The defect
ON CERTAIN TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH THE EAS TRANSMISSION OPTION, A PROGRAMMING LOGIC ERROR IN THE TRANSMISSION AUTOMATIC SHIFT SYSTEM MAY PREVENT THE VEHICLE'S CLUTCH FROM DISENGAGING WHEN THE VEHICLE IS OPERATED IN WORKING GROUP OR CRAWLER GEAR RANGE (LOW-LOW RANGE).
The risk
THE BRAKE SYSTEM IS NOT CAPABLE OF OVERCOMING THE ENGINE TORQUE TRANSMITTED TO THE WHEEL ENDS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS OPERATED IN WORKING GROUP OR CRAWLER GEAR RANGE. IF THE CLUTCH FAILS TO DISENGAGE THE ENGINE MUST BE SHUT-DOWN IN ORDER TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A STOP POTENTIALLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH OR PERSONAL INJURY.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL MODIFY THE AUTOMATIC SHIFT SYSTEM TO PROVIDE REDUCED ENGINE TORQUE WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED WHILE THE VEHICLE IS OPERATED IN WORKING GROUP OR CRAWLER GEAR RANGE. THE GEAR SHIFT ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT WILL BE REPLACED AND TWO RELAYS WILL BE ADDED. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 28, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FREIGHTLINER AT 1-800-547-0712.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Unimog U500 | 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 |
Components: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unimog U500 | 2003 | 0 | 4 |
| Unimog U500 | 2004 | 0 | 3 |
| Unimog U500 | 2005 | 0 | 2 |
| Unimog U500 | 2006 | 0 | 1 |
Other power train recalls in 2006
24 of the 490 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2006 concerned the power train; FREIGHTLINER LLC filed 99 campaigns in all.
| 06V478000 15 Dec 2006 | FERRARI NORTH AMERICA INC |
| 06V462000 4 Dec 2006 | NISSAN DIESEL AMERICA, INC |
| 06V432000 9 Nov 2006 | DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION |
| 06V414000 31 Oct 2006 | MITSUBISHI MOTORS NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 06V399000 18 Oct 2006 | BMW OF NORTH AMERICA, LLC |
| 06V397000 17 Oct 2006 | YAMAHA MOTOR CORPORATION, USA |
| 06V391000 13 Oct 2006 | PACCAR INCORPORATED |
| 06V390000 12 Oct 2006 | OSHKOSH TRUCK CORPORATION |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2006