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2012 Freightliner M2
The 2012 Freightliner M2 appears in 9 NHTSA recall campaigns (service brakes, air, engine and engine cooling and exterior lighting) and in 2 consumer complaints filed with the agency.
The component named most often is suspension: 250 of every 1,000 component mentions for this year, above the 17.8 per 1,000 across all 2012 model-year vehicles and against 50 per 1,000 for the Freightliner M2 line as a whole.
That is more than the average of 0.7 complaints per model year across the 20 Freightliner M2 model years on this register.
Complaints were received in the largest number in 2017 (1); the most recent in the file is dated 29 Sep 2018.
Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA. Recall text is the manufacturer's Part 573 report as filed with NHTSA. Complaint file through 15 May 2019; recall file through 24 Sep 2026.
Recalls by model year:
Recall campaigns
Defect, as filed: Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2004-2019 Freightliner 108SD, 114SD, 122SD, Cascadia, Columbia, Classic, FL80, FLD 120SD, Business Class M2, Western Star 4700, 4900, 6900, Sterling Acterra, L7500, LT7500, L8500, LT8500, L9500, and LT9500 vehicles. The vehicles may have an insufficient service brake air reservoir capacity. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 121, "Air Brake Systems."
Consequence: An insufficient air reservoir volume may reduce brake effectiveness, increasing the risk of crash.
Remedy: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will add air reservoir capacity to the affected vehicles. Owner letters were mailed on November 29, 2021. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-815.
Filed by Daimler Trucks North America LLC (manufacturer campaign FL-815).
Defect, as filed: Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain model year 2007-2016 Freightliner 114SD and M2 Business Class trucks, 2008-2009 Sterling LT8500 trucks and Thomas Built Bus Saf-T-Liner HDX transit buses equipped with certain Cummins Westport ISL G engines. Excessive engine crankcase pressures may cause the 90-degree elbow of the vent tube assembly to detach from the crankcase ventilation breather, possibly allowing engine oil to come into contact with hot surfaces.
Consequence: If engine oil comes into contact with a hot surface, there is an increased risk of a fire.
Remedy: Cummins will notify owners on behalf of DTNA, and dealers will secure the ends of the 90-degree elbow. In addition, the electronic control module (ECM) will be reprogrammed with software that can adjust the engine output under misfire conditions to limit crankcase pressures. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on June 12, 2015. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-745-8000 or Cummins customer service at 1-800-343-7357. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-681.
Filed by Daimler Trucks North America LLC (manufacturer campaign FL-681).
Defect, as filed: Fontaine Modification (Fontaine) is recalling certain model year 2006-2015 Freightliner M2 trucks manufactured January 2, 2006, to January 23, 2015 and modified by Fontaine to have dual steering. Brake lights of the affected vehicles will not illuminate if the primary brake air supply is depleted below 6 psi. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 121, "Air Brake Systems."
Consequence: If the primary brake air system fails causing the truck to rely on the secondary brake air system, the brakes lights may not illuminate when the brakes are applied, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Fontaine will notify owners, and dealers will install a repair kit to resolve the issue, free of charge. The recallbegan on June 12, 2015. Owners may contact Fontaine customer service at 1-800-366-8246.
Filed by Fontaine Modification; components: exterior lighting:brake lights:switch; service brakes, air.
Defect, as filed: Farber Specialty Vehicles (Farber) is recalling various specialty vehicles modified by Farber and equipped with model S2005, S2010, S5005, S5010, S5505, and S5510 wheelchair lifts manufactured by Ricon Corporation. The platform side plate of the affected wheelchair lifts may crack.
Consequence: If the platform side plates crack, the lift platform can separate from the lift and come to rest against the vehicle's lift door. When the doors are opened, the platform may fall out, increasing the risk of injury to the lift operator.
Remedy: Farber will notify owners to take their vehicles to a Ricon dealer or service center who will install supplemental platform support bumpers. Any platform that has already started cracking will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on March 24, 2015. Owners may contact Farber customer service at 1-800-331-3188, or Ricon customer service at 1-800-322-2884. Farber's number for this recall is 14E-041.
