Total Complaints
15 filings
FREIGHTLINER CONVENTIONAL · model year
1997 FREIGHTLINER CONVENTIONAL
15 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1997FREIGHTLINERCONVENTIONAL carries 15 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 7 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 1997 CONVENTIONAL is tires with 5 filings, followed by steering (3) and engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (1). 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.
NHTSA currently has 38 investigation files overlapping the 1997 CONVENTIONAL. 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.
15
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
7
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| TIRES | 5 |
| STEERING | 3 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:DRUM | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20060823CrashTIRES
1997 CONVENTIONAL FRONT STEER TIRE BLEW OUT. *TS THE DRIVER WENT OFF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROADWAY, STRUCK A DITCH CONTINUED ON THROUGH THE RIGHT-OF-WAY FENCE ACROSS A FIELD AND STRUCK ANOTHER FENCE AND SEVERAL TREES. *JB
20040107WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS
WHILE DRIVING RIGHT FRONT WHEEL CAME OFF.*MR WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE'S THE PASSENGER'S SIDE FRONT WHEEL CAME OFF AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE PASSENGER SIDE RUNNING BOARD, FRONT AXLE, AND FENDER. UPON INSPECTION IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE WHEEL FASTENERS ON THE #2 AXLE WAS MISSING. THE HORN WAS INOPERATIVE AND THE RIGHT FRONT BRAKE DRUM HAD SEVERAL EXTERNAL CRACKS (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT). *NM
20040107SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:DRUM
WHILE DRIVING RIGHT FRONT WHEEL CAME OFF.*MR WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE'S THE PASSENGER'S SIDE FRONT WHEEL CAME OFF AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE PASSENGER SIDE RUNNING BOARD, FRONT AXLE, AND FENDER. UPON INSPECTION IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE WHEEL FASTENERS ON THE #2 AXLE WAS MISSING. THE HORN WAS INOPERATIVE AND THE RIGHT FRONT BRAKE DRUM HAD SEVERAL EXTERNAL CRACKS (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT). *NM
20040107ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN
WHILE DRIVING RIGHT FRONT WHEEL CAME OFF.*MR WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE'S THE PASSENGER'S SIDE FRONT WHEEL CAME OFF AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE PASSENGER SIDE RUNNING BOARD, FRONT AXLE, AND FENDER. UPON INSPECTION IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE WHEEL FASTENERS ON THE #2 AXLE WAS MISSING. THE HORN WAS INOPERATIVE AND THE RIGHT FRONT BRAKE DRUM HAD SEVERAL EXTERNAL CRACKS (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT). *NM
20031208TIRES
VEHICLE STRUCK A MUD FLAP THAT SEPARATED FROM ANOTHER VEHICLE CAUSING DAMAGE TO TRAILER TIRE.*MR THE CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING IN THE RIGHT LANE WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED, THE TIRE AND MUD FLAP BRACKET HIT THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE ON A TRAILER DRIVEN BY ANOTHER GENTLEMAN TRAVELING IN THE CENTER LANE. *PH
20020514STEERING
WHILE DRIVING, CONSUMER FELT A BAD SHIMMY COMING FROM THE STEERING WHEEL, CONSUMER LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE AND WAS HIT IN THE HEAD WHEN A PORTABLE TV FELL ON HIM, WHEN VEHICLE WENT OFF HIGHWAY, IT STRUCK A GUARDRAIL, FENCE, UTILITY POLE, AND SEVERAL TREES, THE DAY BEFORE THE ACCIDENT THE CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE LEFT FRONT TIRE HAD WORN ON THE INSIDE OF THE TREAD, CAUSING A SHIMMY, AFTER THE INCIDENT, IT WAS NOTED THAT THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE HAD APPROXIMATELY A 6 INCH WIDE TEAR IN THE SIDEWALL AND WAS BROKEN LOOSE FROM BEADS OF THE RIM, POSSIBLE TIRE FAILURE, BRIDGESTONE P285/74R24.5, MODEL R299, LF93PSI, POSSIBLE STEERING PROBLEM. (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT) *SLC
20020514TIRES
WHILE DRIVING, CONSUMER FELT A BAD SHIMMY COMING FROM THE STEERING WHEEL, CONSUMER LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE AND WAS HIT IN THE HEAD WHEN A PORTABLE TV FELL ON HIM, WHEN VEHICLE WENT OFF HIGHWAY, IT STRUCK A GUARDRAIL, FENCE, UTILITY POLE, AND SEVERAL TREES, THE DAY BEFORE THE ACCIDENT THE CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE LEFT FRONT TIRE HAD WORN ON THE INSIDE OF THE TREAD, CAUSING A SHIMMY, AFTER THE INCIDENT, IT WAS NOTED THAT THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE HAD APPROXIMATELY A 6 INCH WIDE TEAR IN THE SIDEWALL AND WAS BROKEN LOOSE FROM BEADS OF THE RIM, POSSIBLE TIRE FAILURE, BRIDGESTONE P285/74R24.5, MODEL R299, LF93PSI, POSSIBLE STEERING PROBLEM. (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT) *SLC
20011030STEERING
