Total Complaints
19 filings
FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA · model year
19 NHTSA complaints, 4 crash reports, and 26 active recalls for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2018FREIGHTLINERCASCADIA carries 19 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 4 crashes, 1 fire, 0 injuries, and 3 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2018 CASCADIA is vehicle speed control with 3 filings, followed by service brakes (2) and electrical system (2). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 26 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle, the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.
NHTSA currently has 38 investigation files overlapping the 2018 CASCADIA. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page, a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
19 filings
Crashes Reported
4 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 3 |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 2 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 2 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 |
| AIR BAGS | 1 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH | 1 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS | 1 |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING | 1 |
| TIRES | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR | 1 |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 |
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Freightliner Cascadia, Coronado and 122SD, and Western Star 4900 trucks, equipped with Cummins ISX15 or X15 diesel engines. In certain driving conditions, such as on a long down-hill grade, the fuel line may burst if the fuel pu
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Freightliner M2 Business Class, 108SD, 114SD and Cascadia trucks, Western Star 4700, 4900, and 5700 trucks, FCCC S2C 106 Cab, S2G Cab, XBR, XBS, XCL, XCM, XCP, XCR, and XCS chassis equipped with air disc brakes. The brake caliper
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2008-2018 Freightliner Cascadia, Western Star 4700, 4900, 5700, and 6900 trucks. After hard brake applications, the brake light pressure switch may not activate the brake lights with a light application of the brake pedal.
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:ABS WARNING LIGHT
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Freightliner Cascadia vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the Anti-Lock Braking system (ABS) malfunction warning light may not reactivate after the ignition has been turned off and then switched back on. As such, the vehicles f
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Freightliner Cascadia trucks. The Instrument Cluster Unit (ICU) may not perform the required bulb checks for the Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) or Electronic Stability Control (ESC) if the ignition is turned from on to off to on
STEERING
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Freightliner 114SD, 122SD, 108SD, Cascadia and Business class M2 trucks, Freightliner Custom Chassis XBS, XCL, XCM, MT45, MT55, S2G, S2RV, XCR and XCS custom chassis and Western Star 4700, 4900 and 5700 trucks equipped with Detro
POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Freightliner 108SD, 114SD, 122SD, Cascadia, Business Class M2, Western Star 4700, 4900, and 5700 vehicles, equipped with certain Eaton ECA heavy-duty truck clutches. An internal component in the clutch assembly may fail, possibl
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS
Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Freightliner Cascadia vehicles. The brakes lights on these vehicles may remain activated after the brake pedal is released.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2018 Freightliner Cascadia trucks equipped with Detroit automatic transmissions. A shift lock bolt within the transmission can seize, preventing the transmission from being shifted out of gear range 7 through 12.
EQUIPMENT
Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is recalling certain 2018 Freightliner Cascadia, M2 Business Class, 114SD, and 122SD trucks, and Western Star 4700 and 5700 trucks. These vehicles have tow hooks used for recovery purposes that may fail during use.
POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Freightliner Cascadia, Business Class M2, 108SD, 114SD and 122SD and Western Star 4700, 4900 and 5700 vehicles. An internal component within the clutch assembly may fail, which in certain circumstances could allow the vehicle to
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2017-2021 Cascadia P4 vehicles. The brake lights may remain illuminated after the brake pedal has been released.
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:DISC:CALIPER
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Freightliner Cascadia vehicles. The brake caliper mounting bolts on these vehicles may not been properly tightened, potentially resulting in the caliper detaching.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:BULBS
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2017-2022 Freightliner Cascadia vehicles equipped with halogen headlight assemblies. The halogen headlight bulb may dislodge during replacement and contact other vehicle components, possibly causing them to melt.
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:SUPPLY:RESERVOIR/TANK
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
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
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2017-2023 Freightliner Cascadia, 2020-2023 Western Star 49X, 2021-2023 Western Star 47X, and 2022 Freightliner 114SD vehicles. The brake modulator valves on the front axle may corrode and cause the vehicle to pull to the affected side du
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:DISC:CALIPER
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Freightliner 108SD, 114SD, 122SD, Cascadia, Columbia, Coronado, and Business Class M2 vehicles. During manufacturing, the brake caliper mounting bolts may have been insufficiently tightened.
STEERING:GEAR BOX:SHAFT PITMAN
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Freightliner Cascadia vehicles. Over time, the pitman arms may crack and fracture.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Freightliner Cascadia vehicles. The fasteners that secure the driver's air bag module within the steering wheel may not have been installed to specification, possibly affecting the frontal air bag deployment in the event of a cr
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:ABS WARNING LIGHT
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Freightliner Cascadia vehicles. The ABS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may not detect an incorrectly functioning solenoid valve for the ABS/ESC module during certain low voltage start conditions, potentially causing the ABS/ESC
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Freightliner Cascadia vehicles equipped with an optional steering wheel air bag. The driver's frontal air bag may deploy unexpectedly.
STEERING
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Freightliner Cascadia vehicles. The upper steering pinch bolt may not have been properly tightened, possibly causing a loss of mechanical connection between the steering wheel and front wheels.
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:DISC:CALIPER
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Freightliner 108SD, 114SD, Cascadia, Business Class M2, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation S2C 106 Cab, S2G Cab Chassis, XCL, XCM, XBS, XCP, XCR, Western Star 4700, 4900 and 5700 trucks. The brake caliper mounting bolts ma
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:SUPPLY:QUICK RELEASE VALVE
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2017-2021 Freightliner Cascadia tractor trailers. The single brake modulator valve may be affected by chemical corrosion which can slow down the release timing and cause the brakes to pull to the affected side during automatic braking ev
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:MODULATOR
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2017-2023 Freightliner Cascadia, 2020-2022 Freightliner Business Class M2, and 2022 Freightliner 114SD, and 2020-2023 Western Star 49X, 2021-2023 Western Star 47X, and 2021-2022 Western Star 57X vehicles. The brake modulator valves on th
See attached document for complaint.
See attached document for complaint.
See attached document for complaint.
See attached document for complaint.
The Automatic Emergency Braking System has activated at least 3 different times while I was driving. At each occurrence there was nothing in the roadway or travel lane. The vehicle came to an abrupt stop twice and slammed the brakes on but then released them a moment later once. In each event a very near collision with other vehicles was almost caused. There are other drivers that use this truck that have reported similar events (5 or 6), but I cannot say for certain what the exact circumstances were in those events. This vehicle is available for inspection if requested. A dealer has not confirmed the problem, each time they report that the system in functioning correctly. The vehicle has not been inspected by any entity other than the dealer. No symptoms prior, only a red collision warning light in the gauge cluster and a warning beep at the immediate time of the event.
The Automatic Emergency Braking System has activated at least 3 different times while I was driving. At each occurrence there was nothing in the roadway or travel lane. The vehicle came to an abrupt stop twice and slammed the brakes on but then released them a moment later once. In each event a very near collision with other vehicles was almost caused. There are other drivers that use this truck that have reported similar events (5 or 6), but I cannot say for certain what the exact circumstances were in those events. This vehicle is available for inspection if requested. A dealer has not confirmed the problem, each time they report that the system in functioning correctly. The vehicle has not been inspected by any entity other than the dealer. No symptoms prior, only a red collision warning light in the gauge cluster and a warning beep at the immediate time of the event.
The Automatic Emergency Braking System has activated at least 3 different times while I was driving. At each occurrence there was nothing in the roadway or travel lane. The vehicle came to an abrupt stop twice and slammed the brakes on but then released them a moment later once. In each event a very near collision with other vehicles was almost caused. There are other drivers that use this truck that have reported similar events (5 or 6), but I cannot say for certain what the exact circumstances were in those events. This vehicle is available for inspection if requested. A dealer has not confirmed the problem, each time they report that the system in functioning correctly. The vehicle has not been inspected by any entity other than the dealer. No symptoms prior, only a red collision warning light in the gauge cluster and a warning beep at the immediate time of the event.
Unsure what system or component failed. Our driver was making a delivery on the morning of 4/29/23. He was parked at the consignee location, engine off, and reported hearing a loud pop sound from the tractor while he was offloading merchandise from the trailer. A fire started under the hood, he attempted to extinguish it with the fire extinguisher and failed. The tractor burned to the ground. If the driver had been in the cab when it started, he could've been killed in the fire. Per online articles I found, it seems there were recalls on this same tractor year/model where fires were involved, but this unit shows no open recalls. Wreckage is available for inspection. CHP came to the seen, but to my knowledge there has been no inspection performed by anyone in any official capacity yet. No warning lamps or messages, or symptoms reported in advance of incident, just the loud pop sound reported by the driver.
The contact owns a 2018 Freightliner Cascadia. The contact stated that while the vehicle was turned off, the brake lights remained illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
After experiencing numerous issues with Jost 5th wheels, specifically JSK36N model. The Wear ring bolts (NT0000005) are constantly getting loose making the Wear ring (SK 2105-19) move in the 5th wheel plate, what we consider unsafe. While working on hundreds of trucks we have noticed that this is this issue is very popular. The drivers have been complaining about the trailer king pin being loose in the 5th wheel, causing a hit/push on start/stop when driven in combination (truck + trailer). Because of not having the solid connection, the ââhitsââ are affecting the drivetrain (differentials and transmission) on the long run. Some on the drivers are panicking and not concentrated on the road, all because feeling unsafe due to the excessive 5th wheel free play. After the detailed inspection and understanding the problem, our technicians replaced hundreds of the Ring bolts, applied thread locker and torqued properly. Unfortunately the issue comes back again. The only way to get
Break lights stay on when truck is moving. It confuses drivers following the truck.other motorists would not know whether the truck is slowing down
HAD SAME ISSUES ON 2018-2020 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIAS (7 DIFFERENT UNITS), CHASSIS HARNESS RUBBING AGAINST TRANSMISSION AND THE METAL BRACKET BY THE AIR COMPRESSOR. ACTIVE FAULT CODES FOR COOLANT LEVEL , TCS, TRANSMISSION ECU - DRIVERS NOT ABLE TO DRIVE ON AUTOMATIC MODE/ ONLY MANUAL MODE AVAILABLE. ONE TIME THE DRIVER WAS NOT EVEN ABLE TO START THE TRUCK IN THE MORNING, HAD TO GET THE UNIT TOWED TO THE DEALER AND HAVE THE HARNESS REPAIRED. ALL OF THE FAULTS PREVIOUSLY DESCRIBED COULD HAPPEN IN MOTION AND/OR WHEN VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY.
Mileage: 310,500
HAD SAME ISSUES ON 2018-2020 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIAS (7 DIFFERENT UNITS), CHASSIS HARNESS RUBBING AGAINST TRANSMISSION AND THE METAL BRACKET BY THE AIR COMPRESSOR. ACTIVE FAULT CODES FOR COOLANT LEVEL , TCS, TRANSMISSION ECU - DRIVERS NOT ABLE TO DRIVE ON AUTOMATIC MODE/ ONLY MANUAL MODE AVAILABLE. ONE TIME THE DRIVER WAS NOT EVEN ABLE TO START THE TRUCK IN THE MORNING, HAD TO GET THE UNIT TOWED TO THE DEALER AND HAVE THE HARNESS REPAIRED. ALL OF THE FAULTS PREVIOUSLY DESCRIBED COULD HAPPEN IN MOTION AND/OR WHEN VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY.
Mileage: 310,500
HAD SAME ISSUES ON 2018-2020 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIAS (7 DIFFERENT UNITS), CHASSIS HARNESS RUBBING AGAINST TRANSMISSION AND THE METAL BRACKET BY THE AIR COMPRESSOR. ACTIVE FAULT CODES FOR COOLANT LEVEL , TCS, TRANSMISSION ECU - DRIVERS NOT ABLE TO DRIVE ON AUTOMATIC MODE/ ONLY MANUAL MODE AVAILABLE. ONE TIME THE DRIVER WAS NOT EVEN ABLE TO START THE TRUCK IN THE MORNING, HAD TO GET THE UNIT TOWED TO THE DEALER AND HAVE THE HARNESS REPAIRED. ALL OF THE FAULTS PREVIOUSLY DESCRIBED COULD HAPPEN IN MOTION AND/OR WHEN VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY.
Mileage: 310,500
THE BRAKE LIGHTS STAY ON CONTINUOUSLY, EVEN WHEN THE TRUCK IS SHUT DOWN
BRAKE LIGHTS REMAIN ON DUE TO A FAILING BRAKE PRESSURE SWITCH.
