2004 Freightliner Columbia Owner Complaints

PERSONAL FRIEND/TRUCK DRIVER WAS DRIVING 2004 FREIGHTLINER COLUMBIA WITH MERCEDES ENGINE ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. OTHER MOTORIST SAW HIM DRIVING ERRATICALLY, AND CALLED POLICE. DASH CAMERA RECORDS HIM WEAVING IN THE ROAD AND FINALLY VEERING INTO ONCOMING LANE, CRASHING INTO CONCRETE BARRIER. IMPACT WITH THE WALL CAUSES FUEL TANK TO SEPARATE FROM CAB, CAUSING SMALL FIRE WHICH DID NOT BURN DRIVER OR CAB. DRIVER WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT THE SCENE. AUTOPSY REVEALED SIGNIFICANTLY HIGH LEVEL OF CO IN BLOOD (61-65 %), BUT NO HEART ATTACK OR STROKE OR ANY OTHER NATURAL CAUSE. DEATH IS RULED ACCIDENTAL. FORTUNATELY, THERE WERE NO OTHER SERIOUS INJURIES, BUT MANY OTHERS COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. THERE IS APPARENTLY A PROBLEM WITH THE EXHAUST SYSTEM ON THIS VEHICLE, AND OTHERS WILL DIE UNLESS THIS PROBLEM IS CORRECTED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10244649

Incident

Feb 7, 2008

2004 FREIGHTLINER COLUMBIA CONVENTIONAL TIRE BLOW OUT. CONSUMER STATED THAT WHEN THE TIRE BLEW OUT IT CAUSED THE SECOND TRAILER TO HIT A GUARDRAIL IN TWO LOCATIONS. *KB OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT # 10-0013-89. *JB

NHTSA ID

10218370

Incident

Jan 12, 2008

2004 FREIGHTLINER COLUMBIA CAUGHT FIRE UNDER THE HOOD. *KB ACCORDING TO THE REPORT, THE FIRE STARTED DUE TO A POSSIBLE SHORT IN THE WRING. OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT *JB

NHTSA ID

10201486

Incident

Jul 23, 2007

I HAVE A FREIGHTLINER COLUMBIA WITH A MBE 4000 MERCEDES ENGINE. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I HAD TO PUT THE TRUCK IN A SHOP FOR AN EXHAUST LEAK. THIS TIME THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD WAS LEAKING FUMES INTO THE CAB AND MADE ME SICK WITH CARBON MONOXIDE. TOOK TRUCK TO PENN DETROIT DIESEL IN YORK HAVEN,PA. THEY FOUND THAT THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD WAS OFF ON PORT #1 AND #2 BY 1/16 INCH THERE BY ALLOWING EXHAUST FUMES TO ESCAPE AND ENTER THE CAB THROUGH THE FRESH AIR VENT THAT IS UNDER THE HOOD OF THE TRUCK. THEY CHECKED FOR EXHAUST LEAKS AFTER THE WORK WAS DONE AND SAID IT WAS FIXED. I THEN HOOKED UP TO MY TRAILER AND DID MY WALK AROUND AND SMELLED A STRONG ODOR OF EXHAUST COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE TRUCK. I WHEN BACK IN AND REPORTED THIS AND THEY SAID THAT IT WAS THE OIL BURNING OFF THE MANIFOLD. I AM STILL GETTING CO IN THE TRUCK. WILL THIS END WHEN I DIE OR KILL SOMEONE ELSE??ANY HELP ON THIS MATTER WOULD BE GRATEFUL!!!! *NM

NHTSA ID

10173131

Incident

Oct 31, 2006

Mileage

295,400 mi

HAVE FREIGHTLINER COLUMBIA WITH AN MBE 4000 MERCEDES. HAD FLEX PIPE THAT WAS CRACKED LETTING IN CO FUMES. HAD THIS REPLACED BUT AM STILL GETTING LOW LEVELS OF CARBON MONOXIDE IN TRUCK. IT SEAMS TO BE COMING IN THROUGH THE AIR CONDITIONING AND HEATER VENTS. JFB. *NM

NHTSA ID

10171541

Incident

Oct 5, 2006

Mileage

287,737 mi

HAVING HEALTH ISSUES, HEADACHES, BLURRED VISION, INFECTION IN EYE, FATIGUE, HARD BREATHING, CHEST PAINS, DID TEST FOR CARBON MONOXIDE LEVELS OF 31,J UST SITTING, NO OTHER VEHICLES AROUND WHILE TESTING. BEEN ILL FOR A LONG TIME. CAN TASTE THE FUMES COMING IN. THESE FUMES COMING THROUGH THE AIR CONDITION VENTS. MERCEDES ENGINE. *JB

