1998 Freightliner Century: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 1998 Freightliner Century. The newest campaign is 03V112000. NHTSA received the report on 21 Mar 2003. The NHTSA record gives the component Suspension / Front / Hub. NHTSA has 9 complaints on file for this model year. 2 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 03V112000, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will replace both front hubs. Owner notification is expected to begin on or before september 20, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact freightliner at 1-800-547-0712.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 29 Mar 2018. Recall file through 29 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

5 campaigns, newest first. 68,871 units in total.

03V11200021 Mar 2003Suspension / Front / Hub
00V2320027 Aug 2000Service Brakes, Air / Antilock
99V35900029 Dec 1999Steering / Linkages / Tie Rod Assembly
99V29500026 Oct 1999Suspension / Front / Hub
98V08500021 Apr 1998Suspension / Front

03V112000Received 21 Mar 2003. 5,716 units.
Suspension / Front / Hub
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain trucks equipped with truck hub units manufactured by skf exclusively for use on arvinmeritor's ff98x series non-drive steer axles, the hub unit bearings can wear prematurely.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Seizure of the bearings can cause wheel separation or wheel end fire.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace both front hubs. Owner notification is expected to begin on or before september 20, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact freightliner at 1-800-547-0712.
Report filed by FREIGHTLINER CORPORATION. Manufacturer campaign number FL-407. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 20 Sep 2003.
00V232002Received 7 Aug 2000. 35,405 units.
Service Brakes, Air / Antilock
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks and school bus chassis built with bendix air ABS with an ec-17 1030r electronic control unit (ECU), there have been reports of unwanted ABS activation at low speeds caused by 1) chafed ABS wheel speed sensor wires on rotating parts or 2) a damaged component at the wheel end that generates a certain type of erratic sensor signal.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This condition could cause the ABS ECU to exhaust the air at the air brake modulators for one or more of the wheels. This could result in extended braking distances and a possible crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the ABS ECU.
Report filed by FREIGHTLINER CORPORATION. Manufacturer campaign number FL-266. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 29 Aug 2000.
99V359000Received 29 Dec 1999. 2,588 units.
Steering / Linkages / Tie Rod Assembly
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks. The tie rod ends can fracture due to low stress, high cycle, reversed bending fatigue resulting from a system resonance.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Loss of steering control could occur, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the tie rod ends and tube assembly.
Report filed by FREIGHTLINER CORPORATION. Manufacturer campaign number FL-251. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 8 May 2000.
99V295000Received 26 Oct 1999. 2,976 units.
Suspension / Front / Hub
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks. The outboard bearing on the steering axle hubs can fail due to water intrusion through a hubcap vent.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This condition can result in a separation of the wheel.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will remove the hubcap and inspect for water intrusion and corrosion. The hub and bearing assembly will be replaced if there is evidence of corrosion. A non-vented hubcap will be installed.
Report filed by FREIGHTLINER CORPORATION. Manufacturer campaign number FL-246. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 18 Nov 1999.
98V085000Received 21 Apr 1998. 22,186 units.
Suspension / Front
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with meritor interaxle driveline u-joints. Deflector rings, a part of the system to seal the u-joints from contaminates, are loose. This allows water to enter the u-joint bearing area result in dilution of the lubricant, oxidation of the bearing and seal surfaces, and loss of lubricant.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If this problem goes undetected, the interaxle driveline can separate from the vehicle, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the u-joints with the current design u-joints.
Report filed by FREIGHTLINER CORPORATION. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 13 Jul 1998.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

9 complaints, 21 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. This model year has fewer than 50 component mentions, so the table shows the number of mentions only.

1998 Freightliner Century: component mentions in complaints
Component		Mentions
Visibility		4
Fuel System, Gasoline		3
Engine and Engine Cooling		3
Power Train		2
Steering		2
Structure		1
Seats		1
Latches/Locks/Linkages		1
Exterior Lighting		1
Suspension		1

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 12.

Complaints that report a crash: 0
Complaints that report a fire: 0
Injuries in the complaints: 0
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 17 Feb 2005

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1998 Freightliner Century, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 1999, with 4 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1998 Freightliner Century
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
PE03005	Preliminary evaluation	FRONT BRAKE AIR HOSE LEAKS	Service Brakes, Air / Supply / Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings	7 Feb 2003	22 Aug 2003
PE02088	Preliminary evaluation	INTEGRAL HUB AND BEARING ASSEMBLY	Wheels	22 Nov 2002	1 May 2003	03E019000

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 1998 Freightliner CenturyThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1998 Freightliner Century: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/freightliner/century/1998/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 29 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 29 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 29 Mar 2018
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: FREIGHTLINER CORPORATION

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1998 Freightliner Century?: 68,871 units in 5 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Freightliner Century have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 38 recall campaigns for the Freightliner Century, model years 1995 to 2013. 5 of them name the 1998 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1998 Freightliner Century name most often?: Visibility: 4 of 21 component mentions.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1998 Freightliner Century open?: No. Each of the 2 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.