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Freightliner · NHTSA safety record

2021 Freightliner M2

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 8 safety complaints about the 2021 Freightliner M2 with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash and no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering visibility and the steering.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 3 complaints, 38% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers April 2021 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

8 complaints on file

8

Complaints

1

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

0

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 3 · 38%
ENGINE 2 · 25%
POWER TRAIN 2 · 25%
TIRES 1 · 13%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 · 13%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 · 13%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 8.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 3.

4 3 2 1
21 23 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2021 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2021 Freightliner M2. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

Recall campaigns

2 on file

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:LINKAGES

23V237000 · April 4, 2023

The defect
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Freightliner Business-Class M2, FCCC Business-Class M2, FCCC S2G (FCCC Business-Class M2), FCCC S2RV, FCCC SC2 (FCCC Shuttle Chassis), 2021-2022 Freightliner 108SD, and Freightliner 114SD vehicles. The windshield wiper linkages may break, causing the windshield wipers to fail.
The risk
Inoperative windshield wipers can reduce visibility in certain driving conditions, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the windshield wiper arm and linkage parts, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 2, 2023. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL969.

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC · up to 57,504 vehicles across all model years covered

STEERING:LINKAGES:DRAG:LINK:CONNECTION

23V105000 · February 20, 2023

The defect
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Freightliner 108SD, 114SD, 122SD, Columbia, Coronado, Business Class M2, and 2020 Freightliner Cascadia vehicles. The drag link taper joint may not have been tightened sufficiently and could come loose, resulting in a complete separation of the drag link from the steering arm.
The risk
Drag link separation can cause a complete loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
DTNA will inspect the drag link taper joint and repair it, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 21, 2023. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL967. This recall expands recall number 21V-689.

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC · up to 60,604 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

crash · 5,000 miles

THIS VEHICLE IS OUTFITTED WITH A BRIDGEPORT AUTOMATED ARM GARBAGE TRUCK BODY. AN ACCIDENT RECENTLY OCCURRED ON 14 APRIL 2021 BECAUSE OF NO WARNING SENSOR ON THE FORKS WITH GRAB THE GARBAGE/RECYCLE CART TO WARN THE DRIVER THAT THE FORKS ARE NOT COMPLETELY RETRACTED AND SAFELY STOW FOR TRANSPORT. A WARNING SENSOR IS ON THE FORK BOOM TO WARN THE DRIVER THAT THE BOOM IS NOT FULLY RETRACTED HOWEVER THIS DOES NOT LET THE DRIVER KNOW THAT THE FORKS ARE STILL A POTENTIAL HAZARD. I REALIZE THAT IT IS THE DRIVER'S RESPONSIBILITY TO KNOW ALL THE ELEMENTS OF HIS TRUCK, HOWEVER DRIVER'S DO MAKE MISTAKES AND IF THE COMPANY SEES A POTENTIAL ISSUES WITH SAFETY BY INSTALLING A WARNING ALARM ON THE BOOM,

NHTSA complaint 11408637, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

towed · 151,024 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Freightliner M2. The contact stated that while a driver was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started decelerating unintendedly and then stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The driver was able to coast to the side of the roadway. The driver was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who stated that there was an excessive amount of oil in the engine. The dealer determined that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V466000 (Electrical System, Engine); but the VIN was not included in the recall, and the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was

NHTSA complaint 11634557, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While driving on the Interstate check-engine light came on, engine governed to very slow speeds and ultimately became undrivable. This has happened twice. In May and August of 2026. According to Velocity Truck Centers in North Las Vegas, NV Engine harness contacted and chafed around air compressor. Vehicle is at Velocity Truck Centers in North Las Vegas, NV. This is the same failure as described in DTNA's recall FL-858.

NHTSA complaint 11763795. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

TIRES
The contact owns a 2021 Freightliner XC-M. The contact became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 21V00H000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING) and 21V921000 (TIRES). The contact had not experienced a failure. The contact reached out to the manufacturer with questions about the recalls. The vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V00H000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING). However, the manufacturer informed the contact that the repair for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V921000 (TIRES) would not be completed because the recall had expired.

NHTSA complaint 11719221. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

17,800 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Freightliner XC Line Motorhome. The contact stated that the ICU on the coach had delaminated over time and made it difficult to read. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the ICU panel was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 17,800.

NHTSA complaint 11672079. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

15,000 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Freightliner M2. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and slightly depressing the accelerator pedal, the pedal travelled down to the floorboard and was stuck, causing the vehicle to accelerate unintendedly. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact shifted to neutral(N), pulled over to the side of the road, and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated as needed temporarily. The contact stated that the failure had caused him to pull over to the side of the road several times in one drive. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring

NHTSA complaint 11650436, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
Meritor Transfer case has failed due to the internal coating coming off and clogging the oil pump pick up tube screen which starves the oil pump and eventually leads to bearing failure. This is a safety concern because the T-Case is the central connecting point for the drive line. When the bearings fail or seize the torque from the input shaft can cause the connecting components (u-joints, drive shafts) to shake violently and potentially fail, leaving debris in the roadway for other motorists to deal with and also having the potential to damage the trucks brake air system. This could result in an unexpected loss of control by the operator and result in a vehicle crash.

NHTSA complaint 11507018. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other 2021 Freightliner models

Cascadia 16

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Freightliner on this site — 17 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst