Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1998 Freightliner Century, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Engine and engine cooling3
- Steering2
- Fuel system, gasoline2
- Visibility2
- Power train2
- Exterior lighting1
- Seats1
- Unknown or other1
- Suspension1
- Structure1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Recalls in Canada
5 Transport Canada recalls for the 1998 Freightliner Century.
| 2003179 29 Jul 2003 | Suspension On certain vehicles, manufacturing defects in the front axle unitized hubs may cause premature spalling of the wheel bearings. This condition will lead to even… |
| 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… |
| 2000028 17 Feb 2000 | Steering On certain vehicles, the tie rod ends may fracture due to low stress, high cycle, reversed bending fatigue resulting from a system resonance. This condition co… |
| 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… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
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.
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 TIE ROD ENDS CAN FRACTURE DUE TO LOW STRESS, HIGH CYCLE, REVERSED BENDING FATIGUE RESULTING FROM A SYSTEM RESONANCE.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: HEAVY DUTY TRUCKS. THE OUTBOARD BEARING ON THE STEERING AXLE HUBS CAN FAIL DUE TO WATER INTRUSION THROUGH A HUBCAP VENT.
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.
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 1998 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 |
| 612071 | VEHICLES MANUFACTURED BETWEEN MAY 1, 1998 AND DECEMBER 7, 1998 MAY HAVE A QUADRAMOUNT TENSIONER INCORRECTLY INSTALLED WITH A LOCKWASHER INSTEAD OF THE PROPER FLATWASHER. *TT |
| 601552 | CONCERNS WITH THE HIGH COOLANT TEMPERATURE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. *TT |
| 10141697 | sb2057 New Surge Tank Design |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
FRONT BRAKE AIR HOSE LEAKS
INTEGRAL HUB AND BEARING ASSEMBLY
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation