FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA · model year

2021 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA

24 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports, and 20 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2021FREIGHTLINERCASCADIA carries 24 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 2 crashes, 0 fires, 14 injuries, and 0 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 2021 CASCADIA is tires with 5 filings, followed by forward collision avoidance: automatic emergency braking (3) and suspension (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 20 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 2021 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.

24
Complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
14
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

24 filings

Crashes Reported

2 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
TIRES5
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING3
SUSPENSION2
STEERING2
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS2
SERVICE BRAKES2
STRUCTURE:BODY1
VISIBILITY1
VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR1
TIRES:TREAD/BELT1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL1
ENGINE1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1

Recalls (20)

20V74200030/11/2020

POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY

Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2021 Freightliner Cascadia vehicles. The clutch flange may break due to the heat treating and stamping process.

23V20800028/03/2023

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HAZARD FLASHING WARNING LIGHTS

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Freightliner Cascadia and Western Star 49X vehicles. The hazard warning lights may flash improperly during an Advanced Braking Assist event. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle

20V66000027/10/2020

SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:SPINDLE

Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Freightliner Cascadia, 2021 Freightliner 108SD, 114SD and Business Class M2 and Western Star 4700, 4900 and 5700 vehicles. The steer axle spindle nut snap-ring locking feature may be incorrectly installed or missing from the lef

23V29900026/04/2023

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain short wheelbase 2020-2024 Freightliner Cascadia, 2021-2024 Freightliner M2 Business Class, 2022 Western Star 4700, and 2020 Freightliner Classic Cascadia vehicles. The vehicle is equipped with an electronic stability control system and t

21V48100025/06/2021

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2019-2022 Freightliner Cascadia P4, 2021 Western Star WH126, 2020 Western Star WJ121, and 2021-2022 Western Star 49X vehicles. The battery cable terminal may break, resulting in a loss of electrical power and unintended engine stall.

21V20900024/03/2021

POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2021 Freightliner Cascadia and Western Star 4700 vehicles. The clutch flange may break.

21V01800020/01/2021

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling 2021 Western Star 4700 and 5700, Freightliner Business Class M2, Cascadia, and Custom Chassis XC Chassis vehicles manufactured with a certain steering arm configuration with air disc brakes identified by the axle assembly supplier. On certain ve

21V36900019/05/2021

STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Freightliner 114SD, 122SD, Business Class M2, Cascadia, 108SD, Western Star 4900, 4700, 5700, Custom Chass RV Chassis, Custom Chass S2 Chassis, Custom Chass XC Chassis, Custom Chass XB Chassis, and Custom Chass MT Chassis. The

20V56700016/02/2022

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.

21V35700014/05/2021

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.

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

21V96500013/12/2021

FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:FUEL RAIL

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Western Star 4700, 2019-2022 Freightliner 114SD, 2021-2022 Western Star 49X, Freightliner Cascadia P4, 2022 Western Star 47X, 2021 Western Star WF110, 2020 Western Star WJ121, and 2019-2021 FCCC XCP Chassis vehicles. The fuel t

21V00700013/01/2021

TIRES

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Freightliner Cascadia sleeper trucks equipped with Bridgestone R284, R268, or R283S ECOPIA steer axle tires in conjunction with a specific air dam. The steer tires may experience tread separation or blow-outs while driving.

22V91900012/12/2022

WHEELS:RIM

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Freightliner 114SD, 2023 Freightliner 122SD, 2020 Western Star 4700, 2019-2022 Western Star 4900, 2019-2023 Freightliner Business Class M2, and 2021 Freightliner Cascadia vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with tires that are

21V25600012/04/2021

STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Freightliner Cascadia, Business Class M2, 114SD, 108SD, 122SD, Custom Chass S2 Chassis, Custom Chass XB Chassis, Custom Chass XC Chassis, and Custom Chass MT Chassis Western Star 4700, 4900, 5700 vehicles. The steering arm and

21V07300012/02/2021

ENGINE

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Freightliner Cascadia vehicles equipped with a Cummins X15 engine. The capscrews that attach the flywheel to the crankshaft may have been improperly torqued, allowing the flywheel to detach.

