2018 Freightliner Cascadia Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2018 Freightliner Cascadia, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Brakes535.7%
- Driver assistance321.4%
- Electrical214.3%
- Exterior lighting214.3%
- Airbags17.1%
- Tires & wheels17.1%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
See attached document for complaint.
The Automatic Emergency Braking System has activated at least 3 different times while I was driving. At each occurrence there was nothing in the roadway or travel lane. The vehicle came to an abrupt stop twice and slammed the brakes on but then released them a moment later once. In each event a very near collision with other vehicles was almost caused. There are other drivers that use this truck that have reported similar events (5 or 6), but I cannot say for certain what the exact circumstances were in those events. This vehicle is available for inspection if requested. A dealer has not confirmed the problem, each time they report that the system in functioning correctly. The vehicle has not been inspected by any entity other than the dealer. No symptoms prior, only a red collision warning light in the gauge cluster and a warning beep at the immediate time of the event.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
See attached document for complaint.
The Automatic Emergency Braking System has activated at least 3 different times while I was driving. At each occurrence there was nothing in the roadway or travel lane. The vehicle came to an abrupt stop twice and slammed the brakes on but then released them a moment later once. In each event a very near collision with other vehicles was almost caused. There are other drivers that use this truck that have reported similar events (5 or 6), but I cannot say for certain what the exact circumstances were in those events. This vehicle is available for inspection if requested. A dealer has not confirmed the problem, each time they report that the system in functioning correctly. The vehicle has not been inspected by any entity other than the dealer. No symptoms prior, only a red collision warning light in the gauge cluster and a warning beep at the immediate time of the event.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
HAD SAME ISSUES ON 2018-2020 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIAS (7 DIFFERENT UNITS), CHASSIS HARNESS RUBBING AGAINST TRANSMISSION AND THE METAL BRACKET BY THE AIR COMPRESSOR. ACTIVE FAULT CODES FOR COOLANT LEVEL , TCS, TRANSMISSION ECU - DRIVERS NOT ABLE TO DRIVE ON AUTOMATIC MODE/ ONLY MANUAL MODE AVAILABLE. ONE TIME THE DRIVER WAS NOT EVEN ABLE TO START THE TRUCK IN THE MORNING, HAD TO GET THE UNIT TOWED TO THE DEALER AND HAVE THE HARNESS REPAIRED. ALL OF THE FAULTS PREVIOUSLY DESCRIBED COULD HAPPEN IN MOTION AND/OR WHEN VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY.
SEMI WAS TRAVELING WESTBOUND ON INTERSTATE 80 WHEN IT ENTERED NORTH DITCH OF THE ROADWAY. SEMI ROLLED AT LEAST ONCE AFTER ENTERING DITCH. DRIVER WAS EJECTED FROM THE VEHICLE WHILE IT WAS ROLLING. IT CAME TO REST ON PASSENGER SIDE FACING WESTBOUND. DRIVER WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT HOSPITAL. AT THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT THE MECHANIC OF THE COMPANY MENTIONED THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES. THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY AND THE SEAT BELT ALARM CONTINUED TO SOUND EVEN WHEN THE BELT WAS CONNECTED. THIS HAPPENED ONLY SHORTLY AFTER DRIVER STARTED SHIFT. DRIVER DIED FROM BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA AND HAD NO MEDICAL ISSUES THAT WOULD HAVE IMPAIRED HIS DRIVING. THE TROOPER THAT COMPLETED THE ACCIDENT REPORT AND DID NOT ADVISE A TECHNICAL REPORT BECAUSE THE DRIVER AND HIS SEMI WERE ONLY EFFECTED BY THE INCIDENT. IT HAD BEEN A DRY MORNING WITH CLEAR VISIBILITY. THERE HAS BEEN RUMORS THE SEMI IN QUESTION HAD BEEN KNOWN FOR HAVING ISSUES WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM AND WOULD HAVE BEEN GOING IN FOR DIAGNOSTIC THE FOLLOWING DAY WHEN DRIVER WAS TO TAKE A TWO WEEK VACATION. THE FAMILY SPOKE WITH THE COMPANIES ATTORNEY WHO AGREED TO PRESERVED THE SEMI UNTIL IT WAS FURTHER INVESTIGATION. THE SEMI IS CONTAINED ON THE COMPANIES PROPERTY AND HAS SIGNS OF TAMPER OR BEING DISASSEMBLED.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE BRAKE LIGHTS STAY ON CONTINUOUSLY, EVEN WHEN THE TRUCK IS SHUT DOWN
BRAKE LIGHTS REMAIN ON DUE TO A FAILING BRAKE PRESSURE SWITCH.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
SEMI WAS TRAVELING WESTBOUND ON INTERSTATE 80 WHEN IT ENTERED NORTH DITCH OF THE ROADWAY. SEMI ROLLED AT LEAST ONCE AFTER ENTERING DITCH. DRIVER WAS EJECTED FROM THE VEHICLE WHILE IT WAS ROLLING. IT CAME TO REST ON PASSENGER SIDE FACING WESTBOUND. DRIVER WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT HOSPITAL. AT THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT THE MECHANIC OF THE COMPANY MENTIONED THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES. THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY AND THE SEAT BELT ALARM CONTINUED TO SOUND EVEN WHEN THE BELT WAS CONNECTED. THIS HAPPENED ONLY SHORTLY AFTER DRIVER STARTED SHIFT. DRIVER DIED FROM BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA AND HAD NO MEDICAL ISSUES THAT WOULD HAVE IMPAIRED HIS DRIVING. THE TROOPER THAT COMPLETED THE ACCIDENT REPORT AND DID NOT ADVISE A TECHNICAL REPORT BECAUSE THE DRIVER AND HIS SEMI WERE ONLY EFFECTED BY THE INCIDENT. IT HAD BEEN A DRY MORNING WITH CLEAR VISIBILITY. THERE HAS BEEN RUMORS THE SEMI IN QUESTION HAD BEEN KNOWN FOR HAVING ISSUES WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM AND WOULD HAVE BEEN GOING IN FOR DIAGNOSTIC THE FOLLOWING DAY WHEN DRIVER WAS TO TAKE A TWO WEEK VACATION. THE FAMILY SPOKE WITH THE COMPANIES ATTORNEY WHO AGREED TO PRESERVED THE SEMI UNTIL IT WAS FURTHER INVESTIGATION. THE SEMI IS CONTAINED ON THE COMPANIES PROPERTY AND HAS SIGNS OF TAMPER OR BEING DISASSEMBLED.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
See attached document for complaint.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .