Freightliner Freightliner Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 112 consumer complaints across the 8 model years of the Freightliner Freightliner (1990–2002) that have at least 5 complaints. 1999 has the most, with 29. Across all years, the part named most often is brakes (37 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All Freightliner model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 14 | 15,000 | 1 | 2 | — | Not enough data |
| 2001 | 28 | 100,000 | 1 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2000 | 14 | 202,970 | 1 | 1 | — | Not enough data |
| 1999 | 29 | — | 0 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1998 | 9 | — | 0 | 1 | — | Not enough data |
| 1996 | 6 | — | 2 | 1 | — | Not enough data |
| 1994 | 6 | 45,000 | 0 | 1 | — | Not enough data |
| 1990 | 6 | — | 2 | 1 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Brakes37 33%
- Suspension19 17%
- Fuel system18 16%
- Tires10 8.9%
- Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)8 7.1%
- Engine cooling8 7.1%
- Transmission and drivetrain6 5.4%
- Electrical system6 5.4%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2002: “Excessive brake fade in alfa see ya coach equipped with Freightliner xc chassis which results in the unit being very hard to stop and next to impossible to drive in stop and go traffic. The unit has been serviced several times as well as a complete brake job being done and the problem still persists.”
NHTSA complaint #10058777, filed 2004-02, 8,000 miles2001: “The exhaust system was routed so that it was in contact with the rear air spring suspension. Over time the heat from the exhaust pipe burned a hole in air spring bag. In our case the failure was not castastrophic. We were parked and air loss was slow. I have concerns that under driving conditions the air loss could have been more rapid and handling compromised. I have pictures of the routing and the failed component. M”
NHTSA complaint #767944, filed 2002-101998: “While driving vehicle will stop running completly with no warning. If you are on the highway it poses a safty problem to safely stop the truck and pull of the road . We have had 80 such breakdowns in our fleet of 22 vehicle in 2 years. This situation creates a grave safty risk to our drivers and the motoring public. We have had no success in fixing this problem and it comes with out warning . Please look into this situation thank you”
NHTSA complaint #746113, filed 2001-05Other Freightliner models
245 complaintsFreightliner Columbia
86 complaintsFreightliner Conventional
58 complaintsFreightliner Century
36 complaintsFreightliner Business Class M2
31 complaintsFreightliner FS-65
29 complaintsFreightliner FL-70
24 complaintsFreightliner FLD120
18 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology