Freightliner Business Class M2 · model year

2012 Freightliner Business Class M2

4 NHTSA complaints, and 12 recall campaigns listed for this cohort. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

Complaints
4
Recalls
12

The verdict

The 2012 Freightliner Business Class M2 posts above-average complaint volume among its own model-year siblings.

38th pctile
complaint volume, own model years
12
recall campaigns

The 2012FreightlinerBusiness Class M2 carries 4 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 2012 Business Class M2 is exterior lighting with 1 filings, followed by steering (1) and engine (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause. This cohort has 12 NHTSA recall campaigns listed below. Enter a VIN in NHTSA's official recall lookup to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

NHTSA currently has 1 investigation file overlapping the 2012 Business Class M2. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.

4
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
2012 Freightliner Business Class M2

PlainCars' own composite of NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings and rollover-risk assessment, each dimension normalized against the federal scale or the full national model-year corpus. Not an official NHTSA figure, and not a substitute for a specific vehicle's VIN-level recall check.

NHTSA Overall Rating N/A
Not rated
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program overall crash-test rating.
Front Crash N/A
Not rated
Frontal barrier crash-test rating.
Side Crash N/A
Not rated
Side barrier and pole crash-test rating.
Rollover Resistance N/A
Not rated
Static stability factor + dynamic rollover test rating.
Rollover Risk N/A
Not reported
NHTSA single-vehicle rollover probability, dynamic test.

Total Complaints

4 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
EXTERIOR LIGHTING1
STEERING1
ENGINE1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1

Recalls (12)

18V50300031/07/2018

STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2012-2015 Freightliner Cascadia, Coronado, Business Class M2, 114SD, and Western Star 4900 trucks. In certain front axle, brake lining, and brake spider combinations, braking may cause high vibrations, resulting in early failure of the t

12V07400028/02/2012

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL

DAIMLER TRUCKS (DTNA) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2013 FREIGHTLINER, STERLING, AND WESTERN STAR VEHICLES, EQUIPPED WITH DETROIT DIESEL EPA07 AND EPA10, DD13 AND DD15/16 ENGINES, MANUFACTURED FROM JANUARY 20, 2006, THROUGH FEBRUARY 20, 2012. THE PUMP TO RAIL HIGH PRESSURE FUEL LINE SUPPORT

11V60500027/12/2011

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL

DAIMLER TRUCKS (DTNA) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 AND 2012 FREIGHTLINER BUSINESS CLASS M2 AND WESTERN STAR 4900 EMERGENCY VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JULY 2, 2010, THROUGH DECEMBER 13, 2011, EQUIPPED WITH A DD13 EPA10 DETROIT DIESEL ENGINE. THE ENGINE SHUTDOWN SOFTWARE NORMALLY PROVIDED TO

12V17800024/04/2012

SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:SUPPLY:QUICK RELEASE VALVE

DAIMLER TRUCKS (DTNA) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012-2013 FREIGHTLINER 108SD, BUSINESS CLASS M2, CASCADIA, CORONADO VEHICLES, EQUIPPED WITH A HALDEX QUICK RELEASE VALVE, AND MANUFACTURED FROM FEBRUARY 3, 2012, THROUGH MARCH 2, 2012. THE QUICK RELEASE VALVE COVER MAY NOT BE CORRECTLY MANUFAC

13V63400016/12/2013

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is recalling certain model year 2009-2014 model year Freightliner Business Class M2 and Freightliner Custom Chassis MT45 and MT55 chassis manufactured August 27, 2008, through December 10, 2013 and equipped with Eaton hybrid automated transmissions. The software

12V40500016/08/2012

EQUIPMENT

Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 Freightliner, Sterling, and Western Star vehicles manufactured from July 7, 2008, through December 15, 2011, and equipped with perpendicular air tank mounting brackets. The air tank mounting brackets may develop cracks wh

11V47400015/09/2011

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

DAIMLER TRUCKS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011- 2012 BUSINESS CLASS M2 AND CORONADO TRUCKS MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 1, 2010, THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2010, EQUIPPED WITH A CUMMINS ISX OR ISL DIESEL ENGINE. THE V-BAND CLAMP ASSEMBLY, PART NUMBERS Q187684, Q187685, AND Q187686, USED TO CONNECT TH

20V21400014/04/2020

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2006-2020 Freightliner Columbia, 2006-2021 Freightliner Business Class M2, 2007-2020 Freightliner Coronado, 2014-2021 Freightliner 122 SD, 2007 Sterling A 9500, 2006 Freightliner Argosy, 2006-2007 Sterling AT9500, 2008-2021 Freightliner Ca

16V20600012/04/2016

SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:DISC:CALIPER

Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain model year 2010-2017 Freightliner M2 Business Class, 108SD, 114SD, and Columbia trucks manufactured from January 6, 2010, through February 29, 2016, equipped with certain Bendix rear disk brakes and spring suspensions. The rear disk brake

13V07400004/03/2013

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Business Class M2, 108SD, 114SD vehicle chassis, manufactured from December 3, 2011, through October 12, 2012 and equipped with a SmartPlex switch hub module. Residue left over in the manufacturing process of the switch h

12V13700002/04/2012

STEERING:COLUMN

DAIMLER TRUCKS (DTNA) IS RECALLING ONE 2012 CASCADIA AND CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2012 AND 2013 FREIGHTLINER BUSINESS CLASS M2 VEHICLES, AND MODEL YEAR 2013 108SD AND 114SD VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JANUARY 20, 2012, THROUGH FEBRUARY 17, 2012. CERTAIN PROPERTY CLASS 04 (PC04) STEERING WHEEL NUTS WITH IN

15V61600001/10/2015

TRAILER HITCHES:FIFTH WHEEL ASSEMBLY

Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Cascadia, Business Class M2, Coronado, and Columbia Glider vehicles manufactured April 5, 2010, to June 15, 2013. The affected trucks are equipped with Fontaine Ultra LT Fifth Wheel connectors, which, due to cumulativ

Recent Complaints

20220616UNKNOWN OR OTHER

ELD disconnected by a not yet qualified driver. Driver ID known, vehicle known but the location of the vehicle unknown. We are not able to locate the vehicle and by the conduct of the driver we believe he can be a threat on the road.

20201128ENGINE

CATALYTIC HAS ISSUES

Mileage: 100

20190528STEERING

PERSISTENT FRONT SWAY BAR BUSHING FAILURE CAUSING EXCESSIVE ROLL IN VEHICLE STEERING WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. RELATED TO TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 32-47. BUSHINGS FAIL AFTER ONLY A FEW THOUSAND MILES AND MUST BE REPLACED REPEATEDLY.

Mileage: 6,000

20120604EXTERIOR LIGHTING

THE PARKING LAMPS HAD FAILED PREMATURELY ON THIS VEHICLE. THIS IS NOT THE ONLY INSTANCE OF THESE LAMPS FAILING ON THE 2012 MODEL YEAR FREIGHTLINER. *TR

Mileage: 4,399

Compare 2012FreightlinerBusiness Class M2 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Vehicle Safety Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2012 Freightliner Business Class M2 have?
The 2012 Freightliner Business Class M2 has 4 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2012 Freightliner Business Class M2?
Yes, the 2012 Freightliner Business Class M2 has 12 recall(s). The most common affected component is STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Freightliner Business Class M2?
The most-complained component for the 2012 Freightliner Business Class M2 is EXTERIOR LIGHTING with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STEERING and ENGINE.
Is the 2012 Freightliner Business Class M2 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.

Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 2012 Freightliner Business Class M2; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.