23V07300010/02/2023

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

21V68900002/09/2021

STEERING:LINKAGES:DRAG:LINK:CONNECTION

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2019 Freightliner Classic Cascadia and 2019-2021 Freightliner Cascadia trucks. The drag link taper joint may not have been tightened sufficiently and could come loose, resulting in a complete separation of the drag link from the steering

20V39000002/07/2020

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

22V81700001/11/2022

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

Recent Complaints

20240201CrashFORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

While vehicle approached a hazard blocking the roadway the forward collision and automatic braking feature did not engage; apparently due to the vehicle sensors not recognizing the hazard. The object in the roadway was a 53 ft van trailer that was laid on it's side with the translucent roof facing the approaching vehicle.

20240201CrashFORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

While vehicle approached a hazard blocking the roadway the forward collision and automatic braking feature did not engage; apparently due to the vehicle sensors not recognizing the hazard. The object in the roadway was a 53 ft van trailer that was laid on it's side with the translucent roof facing the approaching vehicle.

20231223STEERING

When driving, there is a constant and very strong vibration throughout the entirety of the truck. This makes it difficult to steer and drive in a safe manner. I've replaced any parts that might be associated with this malfunction with brand new parts at the advice of professional mechanics (cost over $30,000) and it was to no avail. The truck is still malfunctioning and I have been left unable to work or barely working for 14 months. The vibration has caused many health concerns, like headaches, nausea, and stomach ulcers. I went to over 10 dealers and there has been no solutions that have worked.

20231223ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

When driving, there is a constant and very strong vibration throughout the entirety of the truck. This makes it difficult to steer and drive in a safe manner. I've replaced any parts that might be associated with this malfunction with brand new parts at the advice of professional mechanics (cost over $30,000) and it was to no avail. The truck is still malfunctioning and I have been left unable to work or barely working for 14 months. The vibration has caused many health concerns, like headaches, nausea, and stomach ulcers. I went to over 10 dealers and there has been no solutions that have worked.

20231223SERVICE BRAKES

When driving, there is a constant and very strong vibration throughout the entirety of the truck. This makes it difficult to steer and drive in a safe manner. I've replaced any parts that might be associated with this malfunction with brand new parts at the advice of professional mechanics (cost over $30,000) and it was to no avail. The truck is still malfunctioning and I have been left unable to work or barely working for 14 months. The vibration has caused many health concerns, like headaches, nausea, and stomach ulcers. I went to over 10 dealers and there has been no solutions that have worked.

20230704SERVICE BRAKES

My Emplyoer has not fixed anything on the truck, the truck shouldn’t be operating, doesn’t meet DOT Regulations, I was told not to go into any scales or weigh stations, loses air and the air doesn’t build back up properly, I lost all air in my breaks while driving on the road

20230704ENGINE

My Emplyoer has not fixed anything on the truck, the truck shouldn’t be operating, doesn’t meet DOT Regulations, I was told not to go into any scales or weigh stations, loses air and the air doesn’t build back up properly, I lost all air in my breaks while driving on the road

20230704UNKNOWN OR OTHER

My Emplyoer has not fixed anything on the truck, the truck shouldn’t be operating, doesn’t meet DOT Regulations, I was told not to go into any scales or weigh stations, loses air and the air doesn’t build back up properly, I lost all air in my breaks while driving on the road

20230629FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

I'd like to report the automatic braking device on our company semi tractor. I work for a large mega carrier hauling all types of freight, with triples and doubles combination trailers. We operate with Freightliners, Kenworths, and Internationals. The tractor tractor I use is a 2021 Freightliner equipped with a safety feature, an automatic braking system to avoid collisions for stopped or slowed traffic ahead. The issue is, it randomly brakes with no obstructions ahead. I've seen reports that you guys are looking into this. And I'm also informing you that our trucks deal with this issue as well. There's no defect warnings on the device's monitor system. No previous accidents that would cause issues to the device to have faulty sensor. The problem with the system, it sees a shadow on the road and it thinks theres a stopped vehicle, forcing the truck to hard apply the brakes. This can be extremely dangerous on inclement weather, more so on icy conditions. Few weeks ago, I traveled throug

20230531FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

The contact owns a 2021 Freightliner Cascadia. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH with the cruise control activated, the brakes applied independently. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the calibration of the radar. The vehicle was repaired but experienced the failure within a week. The contact took the vehicle back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the radar to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the same failure within a month. The contact took the vehicle back a third time to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the recalibration of the radar. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure intermittently. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 215,000.