Filed by Farber Specialty Vehicles (manufacturer campaign 14E-041).
Defect, as filed: Daimler Trucks of North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain model year 2011-2015 Freightliner Cascadia and M2 trucks manufactured June 2, 2011 to October 23, 2014. The vehicles are not in compliance with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards No. 303, "Fuel System Integrity Of Compressed Natural Gas Vehicles." Specifically, the tail pipe on these vehicles terminates under the compressed natural gas (CNG) tank and can overheat the fuel system.
Consequence: Due to the area of its placement, the exhaust system forces heat around, and may overheat, the fuel system components, increasing the risk of a vehicle fire.
Remedy: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will extend the tailpipe beyond the cabinet, free of charge. The recall began Feburary 12, 2015. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-745-8000. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-671.
Filed by Daimler Trucks North America LLC (manufacturer campaign FL-671); components: fuel system, other:storage:tank assembly; engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe.
Defect, as filed: Daimler Trucks North America LLC (Daimler) is recalling certain model year 2008-2015 Freightliner 114SD, Cascadia, M2 Business Class, Sterling LT8500, and Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner HDX vehicles manufactured February 19, 2008, through February 11, 2014, and equipped with Cummins Westport Model ISL G and Cummins Westport Model ISX12 G engines. Condensation in the intake manifold may freeze during cold weather conditions and interfere with the proper operation of the intake manifold pressure sensor.
Consequence: The sensor malfunction could induce elevated exhaust temperatures or flames from the exhaust pipe, increasing the risk of a vehicle fire or burn injury to a person near the exhaust pipe.
Remedy: Cummins and Cummins Westport will notify owners, and authorized Cummins service facilities will upload a new ECM calibration, free of charge. The recall began on April 12, 2014. Customers may contact Daimler at 1-800-385-4357 or Cummins Inc. at 1-800-343-7357. Daimler's number for this recall is FL-660.
Filed by Daimler Trucks North America (manufacturer campaign FL-660).
Defect, as filed: Daimler trucks is recalling certain model year 2006-2012 freightliner business class m2, cascadia, century, columbia, coronado and sterling a-line vehicles built with meritor wabco electronic stability control (ESC) system manufactured from september 15, 2005 through september 1, 2011. Under certain road and driving conditions, vehicle body roll and road inclination characteristics may adversely affect the slip angle calculation of the electronic stability control (ESC) system. This might cause the ESC to perceive an over steering situation and therefore apply the outer wheel brake on the front axle until the vehicle is perceived to be stable.
Consequence: If the driver is slow to react during this ESC intervention, the vehicle may deviate from the intended line of travel increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Daimler trucks will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ESC module with the appropriate software version as necessary, free of charge. An interim owner notification will be mailed on or about november 21, 2011. The date for availability of the final remedy is subject to validation testing and parts availability. The safety recall began on march 28, 2012. Owners may contact daimler trucks toll-free at 1-800-547-0712.
Filed by DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA (manufacturer campaign FL-612).
Defect, as filed: Daimler trucks north america is recalling certain model year 2005 through 2012 freightliner m2, sterling acterra, 7500 & 8500, and thomas built hdx vehicles manufactured from june 23, 2004, through march 15, 2011, equipped with specific mbe900 epa04 and epa07 model engines. The intake air grid heater may short circuit and fail due to excessive internal temperatures.
Consequence: A short circuited grid heater could result in a vehicle fire and injury to vehicle occupants.
Remedy: Daimler trucks will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. Repairs will be performed by detroit diesel corporation authorized repair facilities. The safety recall began on september 12, 2011. Owners may contact daimler trucks toll-free at 1-800-547-0712. This recall is an expansion of a previous recall, campaign number 10v-341.
Filed by DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA (manufacturer campaign 10C-5).
Defect, as filed: Daimler trucks is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 freightliner cascadia, m2, and western star 4900 vehicles, manufactured from january 11, 2011, through february 21, 2011, and equipped with a meritor driveline. The tubing used to assemble the affected drivelines has a nonconforming seam weld with insufficient bonding of the material.
