2006 Freightliner Sprinter 3500 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 2006 Freightliner Sprinter 3500, 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
- Engine150.0%
- Fuel system150.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
TURBO RESONATOR PREVENTED ME FROM DRIVING OVER 45 MPH WHILE I WAS ON A 70 MPH FREEWAY! HAD TO HAVE RV TOWED! I WAS TERRIFIED. ADDITIONALLY, I JUST FOUND OUT THAT THE TURBO RESONATOR PART 5137154AC WAS THE SAME ONE USED TO REPLACE THE ONE THAT FAILED. I HAVE FOUND OUT THAT THIS PART IS MADE OUT OF PLASTIC, WHICH CRACKS AT HIGH HEAT AND CAUSES MY VEHICLE TO SLOW DOWN AND PREVENTS IT FROM GOING UPHILL. THE SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED WAS TWO DAYS AGO ON SEPT. 28 WITH ONLY 28,160 MILES ON MY RV WHEN I WAS DRIVING IN MY RV WITH MY FAMILY ON A DARK DESERTED HIGHWAY 4 HOURS FROM MY HOME, AND IT JUST WOULDN'T GO OVER 45-50 MPH WITH MY FOOT ALL THE WAY DOWN ON THE ACCELERATOR. I WAS TERRIFIED AGAIN, AS I THOUGHT IT COULD NOT BE THE RESONATOR, AS I HAD IT REPLACED ONLY 18,000 MILES AGO AND IT SHOULD NOT BE FAILING. I COULD NOT FIND A CHRYSLER DEALER WHO WOULD WORK ON MY VEHICLE NEAR WHERE I WAS SO I DROVE IT SLOWLY 74 MILES (TERRFIED WHEN I CAME TO HILLS OR BRIDGES!!!!!!) TO CORPUS CHRISTI TO A MERCEDES DEALER, WHO APPARENTLY JUST REPLACED THE DEFECTIVE PART WITH ANOTHER ONE JUST LIKE IT! I AM NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE MY VEHICLE ANYWHERE, AS I AM A WOMAN WHO NEEDS TO KNOW THAT SHE IS SAFE WHEN SHE IS TRAVELING, ESPECIALLY WITH MY FAMILY! I KNOW THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY PERSON WHO HAS HAD REPEATED PROBLEMS WITH THIS TURBO RESONATOR AND WHO WOULD LIKE FOR THE MANUFACTURER TO RECALL THE PARTS AND REPLACE THEM WITH SOMETHING THAT DOES NOT FAIL AND IS SAFE. PLEASE ADVISE ME WHAT TO DO FROM HERE. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
TURBO RESONATOR PREVENTED ME FROM DRIVING OVER 45 MPH WHILE I WAS ON A 70 MPH FREEWAY! HAD TO HAVE RV TOWED! I WAS TERRIFIED. ADDITIONALLY, I JUST FOUND OUT THAT THE TURBO RESONATOR PART 5137154AC WAS THE SAME ONE USED TO REPLACE THE ONE THAT FAILED. I HAVE FOUND OUT THAT THIS PART IS MADE OUT OF PLASTIC, WHICH CRACKS AT HIGH HEAT AND CAUSES MY VEHICLE TO SLOW DOWN AND PREVENTS IT FROM GOING UPHILL. THE SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED WAS TWO DAYS AGO ON SEPT. 28 WITH ONLY 28,160 MILES ON MY RV WHEN I WAS DRIVING IN MY RV WITH MY FAMILY ON A DARK DESERTED HIGHWAY 4 HOURS FROM MY HOME, AND IT JUST WOULDN'T GO OVER 45-50 MPH WITH MY FOOT ALL THE WAY DOWN ON THE ACCELERATOR. I WAS TERRIFIED AGAIN, AS I THOUGHT IT COULD NOT BE THE RESONATOR, AS I HAD IT REPLACED ONLY 18,000 MILES AGO AND IT SHOULD NOT BE FAILING. I COULD NOT FIND A CHRYSLER DEALER WHO WOULD WORK ON MY VEHICLE NEAR WHERE I WAS SO I DROVE IT SLOWLY 74 MILES (TERRFIED WHEN I CAME TO HILLS OR BRIDGES!!!!!!) TO CORPUS CHRISTI TO A MERCEDES DEALER, WHO APPARENTLY JUST REPLACED THE DEFECTIVE PART WITH ANOTHER ONE JUST LIKE IT! I AM NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE MY VEHICLE ANYWHERE, AS I AM A WOMAN WHO NEEDS TO KNOW THAT SHE IS SAFE WHEN SHE IS TRAVELING, ESPECIALLY WITH MY FAMILY! I KNOW THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY PERSON WHO HAS HAD REPEATED PROBLEMS WITH THIS TURBO RESONATOR AND WHO WOULD LIKE FOR THE MANUFACTURER TO RECALL THE PARTS AND REPLACE THEM WITH SOMETHING THAT DOES NOT FAIL AND IS SAFE. PLEASE ADVISE ME WHAT TO DO FROM HERE. *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 .