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Freightliner · NHTSA safety record

2023 Freightliner Cascadia

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

Owners have filed 12 safety complaints about the 2023 Freightliner Cascadia with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash, 2 mention a fire, 2 people were injured and no death is recorded. 7 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is forward collision avoidance, named in 5 complaints, 42% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers April 2023 to March 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

12 complaints on file

12

Complaints

1

Describe a crash

2

Mention fire

2

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
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 5 · 42%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 3 · 25%
FIRERELATED 2 · 17%
POWER TRAIN 1 · 8%
SERVICE BRAKES 1 · 8%
STEERING 1 · 8%
STRUCTURE 1 · 8%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 · 8%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 · 8%
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 12.

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 5.

8 6 4 2
23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2023 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 2023 Freightliner Cascadia. 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

7 on file

SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK

26V583000 · September 9, 2026

The defect
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Freightliner Cascadia and 2022 Western Star 49X vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall numbers 23V073 or 22V817. The brake modulator valves on the front axle may corrode and cause the vehicle to pull to one side during braking initiated by Electronic Stability Control (ESC) or Roll Stability Control (RSC).
The risk
Brakes that pull to one side may cause a sudden change in vehicle direction, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the brake modulator valves, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 8, 2026. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is F1039. Vehicles repaired under the prior recalls will need the new repair completed.

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC · up to 2,404 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

23V299000 · April 26, 2023

The defect
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain short wheelbase 2020-2024 Freightliner Cascadia, 2021-2024 Freightliner M2 Business Class, 2022 Western Star 4700, and 2020 Freightliner Classic Cascadia vehicles. The vehicle is equipped with an electronic stability control system and tire combination that may understeer during a J-turn. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 136, "Electronic Stability Control Systems on Heavy Vehicles."
The risk
Understeering during a J-turn may increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
DTNA will replace the tires, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 19, 2023. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL971.

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC · up to 266 vehicles across all model years covered

STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY

23V238000 · April 4, 2023

The defect
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2022 FCCC Shuttle Chassis, 2022-2023 FCCC RV Chassis, FCCC Van Chassis, Van Chassis Gas, 2023 Freightliner Cascadia, Freightliner Business Class M2, Thomas Built Bus School Bus Chassis, Western Star 4700, Western Star 47X, Western Star 4900, and Western Star 49X commercial buses. The tie rod may be missing a fastener, allowing the steer arm to detach.
The risk
A detached steering arm can result in a sudden loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
DTNA will inspect and repair or replace the tie rod assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2023. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL970.

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC · up to 306 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

23V073000 · February 10, 2023

The defect
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2017-2023 Freightliner Cascadia, 2020-2023 Western Star 49X, 2021-2023 Western Star 47X, and 2022 Freightliner 114SD vehicles. The brake modulator valves on the front axle may corrode and cause the vehicle to pull to the affected side during braking initiated by Electronic Stability Control (ESC) or Roll Stability Control (RSC).
The risk
Brakes that pull to one side may cause a sudden change in vehicle direction, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the front brake modulator valves, as necessary. Some vehicles will have a software update which will alert driver when a replacement is required. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning October 13, 2023. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL966.

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC · up to 70,167 vehicles across all model years covered

SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:MODULATOR

22V817000 · November 1, 2022

The defect
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2017-2023 Freightliner Cascadia, 2020-2022 Freightliner Business Class M2, and 2022 Freightliner 114SD, and 2020-2023 Western Star 49X, 2021-2023 Western Star 47X, and 2021-2022 Western Star 57X vehicles. The brake modulator valves on the front axle may corrode and cause the vehicle to pull to the affected side during an Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) braking event.
The risk
Brakes that pull to one side during an ACC braking event may cause a sudden change in vehicle direction, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the front brake modulator valves, as necessary. Some vehicles will have a software update which will alert driver when a replacement is required. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning October 16, 2023. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-958. This recall expands and replaces previous recall 20V-390. All vehicles previously repaired under recall 20V-390 will need to have the new remedy performed.

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC · up to 219,390 vehicles across all model years covered

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECU/ECM)

22V554000 · July 29, 2022

The defect
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2023 Freightliner 108SD, 114SD, Business Class M2, Cascadia, 2023 Freightliner FCCC MC, MT45, S2C 106CAB, XCM, S2RV 106CAB, XCR, XCS, and 2023 Western Star 4700, 49X, and 47X vehicles. The engine control module (ECM) may experience an internal short-circuit, which can result in an unexpected engine shut down.
The risk
Unexpected engine shut down can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Cummins will replace the ECM, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 26, 2022. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-949.

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC · up to 1,375 vehicles across all model years covered

STEERING

22V405000 · June 8, 2022

The defect
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Freightliner (FCCC) MT45, MT45G and 2022-2023 Freightliner Cascadia vehicles. The steering gears may have been incorrectly assembled, which can cause the gear to fracture.
The risk
A fractured steering gear can cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the steering gears, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 28,2022. Owners may contact DTNA's customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-938.

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC · up to 5,768 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.

STEERING

1 injured · crash · towed

The contact owns a 2023 Freightliner Cascadia. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the steering wheel locked up, the vehicle became uncontrollable, and the vehicle flipped over. The vehicle was uncontrollable. All the warning lights illuminated. A police report was filed. The contact received injuries to her back and was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where medical attention was provided. The airbags deployed. There was an unknown substance leaking from the vehicle. There was no reported fire. The vehicle was towed to an unknown location. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was

NHTSA complaint 11626573, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

1 injured

while driving a UPS Freightliner truck (Cascadia Vin number [XXX] ) on [XXX] on [XXX] in Charlotte, North Carolina, the tractor brakes locked down causing [XXX] 's arm to jam into shoulder from having all momentum come to abrupt stop causing seatbelt to yank across shoulder ultimately necessitating surgery and putting me out of work for 6 months+ and ongoing INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint 11722434. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

fire · towed

See attached document for complaint

NHTSA complaint 11640831. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FIRERELATED

fire

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA complaint 11646655. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The front sensor is calibrated wrong. It slams my brakes on road if a shadow is in road, bridges, vehicles parked on side of road, and sometimes if another semi passes me it slams the breaks on. It happens if its just raining out not so much winter because snow and ice blocks the sensor. This has also almost caused accidents as well.

NHTSA complaint 11722541. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
See attached document for complaint

NHTSA complaint 11678206. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
I was north of Louisville Kentucky on [XXX] traveling at 65 mph and I was in the middle lane and the collision lights came on and the truck abruptly started stopping. Luckily no one was on my right side. I made it to the shoulder of the road. Thank God I wasn’t rear ended by anyone and there were three lanes of traffic. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint 11666845. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Malfunction check engine lights on and show faults 520349. 14

NHTSA complaint 11658652. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Freightliner Cascadia

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2024 14 2 —
2022 13 19 2
2021 16 21 —
2020 26 21 —
2019 29 29 2
2018 11 26 1
2017 9 20 2
2016 12 12 —
2015 16 18 —
2014 12 21 —
2012 17 19 —
2011 12 23 —
2010 12 23 1

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