WHILE DRIVING, CONSUMER FELT A BAD SHIMMY COMING FROM THE STEERING WHEEL, CONSUMER LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE AND WAS HIT IN THE HEAD WHEN A PORTABLE TV FELL ON HIM, WHEN VEHICLE WENT OFF HIGHWAY, IT STRUCK A GUARDRAIL, FENCE, UTILITY POLE, AND SEVERAL TREES, THE DAY BEFORE THE ACCIDENT THE CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE LEFT FRONT TIRE HAD WORN ON THE INSIDE OF THE TREAD, CAUSING A SHIMMY, AFTER THE INCIDENT, IT WAS NOTED THAT THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE HAD APPROXIMATELY A 6 INCH WIDE TEAR IN THE SIDEWALL AND WAS BROKEN LOOSE FROM BEADS OF THE RIM, POSSIBLE TIRE FAILURE, BRIDGESTONE P285/74R24.5, MODEL R299, LF93PSI, POSSIBLE STEERING PROBLEM. (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT) *SLC
20011030TIRES
WHILE DRIVING, CONSUMER FELT A BAD SHIMMY COMING FROM THE STEERING WHEEL, CONSUMER LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE AND WAS HIT IN THE HEAD WHEN A PORTABLE TV FELL ON HIM, WHEN VEHICLE WENT OFF HIGHWAY, IT STRUCK A GUARDRAIL, FENCE, UTILITY POLE, AND SEVERAL TREES, THE DAY BEFORE THE ACCIDENT THE CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE LEFT FRONT TIRE HAD WORN ON THE INSIDE OF THE TREAD, CAUSING A SHIMMY, AFTER THE INCIDENT, IT WAS NOTED THAT THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE HAD APPROXIMATELY A 6 INCH WIDE TEAR IN THE SIDEWALL AND WAS BROKEN LOOSE FROM BEADS OF THE RIM, POSSIBLE TIRE FAILURE, BRIDGESTONE P285/74R24.5, MODEL R299, LF93PSI, POSSIBLE STEERING PROBLEM. (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT) *SLC
20011030STEERING
WHILE DRIVING, CONSUMER FELT A BAD SHIMMY COMING FROM THE STEERING WHEEL, CONSUMER LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE AND WAS HIT IN THE HEAD WHEN A PORTABLE TV FELL ON HIM, WHEN VEHICLE WENT OFF HIGHWAY, IT STRUCK A GUARDRAIL, FENCE, UTILITY POLE, AND SEVERAL TREES, THE DAY BEFORE THE ACCIDENT THE CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE LEFT FRONT TIRE HAD WORN ON THE INSIDE OF THE TREAD, CAUSING A SHIMMY, AFTER THE INCIDENT, IT WAS NOTED THAT THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE HAD APPROXIMATELY A 6 INCH WIDE TEAR IN THE SIDEWALL AND WAS BROKEN LOOSE FROM BEADS OF THE RIM, POSSIBLE TIRE FAILURE, BRIDGESTONE P285/74R24.5, MODEL R299, LF93PSI, POSSIBLE STEERING PROBLEM. (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT) *SLC
20011030TIRES
WHILE DRIVING, CONSUMER FELT A BAD SHIMMY COMING FROM THE STEERING WHEEL, CONSUMER LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE AND WAS HIT IN THE HEAD WHEN A PORTABLE TV FELL ON HIM, WHEN VEHICLE WENT OFF HIGHWAY, IT STRUCK A GUARDRAIL, FENCE, UTILITY POLE, AND SEVERAL TREES, THE DAY BEFORE THE ACCIDENT THE CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE LEFT FRONT TIRE HAD WORN ON THE INSIDE OF THE TREAD, CAUSING A SHIMMY, AFTER THE INCIDENT, IT WAS NOTED THAT THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE HAD APPROXIMATELY A 6 INCH WIDE TEAR IN THE SIDEWALL AND WAS BROKEN LOOSE FROM BEADS OF THE RIM, POSSIBLE TIRE FAILURE, BRIDGESTONE P285/74R24.5, MODEL R299, LF93PSI, POSSIBLE STEERING PROBLEM. (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT) *SLC
19990629ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
THIS TRUCK HAS BEEN OUT OF SERVICE OVER 209 DAYS. THE CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF FREIGHTLINER HAS NOT BEEN WILLING TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES. NO SAFETY DEFECT (S) LISTED IN THE SUMMARY. *AK
19990629FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY
THIS TRUCK HAS BEEN OUT OF SERVICE OVER 209 DAYS. THE CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF FREIGHTLINER HAS NOT BEEN WILLING TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES. NO SAFETY DEFECT (S) LISTED IN THE SUMMARY. *AK
19990629VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
THIS TRUCK HAS BEEN OUT OF SERVICE OVER 209 DAYS. THE CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF FREIGHTLINER HAS NOT BEEN WILLING TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES. NO SAFETY DEFECT (S) LISTED IN THE SUMMARY. *AK
19990629POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
THIS TRUCK HAS BEEN OUT OF SERVICE OVER 209 DAYS. THE CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF FREIGHTLINER HAS NOT BEEN WILLING TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES. NO SAFETY DEFECT (S) LISTED IN THE SUMMARY. *AK
Compare 1997FREIGHTLINERCONVENTIONAL to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
PE24032Preliminary EvaluationClosed
EVDM connector plate separation
PE21006Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Halogen Headlights May Cause Fires
PE21002Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Trolley bus circuit breaker fires
PE20014Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Rear Wheel Speed Sensor Failure
PE20006Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Intermittent Loss of Power Steering Assist
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1997 FREIGHTLINER CONVENTIONAL have?▼
The 1997 FREIGHTLINER CONVENTIONAL has 15 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 7 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1997 FREIGHTLINER CONVENTIONAL?▼
The most-complained component for the 1997 FREIGHTLINER CONVENTIONAL is TIRES with 5 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STEERING and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE.
Is the 1997 FREIGHTLINER CONVENTIONAL 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.