Mileage: 215,000

20220919SUSPENSION

This complaint is being filed in addition to my previous complaint which is complaint #1147128511471285. Both left and right vehicle airbag suspension height regulators were just replace a month ago, and once again, the right side airbag ride height regulator has blown apart, causing my semi truck to lean heavily to the right side, and wear out my right front steer tire exceedingly fast. And, the radar braking system erratically slams the brakes on at random times, which could cause a catastrophic accident. Imagine hauling an 80,000 lb. load, and the truck just decides to slam on the brakes, in a corner, in the rain, or in the snow. You’re riding a very thin line between life and death. Freightliner will now be sued for negligence, embezzlement, fraud, and loss of use of my truck. My truck just spent 40 days at the Freightliner Dealership for several Factory Safety Recalls, and they just replaced both airbag ride height control vale’s, because they both failed. If this isn’t a

20220919FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

This complaint is being filed in addition to my previous complaint which is complaint #1147128511471285. Both left and right vehicle airbag suspension height regulators were just replace a month ago, and once again, the right side airbag ride height regulator has blown apart, causing my semi truck to lean heavily to the right side, and wear out my right front steer tire exceedingly fast. And, the radar braking system erratically slams the brakes on at random times, which could cause a catastrophic accident. Imagine hauling an 80,000 lb. load, and the truck just decides to slam on the brakes, in a corner, in the rain, or in the snow. You’re riding a very thin line between life and death. Freightliner will now be sued for negligence, embezzlement, fraud, and loss of use of my truck. My truck just spent 40 days at the Freightliner Dealership for several Factory Safety Recalls, and they just replaced both airbag ride height control vale’s, because they both failed. If this isn’t a

20220919FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

This complaint is being filed in addition to my previous complaint which is complaint #1147128511471285. Both left and right vehicle airbag suspension height regulators were just replace a month ago, and once again, the right side airbag ride height regulator has blown apart, causing my semi truck to lean heavily to the right side, and wear out my right front steer tire exceedingly fast. And, the radar braking system erratically slams the brakes on at random times, which could cause a catastrophic accident. Imagine hauling an 80,000 lb. load, and the truck just decides to slam on the brakes, in a corner, in the rain, or in the snow. You’re riding a very thin line between life and death. Freightliner will now be sued for negligence, embezzlement, fraud, and loss of use of my truck. My truck just spent 40 days at the Freightliner Dealership for several Factory Safety Recalls, and they just replaced both airbag ride height control vale’s, because they both failed. If this isn’t a

20220806TIRES

TIRE SIZE: 275/80 R22.5 MICHELIN ENERGY LINE Z Component that failed is drivers side steer front tire. The tire blew out and resulted in loss of vehicle control. This failure DID cause an accident putting others safety at risk. Both Freightliner Corp. and Michelin Tire Co. are aware of this failure. No one has inspected the tire. I DO NOT have the tire in my possession yet. There are/were no warning, messages or symptoms of this problem prior to. This truck had a right side tire failure at the decoupling groove on May 11, 2022. The tire was replaced at that time with a new tire tire. This truck returned to Toledo Ohio to our terminal. The 4X4X4 air fairings were then removed at the request of DTNA. On 8-5-22 with 52,742 miles on the tire, it blew out resulting in an accident.

20220728TIRES

TIRE SIZE: 275/80 R22.5 MICHELIN ENERGY LINE Z Component that failed is the passenger side steer front tire. The inside edge decoupling groove failed. Risks include a potential tire blow resulting in loss of vehicle control. This failure could cause an accident putting others safety at risk. Both Freightliner and Michelin Tire Co. are aware of this failure. Michelin tire representative has visually inspected the tire and asked to have the tire returned to the Michelin Company for further inspection. I have not released the tire to them yet. There are/were no warnings, messages or symptoms of this problem prior to. This truck was built with 4X4X4 front air fairing that was removed after this failure by the request of the Freightliner Corp. The mileage on the tire at the time of failure was, 89,490 miles.

