recalls for the 1996 Freightliner Century
Defect investigations
Integral hub and bearing assembly
Freightliner submitted a defect report on march 21, 2003 in which they identified approximately 5000 trucks as possibly beingaffected by this problem.arvinmeritor (front axle mfr) submitted a defect report onapril 16, 2003, which identifies 6098 freightliner trucks asbeing affected by this recall and 1191 axles sold to freightliner in the aftermarket. Odi notes that there are twointegral hub and bearing assemblies per front axle.freightliner identified vehicles includingfreightliner,sterling, and western star brand name as beingaffected by this recall.see attached summary report for additional details.
PE02088
Technical service bulletins for the 1996 Freightliner Century 7
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Sb2057 New Surge Tank Design
- Access door seal change
- Some vehicles with FF-981 hub caps manufactured after the production improvements in november have been...
- Century class detroit diesel series 60 engines coolant shunt tube leaks
- Some flat-roof steel cab vehicles manufactured with an exterior sunvisor may develop roof cracks
- Automatic temperature control (a.t.c.) module replacement
- Engine coolant supply tube
Compare the 1996 Freightliner Century
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Questions about the 1996 Freightliner Century
Is the 1996 Freightliner Century reliable?
Owners have filed 0 complaints about the 1996 Freightliner Century.
What is the most common problem with the 1996 Freightliner Century?
There are not enough complaints to tell.
How many recalls does the 1996 Freightliner Century have?
7 recalls, covering visibility, suspension and steering.
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