RoadVitals

2002 Freightliner Sterling

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
1
Latest Jun 5, 2003
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
1
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 2002 Freightliner Sterling, most frequently naming the steering category. 1 NHTSA investigation names it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Steering1100.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Safety investigations

NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.

EA02036ClosedEngineering Analysis

ABS CORROSION EXTENDS STOPPING DIST

Opened Dec 11, 2002
Closed Jan 26, 2004

THE TONE RING TOOTH PROFILE OF AN UNCOATED HYDRAULIC DISC BRAKE DEGRADES AFTER EXPOSURE TO CORROSIVE ENVIRONMENTS.WHEN THE TONE RING TOOTH PROFILE HAS DEGRADED IN FREIGHTLINER VEHICLES, THE ABS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATES RELIABLY TO WARN THE OPERATOR TO HAVE THE ABS SYSTEM SERVICED.IN RESPONSE TO ODI'S INQUIRY, FREIGHTLINER HAS ISSUED INFORMATION TO ALL AFFECTED OWNERS THAT ALERTS OWNERS TO THE IMPORTANCE OF RESPONDING TO THE ILLUMINATED ABS WARNING LIGHT.FREIGHTLINER ADOPTED COATED ROTORS DURING 2002 (DATE VARIES BY MODEL). SINCE NEITHER ODI NOR FREIGHTLINER HAVE ACCURATE DATA TO FORECAST THE CORROSION RESISTANCE OF COATED ROTORS, ODI PLANS TO CONDUCT A FUTURE SURVEY AT FREIGHTLINER (IN 18-24 MONTHS) TO EVALUATE THE DURABILITY OF THE COATED ROTORS.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Steering
Filed Jun 5, 2003

THE RIGHT FRONT TIE ROD SNAPPED, WHICH MADE THE VEHICLE DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. *JB

NHTSA ID
10022422
Incident
Jun 2, 2003

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Freightliner Sterling by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2004010—
2002Viewing101—
2001011—
2000041—
1999111—
1998011—
1997011—

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.