1999 Freightliner Century problems

What is wrong

On certain trucks equipped with truck hub units manufactured by skf exclusively for use on arvinmeritor's ff98x series non-drive steer axles, the hub unit bearings can wear prematurely.

Risk

Seizure of the bearings can cause wheel separation or wheel end fire.

Remedy

Dealers will replace both front hubs. Owner notification is expected to begin on or before september 20, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact freightliner at 1‑800‑547‑0712.

Recall number 03V112000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with trw tie rod ends on certain meritor axles. The tie rod and drag link ball stud ends contain bearings that are below the specified case depth and/or hardness.

Risk

This can lead to premature wear with possible separation of the ball stud from the socket, increasing the risk of loss of control of the vehicle.

Remedy

Dealers will remove and replace all affected tie rods and drag links with different designed ends. Owner notification began november 8, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact freightliner at 1‑800‑547‑0712.

Recall number 01V140007 · Recall details

What is wrong

Vehicle description: trucks, school bus and motor home chassis, and transit buses equipped with tie rod assemblies manufactured by trw. The suspect tie rods contain 24-dl model ball sockets. Certain of the tie rod ball-socket bearings have a below-specification case depth and/or hardness, which can lead to premature wear of the socket.

Risk

If this condition occurs, the driver can lose partial control of the right front wheel, possibly resulting in a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the defective ball sockets and/or drag links. Owner notification began may 22, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact freightliner at 1‑800‑547‑0712 or trw customer service at 1‑866‑280‑3287.

Recall number 01V044002 · Recall details

What is wrong

Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks and school bus chassis built with bendix air ABS with an ec-17 1030r electronic control unit (ecu), there have been reports of unwanted ABS activation at low speeds caused by 1) chafed ABS wheel speed sensor wires on rotating parts or 2) a damaged component at the wheel end that generates a certain type of erratic sensor signal.

Risk

This condition could cause the ABS ecu to exhaust the air at the air brake modulators for one or more of the wheels. This could result in extended braking distances and a possible crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the ABS ecu.

Recall number 00V232002 · Recall details

What is wrong

Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks built with dual leaf spring type air ride suspensions and vehicles built with single leaf spring type air ride suspensions. Rear suspension springs can fracture through the center bolt hole after vehicle assembly.

Risk

If undetected, the rear end of the spring could separate from the vehicle causing a hazardous road debris situation.

Remedy

For vehicles equipped with single leaf springs, dealers will remove and replace all springs. For vehicles equipped with dual leaf springs, dealers will inspect for cracked springs and replace if cracked.

Recall number 00V081000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks. The tie rod ends can fracture due to low stress, high cycle, reversed bending fatigue resulting from a system resonance.

Risk

Loss of steering control could occur, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the tie rod ends and tube assembly.

Recall number 99V359000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks. The outboard bearing on the steering axle hubs can fail due to water intrusion through a hubcap vent.

Risk

This condition can result in a separation of the wheel.

Remedy

Dealers will remove the hubcap and inspect for water intrusion and corrosion. The hub and bearing assembly will be replaced if there is evidence of corrosion. A non-vented hubcap will be installed.

Recall number 99V295000 · Recall details

Certain 1998-2001 freightliner century and columbia vehicles exhibit a higher rate of front brake air hose leaks than earlier vintage freightliner vehicles.the leaks have been frequently discovered at fmcsa roadside inspections since these inspections are conducted with the brakes applied (pressurizing the air hose) whereas driver pre-trip inspections may not always be performed with the brakes applied. After a thorough technical review of this matter,odi has concuded that while the subject vehicles exhibit a higher rate of front brake air hose leaks than earlier vintage and peer vehicles, these leaks appear to be minor. Freightliner has extended the warranty for this component to 5 years, 500,000 miles and will assist in alerting those vehicle owners whose vehicles are most susceptible to front brake air hose leakage by issuing a service bulletin alerting those owners to the potential for front brake air hose leakage to occur. See attached report for full technical details.

PE03005

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