2003 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 2003 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
- Suspension2100.0%
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
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 STERLING ACTERRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE FRONT PASSENGER WHEEL DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE AND DESTROYED A NEARBY FENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED UNDER THE RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 04V272000 (SUSPENSION:FRONT:WHEEL BEARING), BUT THE FAILURE HAD SINCE RECURRED IN 2009 AND 2011.THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 119,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 215,000.
DT: CONTACT RECEIVED MANUFACTURER RECALL FL-424 SAYING TO TAKE THE TRUCK TO A DEALER. WHEN SHE CALLED DEALER TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT DEALER SAID HE NEEDED TO ORDER THE RECALL PART. WHEN SHE CALLED BACK HE SAID THAT PART WASN'T IN YET. THE THIRD TIME SHE CALLED DEALER SAID HE HAD NOT ORDERED THE PART YET, AND HE NEEDED TO SEE THE TRUCK FIRST BEFORE HE ORDERED THE PART, AND HE WAS GOING TO CHARGE CONTACT FOR TAKING THE CAR APART AND PUTTING IT BACK TOGETHER AGAIN. ALSO, HE WOULD HAVE TO CHARGE THEM FOR THE PART IN ORDER TO GET THE PART OVERNIGHT. CONTACT DID NOT WANT WANT TO TAKE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER BECAUSE HE WAS SAYING THAT IT WILL TAKE A WEEK TO GET THE WORK DONE. SHE SAID HER RECALL LETTER STATED IT SHOULD TAKE TWO HOURS TO DO THE REPAIRS. *AK
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 .