Consequence: A tube seam weld that is not properly bonded can result in the driveline assembly fracturing along the length of the tube seam weld. The fractured tube can twist or sever. This could result in additional damage to the driveline, the vehicle to which it is attached and any additional nearby components. This may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the drivelines free of charge. The safety recall began on june 27, 2011. Owners may contact daimler trucks at 1-800-547-0712.
Filed by DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA (manufacturer campaign FL-606).
Each entry links to the NHTSA record. NHTSA states that safety recall repairs are free of charge at an authorised dealer; check a specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Complaints by component
Component mentions per 1,000 for the 2012 Freightliner M2 (black) against all 2012 model-year vehicles in the file (yellow). A complaint can name more than one component.
| Per 1,000 component mentions | 2012 | M2 line | All 2012 vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 250 | 50 | 17.8 |
| Electronic Stability Control (ESC) | 250 | 50 | 24.2 |
| Engine | 250 | 150 | 127.7 |
| Unknown or Other | 250 | 100 | 60.4 |
| Component | Mentions | Per 1,000 | Line | All 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 1 | 250 | 50 | 17.8 |
| Electronic Stability Control (ESC) | 1 | 250 | 50 | 24.2 |
| Engine | 1 | 250 | 150 | 127.7 |
| Unknown or Other | 1 | 250 | 100 | 60.4 |
2 unique complaints, 4 component mentions; 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported by complainants. Complaint narratives are not republished.
Complaints by year received
Investigations
No NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation action in the current file names this model year.
Other Freightliner M2 model years
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints | Units in campaigns |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 2 | 0 | 784 |
| 2006 | 5 | 3 | 10,872 |
| 2007 | 7 | 2 | 19,815 |
| 2008 | 10 | 1 | 53,878 |
| 2009 | 15 | 2 | 71,050 |
| 2010 | 17 | 0 | 71,201 |
| 2011 | 17 | 0 | 77,057 |
| 2012 | 9 | 2 | 15,786 |
| 2013 | 8 | 1 | 15,321 |
| 2014 | 11 | 1 | 16,965 |
| 2015 | 12 | 0 | 22,876 |
| 2016 | 6 | 2 | 4,665 |
| 2017 | 6 | 0 | 1,197 |
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | 46 |
| 2019 NHTSA | 1 | 0 | 60,604 |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | 118,108 |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | 118,108 |
| 2022 NHTSA | 1 | 0 | 57,504 |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | 511 |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 2,566 |
Model years with a single campaign and fewer than 25 complaints have no page here; the NHTSA link opens the agency's record for that year.
All Freightliner M2 model years · Freightliner: 77 model lines
Questions and answers
How many recalls does the 2012 Freightliner M2 have?
9 NHTSA recall campaigns name this model year; the most recent, 19V370000, was reported to NHTSA on 14 May 2019 and concerns service brakes, air:supply:reservoir/tank. Across all model years the Freightliner M2 line has 44 campaigns.
Is there an open NHTSA investigation into the 2012 Freightliner M2?
No NHTSA investigation in the current file names this model year.
What component do owners of the 2012 Freightliner M2 complain about most?
Suspension: 1 of 4 component mentions (250 per 1,000). Next is electronic stability control (esc) with 1. Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA.
How do I get a recall repaired?
NHTSA states that safety recall repairs are performed free of charge by the manufacturer's authorised dealers. Each campaign's remedy text above is the manufacturer's statement as filed with NHTSA. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
Where does this data come from?
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation recall, complaint and investigation flat files, public domain, downloaded 24 Sep 2026. Complaint counts are unique complaint numbers per make, model and model year; component figures count each component a complaint names. The NHTSA record linked from each campaign is authoritative.
Provenance
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Defects Investigation flat files (recalls, complaints, investigations), public domain, files dated 24 Sep 2026 (recalls) and 15 May 2019 (complaints). Complaints since 1 Jan 1995. Counts are unique complaint numbers per make, model and model year; per-1,000 rates divide a component's mentions by all mentions for the same group. Errors in processing are corrected at the next daily build; see corrections and the methodology.