The defect
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Freightliner Cascadia trucks. The Instrument Cluster Unit (ICU) may not perform the required bulb checks for the Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) or Electronic Stability Control (ESC) if the ignition is turned from on to off to on too quickly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 121, "Air Brake Systems," and 136, "Electronic Stability Control Systems on Heavy Vehicles."
The risk
Without an ABS or ESC bulb check, the operator may unaware that the warning light bulbs are not working. If the warning bulbs are not working, in the event of an ABS or ESC malfunction, the driver may not be notified, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ICU's to ensure a bulb check is performed each time the ignition is turned on, free of charge. Also, the sub-population with Tire Pressure Monitoring (TMPS) will also require replacement parts, free of charge. DTNA issued owners an interim notification on September 18, 2018. The recall began March 5, 2019. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-780.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Freightliner Cascadia | 2017, 2018, 2019 |
Components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freightliner Cascadia | 2017 | 9 | 20 |
| Freightliner Cascadia | 2018 | 11 | 26 |
| Freightliner Cascadia | 2019 | 29 | 29 |
Other electrical system recalls in 2018
105 of the 912 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2018 concerned the electrical system; Daimler Trucks North America LLC filed 213 campaigns in all.
| 18V946000 31 Dec 2018 | Arcimoto Inc |
| 18V933000 27 Dec 2018 | Forest River, Inc. |
| 18V930000 21 Dec 2018 | Daimler Trucks North America LLC |
| 18V929000 21 Dec 2018 | Daimler Trucks North America LLC |
| 18V917000 20 Dec 2018 | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) |
| 18V921000 20 Dec 2018 | Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) |
| 18V895000 19 Dec 2018 | Dennis Eagle Inc. |
| 18V909000 19 Dec 2018 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2018