NHTSA ID

10159540

Incident

Jun 10, 2006

Mileage

300,000 mi

SUSPECT CARBON MONOXIDE ENTERING THROUGH VENTS MAKING ME ILL HAVING HEADACHES ,EYE INFECTIONS AND CHEST PAINS SHORTNESS OF BREATH, FATIGUE BLURRED VISION. CHECKED LEVELS OF CARBON MONOXIDE UP TO 31, COMING THROUGH AIR VENTS. *JB

NHTSA ID

10159539

Incident

Jun 11, 2006

Mileage

300,000 mi

CARBON MONOXIDE LEAKAGE INTO CAB FROM HEATER/AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM ON FREIGHTLINER COLUMBIA TRUCKS WITH DETROIT EGR (EPA COMPLIANT) ENGINES ABOUT 2003 AND NEWER. CARBON MONOXIDE RESULTED IN ELEVATED BLOOD PRESSURE, NAUSEA, FLU LIKE SYMPTOMS, HEADACHES, TIREDNESS, ETC.. TRUCK HAS BEEN WORKED ON 5 TIMES FOR THIS PROBLEM, NUMEROUS PARTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED. HAS NOT CORRECTED THE PROBLEM, OR ONLY FOR A SHORT WHILE. PROBLEM EXISTS IN SEVERAL AREAS AND IS NOT READILY APPARENT WHEN DOING IN SHOP TESTING, REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT. SOME PROBLEMS ARE RELATED TO FREIGHTLINER AND SOME TO DETROIT DIESEL. HAVE BEEN ADVISED IS NOT UNCOMMON. *JB

NHTSA ID

10141936

Incident

Nov 4, 2005

Mileage

150,000 mi

CLUTCH WAS HARD TO RELEASE, CHECK AND FOUND CLUTCH WAS COMING APART. REPLACE CLUTCH,EVERYTHING WORKS FINE NOW. *NM

NHTSA ID

10135556

Incident

Aug 8, 2005

Mileage

185,011 mi

CLUTCH EXPLODE GOING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND LOCKED TRUCK IN GEAR AND FRAGMENTS WENT THOUGHT THE BELL HOUSING. COULD HAVE HIT OTHER AUTOS ON HGHWAY OR COULD HAVE SENT FRAGMENT INTO CAB OF TRUCK AND INJURED OR KILLED DRIVER.

NHTSA ID

10129598

Incident

Jul 8, 2005

Mileage

206,407 mi

OUR COMPANY HAS A FLEET OF 2004 FREIGHTLINERS COLUMBIA CABS SEMI-TRACTORS, WHILE I WAS IN OUR REPAIR SHOP THIS LAST WEEKEND, THEY HAD A TRUCK ISOLATED, BECAUSE A DRIVER HAD DIED IN IT. COD HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED AT THIS POINT. WE HAVE HAD SEVERAL ROLLOVER ACCIDENTS IN THESE TRUCKS, AND I HAVE TALKED TO NUMEROUS DRIVERS ABOUT EXHAUST LEAKS. OUR COMPANY IS NOW IN THE PROCESS OF INSTALLING CARBON MONOCIDE DETECTORS IN THESE NEW TRUCKS. MY CONCERN IS, HOW MANY UNEXPLAINABLE ACCIDENTS ARE WE GONING TO HAVE BEFORE THESE PROBLEMS ARE RESOLVED. I DO NOT KNOW IF FREIGHTLINER IS MOVING FAST ENOUGH TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS AND ENDANGERMENT TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. I HOPE THE NHTSA IS ALREADY AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND WORKING WITH THEM TO RESOLVE OR REMOVE THESE VEHICLES FROM OPERATIONS, UNTIL THE UNSAFE CONDITIONS ARE CORRECTED.*AK

NHTSA ID

10065987

Incident

Apr 6, 2004

CONSUMER COMPLAINED OF EXHAUST FUMES ENTERING CAB ON A REGULAR BASIS WHICH WAS CAUSING ILLNESS.*AK

NHTSA ID

10060999

Incident

Mar 1, 2004

EXHAUST FUMES COMING IN TO THE CAB THROUGH THE HEATER AIR CONDITION VENTS. THIS SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH ALL THE FREIGHTLINER COLOMBIA MODEL TRUCKS WITH THE DETROIT DIESEL ENGINE THAT WALMART OWNS. ONE DRIVER SAID THAT HE PUT A CO DETECTOR IN HIS TRUCK AND IT WENT OFF MORE THAN ONCE. I PUT ONE IN MY TRUCK, BUT IT DID NOT GO OFF. WE HAVE HAD ONE DRIVER RUN OFF THE ROAD. HE SAID THAT HE GOT SO TIRED THAT HE COULD HARDLY KEEP HIS EYES OPEN. HE WAS CHECKED FOR HEART ATTACK AND STROKE AND NOTHING WAS FOUND. NOBODY EVER CHECKED HIM FOR CO. *JB

NHTSA ID

10058310

Incident

Feb 12, 2004