2005 Freightliner Sterling Acterra 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 2005 Freightliner Sterling Acterra, 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 & structure1100.0%
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
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
AFTER HAVING THE TOW TRUCK FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS, THE DASH OF THE TOW TRUCK BEGAN TO BREAK EVERYWHERE UP TO SPLIT IN SEVERAL PLACES OF THE SAME. A FEW MONTHS AGO THE FUSE BOX FELL OFF CAUSING THE IMPACT TO THE FOOT OF A CUSTOMER WHO WAS MOUNTED ON THE TOW TRUCK AT THE TIME. THERE IS ANY CHANCE THAT YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS SITUATION IN PARTICULAR OF THE TOW TRUCK. THERE IS SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN DO WITH THIS SITUATION RELATED TO THE DASH BECAUSE THE SITUATION IS NOT ALONE WITH MY TOW TRUCK AND I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE OTHERS STERLING WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. AND WHEN YOU GO TO THE DEALERS ALL THEY SAY IS THAT THEY CAN NOT DO ANYTHING. THE CABLES INSIDE THE DASH HAVE BEEN PEELING, THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE MOVEMENT OF THE DASH. WHEN PEELED GONE CABLES CAUSING SHORT CIRCUITS IN THE SYSTEM AND THIS IS WORRYING BECAUSE IN THE WAKE OF THIS COULD CAUSE A FIRE INSIDE THE TOW TRUCK. *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 .