Thousands of Freightliner, Western Star trucks recalled over wheels that may crack
Daimler Trucks North America is recalling thousands of Freightliner and Western Star trucks after discovering an issue with the wheels.
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall documents, more than 29,000 Freightliner and Western Star trucks are affected by the recall. The steer axle wheel flanges may crack and cause damage to the tires. With continued operation of the vehicle, the crack may progress to the point where wheel flange sections may fail and eventually separate from the wheel/rim.
If the cracks are not addressed and progress to the point of flange failure and separation, this may damage the tire. Depending on the extent of steer tire damage, this could result in loss of vehicle control, potentially increasing the risk of a crash.
Western Star 57X (model year 2024) trucks and the following Freightliner models are included in the recall:
- 108SD (model year 2023-24)
- 114SD (model year 2023-24)
- 122SD (model year 2023)
- Business Class M2 (model year 2023-24)
- Cascadia (model year 2023-24)
Recall documents indicate there may be warning signs of a wheel flange issue. If cracks, flange separation and/or low tire pressure are present, they may be visually observed pre- or post-trip or via a tire pressure monitoring system warning. If one or more sections of the wheel flange begins to separate, vibrations often are induced into the steering wheel.
As of Tuesday, April 9, Daimler Trucks was working on developing a remedy for the defect. Once a remedy is found, authorized service facilities will perform repairs free of charge.
Daimler Trucks will mail out recall notification letters to owners of affected trucks on June 2. For more information about the wheel flange recall, contact Daimler Trucks customer service at 800-547-0712 with recall number FL999. NHTSA’s number for this recall is 24V-250.
This large recall population of Freightliner and Western Star trucks was manufactured at Daimler Truck’s Mexico production facilities. Affected trucks are equipped with ULA18x aluminum steer axle wheels. Those wheels were manufactured at aluminum producer Alcoa’s Mexico facility. Trucks produced outside of Daimler Truck’s Mexico facility do not use wheels produced by Alcoa’s Mexico facility and are not included in the recall.
Daimler has received 15 field reports and 23 warranty claims related to the wheel flange issue. No crashes, deaths or injuries have been reported. LL
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