Mileage: 107,500
SEMI WAS TRAVELING WESTBOUND ON INTERSTATE 80 WHEN IT ENTERED NORTH DITCH OF THE ROADWAY. SEMI ROLLED AT LEAST ONCE AFTER ENTERING DITCH. DRIVER WAS EJECTED FROM THE VEHICLE WHILE IT WAS ROLLING. IT CAME TO REST ON PASSENGER SIDE FACING WESTBOUND. DRIVER WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT HOSPITAL. AT THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT THE MECHANIC OF THE COMPANY MENTIONED THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES. THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY AND THE SEAT BELT ALARM CONTINUED TO SOUND EVEN WHEN THE BELT WAS CONNECTED. THIS HAPPENED ONLY SHORTLY AFTER DRIVER STARTED SHIFT. DRIVER DIED FROM BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA AND HAD NO MEDICAL ISSUES THAT WOULD HAVE IMPAIRED HIS DRIVING. THE TROOPER THAT COMPLETED THE ACCIDENT REPORT AND DID NOT ADVISE A TECHNICAL REPORT BECAUSE THE DRIVER AND HIS SEMI WERE ONLY EFFECTED BY THE INCIDENT. IT HAD BEEN A DRY MORNING WITH CLEAR VISIBILITY. THERE HAS BEEN RUMORS THE SEMI IN QUESTION HAD BEEN KNOWN FOR HAVING ISSUES WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM AND WOULD HAVE BEEN GOING IN FOR DIAGNOSTIC
SEMI WAS TRAVELING WESTBOUND ON INTERSTATE 80 WHEN IT ENTERED NORTH DITCH OF THE ROADWAY. SEMI ROLLED AT LEAST ONCE AFTER ENTERING DITCH. DRIVER WAS EJECTED FROM THE VEHICLE WHILE IT WAS ROLLING. IT CAME TO REST ON PASSENGER SIDE FACING WESTBOUND. DRIVER WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT HOSPITAL. AT THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT THE MECHANIC OF THE COMPANY MENTIONED THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES. THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY AND THE SEAT BELT ALARM CONTINUED TO SOUND EVEN WHEN THE BELT WAS CONNECTED. THIS HAPPENED ONLY SHORTLY AFTER DRIVER STARTED SHIFT. DRIVER DIED FROM BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA AND HAD NO MEDICAL ISSUES THAT WOULD HAVE IMPAIRED HIS DRIVING. THE TROOPER THAT COMPLETED THE ACCIDENT REPORT AND DID NOT ADVISE A TECHNICAL REPORT BECAUSE THE DRIVER AND HIS SEMI WERE ONLY EFFECTED BY THE INCIDENT. IT HAD BEEN A DRY MORNING WITH CLEAR VISIBILITY. THERE HAS BEEN RUMORS THE SEMI IN QUESTION HAD BEEN KNOWN FOR HAVING ISSUES WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM AND WOULD HAVE BEEN GOING IN FOR DIAGNOSTIC
SEMI WAS TRAVELING WESTBOUND ON INTERSTATE 80 WHEN IT ENTERED NORTH DITCH OF THE ROADWAY. SEMI ROLLED AT LEAST ONCE AFTER ENTERING DITCH. DRIVER WAS EJECTED FROM THE VEHICLE WHILE IT WAS ROLLING. IT CAME TO REST ON PASSENGER SIDE FACING WESTBOUND. DRIVER WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT HOSPITAL. AT THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT THE MECHANIC OF THE COMPANY MENTIONED THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES. THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY AND THE SEAT BELT ALARM CONTINUED TO SOUND EVEN WHEN THE BELT WAS CONNECTED. THIS HAPPENED ONLY SHORTLY AFTER DRIVER STARTED SHIFT. DRIVER DIED FROM BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA AND HAD NO MEDICAL ISSUES THAT WOULD HAVE IMPAIRED HIS DRIVING. THE TROOPER THAT COMPLETED THE ACCIDENT REPORT AND DID NOT ADVISE A TECHNICAL REPORT BECAUSE THE DRIVER AND HIS SEMI WERE ONLY EFFECTED BY THE INCIDENT. IT HAD BEEN A DRY MORNING WITH CLEAR VISIBILITY. THERE HAS BEEN RUMORS THE SEMI IN QUESTION HAD BEEN KNOWN FOR HAVING ISSUES WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM AND WOULD HAVE BEEN GOING IN FOR DIAGNOSTIC
EVDM connector plate separation
Halogen Headlights May Cause Fires
Trolley bus circuit breaker fires
Rear Wheel Speed Sensor Failure
Intermittent Loss of Power Steering Assist
Data as of 2025. 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.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.