2012 Freightliner Sprinter 2500 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 2012 Freightliner Sprinter 2500, 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
- Body & structure133.3%
- Driver assistance133.3%
- Electrical133.3%
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
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
LOCATION OF CRUISE CONTROL ARM IS TOO CLOSE TO THE STEERING WHEEL AND TURN SIGNAL ARM. ACCIDENTAL ACTIVATION IS LIKELY AND HAS OCCURRED DURING NORMAL OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE BY EITHER ACCIDENTAL CONTACT OF THE LEFT HAND WHILE STEERING OR WHILE ATTEMPTING TO OPERATE THE TURN SIGNAL. THIS CONDITION IS COMPOUNDED BY THE ORIENTATION OF THE CRUISE CONTROL ARM, WHERE AN UP OR DOWN MANIPULATION WILL 'SET' OR 'RESUME' THE CRUISE SPEED, BOTH OF WHICH CAN ACTIVATE THE CRUISE SYSTEM. SUCH MANIPULATION (UP OR DOWN) IS MOST LIKELY TO OCCUR DUE TO THE CONTROL ARM'S RELATIVE POSITION TO THE STEERING WHEEL AND TURN SIGNAL CONTROL ARM. THIS CONDITION IS FURTHER COMPOUNDED BY THE LACK OF ANY INDICATION TO THE DRIVER THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM IS ACTIVATED. THERE IS ALSO NO SEPARATE CRUISE CONTROL ENABLE SWITCH FOR THE DRIVER TO BE AWARE THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM MAY ACTIVATE. THE RESULT OF THIS CONDITION IS THAT THE DRIVER MAY ACCIDENTALLY AND UNKNOWINGLY ACTIVATE THE VEHICLE'S CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM, RESULTING IN UNEXPECTED VEHICLE BEHAVIOR OR POSSIBLE LOSS OF CONTROL FROM UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION. RECOMMEND REPLACEMENT OF CRUISE CONTROL ARM WITH A DIFFERENT DESIGN TO MOVE IT AWAY FROM THE STEERING WHEEL AND TURN SIGNAL CONTROL ARM. ALTERNATIVELY, CHANGING THE SWITCH ORIENTATION SO THAT UP/DOWN MANIPULATION CAUSES THE CRUISE SETTING TO 'CANCEL', WHICH IS A SAFER UNINTENDED ACTION (DEACTIVATE) THAN THE CURRENT 'SET' ACTION (ACTIVATE). *TR
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
LOCATION OF CRUISE CONTROL ARM IS TOO CLOSE TO THE STEERING WHEEL AND TURN SIGNAL ARM. ACCIDENTAL ACTIVATION IS LIKELY AND HAS OCCURRED DURING NORMAL OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE BY EITHER ACCIDENTAL CONTACT OF THE LEFT HAND WHILE STEERING OR WHILE ATTEMPTING TO OPERATE THE TURN SIGNAL. THIS CONDITION IS COMPOUNDED BY THE ORIENTATION OF THE CRUISE CONTROL ARM, WHERE AN UP OR DOWN MANIPULATION WILL 'SET' OR 'RESUME' THE CRUISE SPEED, BOTH OF WHICH CAN ACTIVATE THE CRUISE SYSTEM. SUCH MANIPULATION (UP OR DOWN) IS MOST LIKELY TO OCCUR DUE TO THE CONTROL ARM'S RELATIVE POSITION TO THE STEERING WHEEL AND TURN SIGNAL CONTROL ARM. THIS CONDITION IS FURTHER COMPOUNDED BY THE LACK OF ANY INDICATION TO THE DRIVER THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM IS ACTIVATED. THERE IS ALSO NO SEPARATE CRUISE CONTROL ENABLE SWITCH FOR THE DRIVER TO BE AWARE THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM MAY ACTIVATE. THE RESULT OF THIS CONDITION IS THAT THE DRIVER MAY ACCIDENTALLY AND UNKNOWINGLY ACTIVATE THE VEHICLE'S CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM, RESULTING IN UNEXPECTED VEHICLE BEHAVIOR OR POSSIBLE LOSS OF CONTROL FROM UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION. RECOMMEND REPLACEMENT OF CRUISE CONTROL ARM WITH A DIFFERENT DESIGN TO MOVE IT AWAY FROM THE STEERING WHEEL AND TURN SIGNAL CONTROL ARM. ALTERNATIVELY, CHANGING THE SWITCH ORIENTATION SO THAT UP/DOWN MANIPULATION CAUSES THE CRUISE SETTING TO 'CANCEL', WHICH IS A SAFER UNINTENDED ACTION (DEACTIVATE) THAN THE CURRENT 'SET' ACTION (ACTIVATE). *TR
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
LOCATION OF CRUISE CONTROL ARM IS TOO CLOSE TO THE STEERING WHEEL AND TURN SIGNAL ARM. ACCIDENTAL ACTIVATION IS LIKELY AND HAS OCCURRED DURING NORMAL OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE BY EITHER ACCIDENTAL CONTACT OF THE LEFT HAND WHILE STEERING OR WHILE ATTEMPTING TO OPERATE THE TURN SIGNAL. THIS CONDITION IS COMPOUNDED BY THE ORIENTATION OF THE CRUISE CONTROL ARM, WHERE AN UP OR DOWN MANIPULATION WILL 'SET' OR 'RESUME' THE CRUISE SPEED, BOTH OF WHICH CAN ACTIVATE THE CRUISE SYSTEM. SUCH MANIPULATION (UP OR DOWN) IS MOST LIKELY TO OCCUR DUE TO THE CONTROL ARM'S RELATIVE POSITION TO THE STEERING WHEEL AND TURN SIGNAL CONTROL ARM. THIS CONDITION IS FURTHER COMPOUNDED BY THE LACK OF ANY INDICATION TO THE DRIVER THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM IS ACTIVATED. THERE IS ALSO NO SEPARATE CRUISE CONTROL ENABLE SWITCH FOR THE DRIVER TO BE AWARE THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM MAY ACTIVATE. THE RESULT OF THIS CONDITION IS THAT THE DRIVER MAY ACCIDENTALLY AND UNKNOWINGLY ACTIVATE THE VEHICLE'S CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM, RESULTING IN UNEXPECTED VEHICLE BEHAVIOR OR POSSIBLE LOSS OF CONTROL FROM UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION. RECOMMEND REPLACEMENT OF CRUISE CONTROL ARM WITH A DIFFERENT DESIGN TO MOVE IT AWAY FROM THE STEERING WHEEL AND TURN SIGNAL CONTROL ARM. ALTERNATIVELY, CHANGING THE SWITCH ORIENTATION SO THAT UP/DOWN MANIPULATION CAUSES THE CRUISE SETTING TO 'CANCEL', WHICH IS A SAFER UNINTENDED ACTION (DEACTIVATE) THAN THE CURRENT 'SET' ACTION (ACTIVATE). *TR
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 .