RoadVitals

2021 Freightliner Business Class M2

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
2
Latest May 3, 2024
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
14
Latest Nov 4, 2025
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2021 Freightliner Business Class M2, most frequently naming the powertrain (other) category. 14 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 200 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Powertrain (other)1100.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

14 campaigns cover this model year

View all 14

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
25V760000

SUSPENSION:CRITICAL FASTENERS

Nov 4, 2025
18,783 units potentially affected
The defect: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020-2026 Western Star 49X, Freightliner Business Class M2, Freightliner 114SD, Freightliner 108SD, 2021-2026 Western Star 47X, 2021-2023 Freightliner 122SD, 2022 Western Star 48X, and 2023 Western Star 4700 vehicles. The axle clamp fasteners may be loose, which can result in a loss of vehicle control.
The risk: A loss of vehicle control increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the fasteners, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 29, 2025. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is F1027.
Daimler Trucks North America, LLCManufacturer number F1027View on NHTSA.gov
23V299000

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

Apr 26, 2023
266 units potentially affected
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, LLCManufacturer number FL971View on NHTSA.gov
22V919000

TIRES; WHEELS:RIM

Dec 12, 2022
49 units potentially affected
The defect: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Freightliner 114SD, 2023 Freightliner 122SD, 2020 Western Star 4700, 2019-2022 Western Star 4900, 2019-2023 Freightliner Business Class M2, and 2021 Freightliner Cascadia vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with tires that are not compatible with their 8.25-inch rims. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 120, "Wheels and Rims-Other Than Passenger Cars."
The risk: Driving with tires that are not compatible with their rims can reduce tire performance, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will replace the tires, 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 FL-962.
Daimler Trucks North America, LLCManufacturer number FL-962View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Filed May 3, 2024

The DEF header failed on this truck and it causes the vehicle to be disabled. The DEF header is an emissions part. PART NUMBER 04-31354-004 HEADER-SSI,CONC,6 BOLT,CMNS

NHTSA ID
11586756
Incident
May 22, 2023
Powertrain (other)
Filed Jun 13, 2023

Meritor T-Case coating has failed internally. Coating has come off and is clogging the oil pump pick up tube. This can lead to catastrophic failure of the transfer case components.

NHTSA ID
11526800
Incident
Jun 13, 2023

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

TSB-54-384-FTL

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Technical Service Bulletin for Grote OEM and Alliance Aftermarket Headlamp Replacement

SS 583814

VISIBILITY/WIPER

Service Solution for A22-82459-000 Wiper Motor Wiring Connector Pinned Wrong (305)

SS 3124-FTL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Service Solution for Legacy M2 Bulkhead Module (BHM) Replacement and DiagnosticLink Issues

FleetCom 1_Solenoid

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Fleet Communications for solenoid issues

CXA 03_26_ABS LA Fault

SERVICE BRAKES

CX Advocate for 1810/02 ABS longitudinal acceleration fault (TSB-54-104-WST,TSB-54-379-FTL)

FleetCom_ESC Warning Lamp

SERVICE BRAKES

Fleet Communications for TSB-54-379-FTL & TSB-54-104-WST ESC warning lamp and ECU replacement

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Freightliner Business Class M2 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2027010—
2026050—
20251110—
2024070—
2023170—
2022190—
2021Viewing2140—
20208120—
20190230—
20180160—
20171150—
20161160—
20154140—
20140102—
20130111—
20124121—
2011083—
20100102—
2009282—
20081141—
20074173—
20068132—
2005792—
20048101—
2003151—
2002051—
2001020—
2000010—
1999000—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.