20220728TIRES

TIRE SIZE: 275/80 R22.5 MICHELIN ENERGY LINE Z Component that failed is drivers side steer front tire. The outside edge decoupling groove/sidewall failed. Risks include potential tire blow resulting in loss of vehicle control. This failure could cause an accident putting others safety at risk. Both Freightliner Corp. and Michelin Tire Co. are aware of this failure. No one has inspected the tire. I have the tire in my possession. There are/were no warning, messages or symptoms of this problem prior to. This truck was built with a 4X4X4 front air fairing that was removed after this failure by the request of Freighliner Corp. Mileage on tire at the time of failure was 165,782 miles.

20220728TIRES

TIRE SIZE: 275/80 R22.5 MICHELIN ENERGY LINE Z Component that failed is the passenger steer front tire. The outside edge decoupling groove/sidewall failed. Risks include potential tire blow resulting in loss of vehicle control. This failure could cause an accident putting others safety at risk. Both Freightliner Corp. and Michelin Tire Co. are aware of this failure. No one has inspected the tire. I have the tire in my possession. There are/were no warning, messages or symptoms of this problem prior to. This truck was built with a 4X4X4 front air fairing that was removed after this failure by the request of Freighliner Corp. Mileage on tire at the time of failure was 71,000 miles.

20220728TIRES

TIRE SIZE: 275/80 R22.5 MICHELIN ENERGY LINE Z Component that failed is passenger side steer front tire. The outside edge decoupling groove/sidewall failed. Risks include potential tire blow resulting in loss of vehicle control. This failure could cause an accident putting others safety at risk. Both Freightliner Corp. and Michelin Tire Co. are aware of this failure. No one has inspected the tire. I have the tire in my possession. There are/were no warning, messages or symptoms of this problem prior to. Michelin Tire Co. sent us 2 new tires and requested we remove the air fairing to see if this could resolve the problem. At the time we proceeded with this request the truck had 315,805 miles on it. On 6-20-22 Michelin Tire Co. supplied Freightliner Corp. with a tech bulletin regarding the decoupling groove failure. At 455,485 miles this tire was showing signs of decoupling failure. This failure appeared to be within the guide lines of the tech bulletin. At 465,523 miles the tire sh

20220629TIRES:TREAD/BELT

The contact owns a 2021 Freightliner Cascadia equipped with Michelin Tires, Tire Line: X, Tire Size: 275/80/R25.5, DOT Number: (Not Available). The contact stated upon inspecting the tires, he noticed that the decoupling groove was peeling off on the passenger's side front tire. The passenger's side front tire was replaced. The failure mileage was approximately 112,814. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred on the driver's front side tire. The tire was replaced. The failure mileage was approximately 160,375. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger's side tire blew out inadvertently. The driver depressed the brake pedal and stopped the vehicle. The driver was then able to veer to the side of the road with the assistance of the State Police. The tire was replaced on site. The tire failure mileage was 496,000. The vehicle was then taken to the local dealer who replaced the front passenger's side tire with a new tire. The tire manufacturer was

Mileage: 326,168

20220628SUSPENSION

I purchased a new P4 through my employers Lease Purchase program, and when I ordered my new truck, I ordered it with the Hendrickson Air-Ride Suspension Package for the front axle, disc brakes front and rear, and a few other options. My truck required 14 all axle alignment’s before it was driving correctly, after destroying both left & right steer tires. One Freightliner dealer set the right front at 7/16” toe-in, after I threatened to bring legal action against the dealership, only to learn three weeks later, the toe-in was set at 7/16”, which destroyed the tire. I personally measured the rear axle alignment with a tape measure to find both drive axles are staggered approximately 1.3” to 1.75” causing my drive tires to wear abnormally fast, forcing me to buy new tires for $7,000+. The worst part is the Hendrickson Air Ride Suspension unit is extremely “sloppy” and noisy when driving and turning at all speeds, constantly making loud “clunking” sounds, which are all fe

Compare 2021FREIGHTLINERCASCADIA to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2021 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA have?
The 2021 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA has 24 NHTSA complaints, 2 crashes, 0 fires, 14 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2021 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA?
Yes, the 2021 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA has 20 recall(s). The most common affected component is POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2021 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA?
The most-complained component for the 2021 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA is TIRES with 5 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING and SUSPENSION.
Is the 2021 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA 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.

Vehicle Safety Guides

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.