Total Complaints
1 filings
Freightliner Discovery · model year
2003 Freightliner Discovery
1 NHTSA complaints. 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
- 1
- Recalls
- 0
The 2003FreightlinerDiscovery carries 1 consumer safety complaint in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 1 fire, 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 2003 Discovery is engine with 1 filings. Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 38 investigation files overlapping the 2003 Discovery. 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.
1
Complaints
0
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
2003 Freightliner Discovery
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.
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
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ENGINE | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20151118FireENGINE
FIRE WAS INDUCED BY FAULTY ENGINE BLOCK HEATING ELEMENT. NO DAMAGE AND WAS EXTINGUISHED QUICKLY. NOT SURE OF MAKE OR MANUFACTURER FOR THE HEATING ELEMENT, BUT HAVE FOUND A RECALL ON SIMILAR ENGINES ON THIS SITE. ATTACHED RECALL, SEEMS IT ONLY PERTAINS TO BUSS AND TRUCKS. CANNOT FIND ANY RECALLS ON THIS ITEM OR OTHER ISSUES WITH FREIGHTLINER OR CATERPILLAR. ALSO SEEMS MY ECM WAS DAMAGED ALSO, ENGINE WILL NOT START OR SHOW RPM OR OIL PRESSURE BUT READING ARE GOOD WHEN CHECKED. VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY WHEN THE FIRE WAS NOTICED.
Mileage: 35,190
Compare 2003FreightlinerDiscovery 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
Vehicle Safety Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2003 Freightliner Discovery have?▼
The 2003 Freightliner Discovery has 1 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2003 Freightliner Discovery?▼
The most-complained component for the 2003 Freightliner Discovery is ENGINE with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include various components.
Is the 2003 Freightliner Discovery 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 2003 Freightliner Discovery; 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.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.