NHTSA campaign 98V085000

Freightliner Recall 98V-085: FREIGHTLINER/INTERAXLE U-JOINTS

NHTSA recall 98V085000 was reported by FREIGHTLINER CORPORATION on April 21, 1998, with 22,186 vehicles potentially affected (per NHTSA). NHTSA's record lists the Freightliner Century for model years 1996–1998. Owners were notified on July 13, 1998, per NHTSA.

Updated daily from NHTSA's recall files

Is my vehicle included?

This page lists, by model year, the vehicles NHTSA's recall record names for campaign 98V085000 in the model years try.vin imports (1995 and later); NHTSA's own record can list more. A model year on the list doesn't mean every vehicle of that year is included, and some may already have been repaired.

To see whether a specific vehicle is included and still needs the repair, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Free VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.

Key facts

NHTSA campaign: 98V085000 (also written 98V-085 or 98V085)
Filed by: FREIGHTLINER CORPORATION
Report received: April 21, 1998
Potentially affected: 22,186 vehicles (per NHTSA)
Component: Suspension — Front
Owners notified: July 13, 1998

Vehicles listed for this recall

NHTSA's recall record lists these vehicles for recall 98V085000. try.vin imports model years 1995 and later, so NHTSA's own list can be longer. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to it. Build dates are NHTSA's range for a model year (per NHTSA); a vehicle built in that range is not necessarily included.

Freightliner

Freightliner Century
- 1996, 1997, 1998 · Vehicles built April 1, 1996 – March 31, 1998 (per NHTSA)

All Freightliner recalls

NHTSA's recall notice

As NHTSA's recall record states it for campaign 98V085000.

Defect description

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.

Safety consequence

IF THIS PROBLEM GOES UNDETECTED, THE INTERAXLE DRIVELINE CAN SEPARATE FROM THE VEHICLE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.

Manufacturer remedy

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE U-JOINTS WITH THE CURRENT DESIGN U-JOINTS.

Notes

OWNER NOTIFICATION WILL BE CONDUCTED IN TWO PHASES.THE FIRST PHASE IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN JULY 13, 1998. THE SECOND PHASE WILL BEGIN AUGUST 8, 1998. 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.ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

Sources

Official NHTSA notice for recall 98V085000

Campaign details come from NHTSA's recall files, which try.vin imports once a day. The plain-language subject and the completion rate come from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Recalls Data dataset. How try.vin reads recall data.