Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1997 Freightliner Century, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Tires1
- Engine and engine cooling1
- Equipment1
- Suspension1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 1 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Recalls in Canada
5 Transport Canada recalls for the 1997 Freightliner Century.
| 2002197 1 Nov 2002 | Steering The TRW tie rod and drag link ball stud ends contain bearings that are below the specified case depth and/or hardness. This can lead to premature wear out and … |
| 2000172 28 Aug 2000 | Brakes On certain vehicles, the Bendix ABS ECU misinterprets certain signals from wheel ends which can result in the temporary loss of braking capability on one or mor… |
| 1999002 13 Jan 1999 | Visual System On certain vehicles, the windshield wiper connecting linkage sockets may wear out prematurely due to insufficient greasing during assembly. This may lead to a … |
| 1998087 4 May 1998 | Powertrain THE U-JOINT DEFLECTOR RINGS MAY BE LOOSE, ALLOWING WATER TO ENTER THE U-JOINT BEARING AREA RESULTING IN DILUTION OF THE LUBRICANT, OXIDATION OF BEARING AND SEAL… |
| 1997131 17 Jul 1997 | Steering LEAKS THROUGH THE FIREWALL OR STEERING SHAFT BOOTS MAY ALLOW WATER TO RUN DOWN THE STEERING SHAFT. THE STEERING SHAFT SPLINE MAY BECOME CORRODED CAUSING IT TO … |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
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.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: HEAVY DUTY TRUCKS. THE WINDSHIELD WIPER CONNECTING LINKAGE SOCKETS CAN WEAR OUT PREMATURELY DUE TO INSUFFICIENT GREASING DURING ASSEMBLY.
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.
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.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Freightliner told its dealers about the 1997 Freightliner Century: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 621719 | FIELD SERVICE CAMPAIGN TO MODIFY CERTAIN VEHICLES, MANUFACUTRED BETWEEN OCTOBER 3, 1997 AND AUGUST 18, 2000, THAT MAY DEVELOP SMALL PIN HOLE LEAKS IN THE POWER STEERING SUPPLY HOSE. *TT |
| 605552 | INFORMATIONREGARDING LOW COOLANT LEVEL INDICATION. *TT |
| 52366 | SOME VEHICLES WITH FF-981 HUB CAPS MANUFACTURED AFTER THE PRODUCTION IMPROVEMENTS IN NOVEMBER HAVE BEEN FOUND WITH LOOSE HUB CAPS. *TW |
| 51349 | RECONFIGURE EITHER THE INSTRUMENTATION CONTROL UNIT (ICU) OR THE DATA LOGGING UNIT (DLU)- ALWAYS RECONFIGURE THE UNIT WHEN IT HAS BEEN REPLACED. *JD |
| 51348 | SOME CENTURY CLASS VEHICLES MAY MAKE A POPPING OR THUMPING NOISE DURING LOW SPEED/SHARP-TURN MANEUVERS- THE NOISE MAY OCCUR UNDER THESE CONDITIONS BECAUSE THE SLIP SPLINE OF THE STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT WILL STICK, THEN SLIDE PRODUCING THE POPPING OR THUMPING NOISE. JD |
| 51347 | TOP EXHAUST STACKS ON FLB COES, FLD CONVENTIONALS, FLL COES, AND CENTURY CLASS VEHICLES ARE INSTALLED AT A 45-DEGREE ANGLE OUTBOARD RATHER THAN FACING STRAIGHT BACK- THIS CONFIGURATION INCREASES EPA NOISE TEST EMISSIONS ON CERTAIN VEHICLES. *JD |
| 51346 | TROUBLESHOOTING THE INSTRUMENTATION CONTROL UNIT (ICU) PRESENTS AN OVERVIEW OF THE ICU SYSTEMS AND FUNCTIONS. *JD |
| 51344 | SOME VENDOR-SUPPLIED RADIATOR SURGE TANKS FOR CENTURY CLASS VEHICLES HAVE IRREGULAR SURFACES BETWEEN THE FILLER NECK AND THE CAP, CAUSING THE CAPS TO LEAK. *JD |
| 10141697 | sb2057 New Surge Tank Design |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
INTEGRAL HUB AND BEARING ASSEMBLY
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation