2004 Freightliner Columbia Engine cooling Problems
- Complaints
- 9about this part
- Share
- 69%of 13 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 295,400miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 9 complaints about the engine cooling of the 2004 Freightliner Columbia, 69% of the 13 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 295,400 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers. 2 recall campaigns on record are filed under a similar system.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I have a Freightliner Columbia with a mbe 4000 mercedes engine. This is the second time I had to put the truck in a shop for an exhaust leak. This time the exhaust manifold was leaking fumes into the cab and made me sick with carbon monoxide. Took truck to penn detroit diesel in york haven,pa. They found that the exhaust manifold was off on port #1 and #2 by 1/16 inch there by allowing exhaust fumes to escape and enter the cab through the fresh air vent that is under the hood of the truck. They checked for exhaust leaks after the work was done and said it was fixed. …”
NHTSA complaint #10173131, filed 2006-11, 295,400 miles“Having health issues, headaches, blurred vision, infection in eye, fatigue, hard breathing, chest pains, did test for carbon monoxide levels of 31,j ust sitting, no other vehicles around while testing. Been ill for a long time. Can taste the fumes coming in. These fumes coming through the air condition vents. Mercedes engine.”
NHTSA complaint #10159540, filed 2006-06, 300,000 miles“Have Freightliner Columbia with an mbe 4000 mercedes. Had flex pipe that was cracked letting in co fumes. Had this replaced but am still getting low levels of carbon monoxide in truck. It seams to be coming in through the air conditioning and heater vents. Jfb.”
NHTSA complaint #10171541, filed 2006-10, 287,737 miles“Suspect carbon monoxide entering through vents making me ill having headaches ,eye infections and chest pains shortness of breath, fatigue blurred vision. Checked levels of carbon monoxide up to 31, coming through air vents.”
NHTSA complaint #10159539, filed 2006-06, 300,000 miles“Carbon monoxide leakage into cab from heater/air conditioning system on Freightliner Columbia trucks with detroit EGR (epa compliant) engines about 2003 and newer. Carbon monoxide resulted in elevated blood pressure, nausea, flu like symptoms, headaches, tiredness, etc.. Truck has been worked on 5 times for this problem, numerous parts have been replaced. Has not corrected the problem, or only for a short while. Problem exists in several areas and is not readily apparent when doing in shop testing, repair and replacement. Some problems are related to Freightliner and some to detroit diesel. …”
NHTSA complaint #10141936, filed 2005-11, 150,000 milesRelated recalls
- 09V366000Sep 23, 2009Daimler trucks is recalling model year 2004-2010 trucks equipped with caterpillar c15 engine. The variable valve actuation oil line may rub against the…Covers: Freightliner Columbia 2004–2010, FLD 2004–2010, Western Star 4900 2004–2010 +6 more
- 06V030000Feb 8, 2006On certain trucks equipped with caterpillar diesel engines, the variable valve actuation oil line may wear against the sharp edge of the cylinder head if not…Covers: Freightliner Columbia 2004–2006, Western Star 4900 2004–2006, Sterling L-Line 2004–2006 +4 more
Related service bulletins
- 10187830Feb 19, 2021Revised Technical Service Letter for Series 60 and Series 50 Camshaft Timing Specifications. Camshaft timing, valve lash, injector height, and Jake Brake lash are all very…
- 10188112Feb 15, 2021Tech Talk discussion on Hard Cold Start.
- 10170603Jan 21, 2020Technical Service Letter for DDC Series 60 engines concerning Series 60 Cylinder Head Resurfacing/Finish. Detroit Diesel does not recommend third party resurfacing of Series 60…
- 10141700Feb 26, 2018sb2061 Replacement Shunt Tube, EPA07 Caterpillar C13 and C15 Engines
- 10141699Feb 26, 2018sb2059 Replacing Push-to-Connect Air Line Fittings with Brass Compression Fittings
- 10141698Feb 26, 2018sb2058 Early EPA07 QLD Radiator Replacement
- 10124182Aug 7, 2014807-14 FMI 8 SCR Inlet Temperature Signal Spike
Engine cooling: other model years
Other parts of the 2004 Freightliner Columbia
← All problems reported for the 2004 Freightliner Columbia
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology