FREIGHTLINER FREIGHTLINER · model year

1999 FREIGHTLINER FREIGHTLINER

31 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

Reviewed by PlainCars Editorial, Vehicle Safety Editorial Team · June 14, 2026

The 1999FREIGHTLINERFREIGHTLINER carries 31 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.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1999 FREIGHTLINER is service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip with 16 filings, followed by visibility:windshield (2) and suspension:rear (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.

NHTSA currently has 35 investigation files overlapping the 1999 FREIGHTLINER. 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.

Complaints

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Total Complaints

31 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

Component	Count	Crashes	Fires
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	16	0	0
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD	2	0	0
SUSPENSION:REAR	2	0	0
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK	2	0	0
STEERING:GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION)	1	0	0
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT	1	0	0
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER	1	0	0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	1	0	0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:HIGH/LOW BEAM DIMMER SWITCH	1	0	0
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION	1	0	0
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS	1	0	0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN	1	0	0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY	1	0	0

Recent Complaints

20031202ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY

FREIGHTLINER CUSTOM CHASSIS OVERHEATED DUE TO DEBRIS ENTERING THE RADIATOR. *AK THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE ENGINE CRANKCASE BREATHER TUBE WAS LOCATED IN THE SUCTION PATH OF AIRFLOW THROUGH THE CHARGE AIR COOLER AND RADIATOR. THIS ALLOWED A FINE OIL MIST TO BE DEPOSITED ON THE CHARGE AIR COOLER AND RADIATOR. THIS CAUSED AN ACCUMULATION OF ROAD DIRT ON THE CHARGE IR COOLER AND RADIATOR. THE FIX WAS A BREATHER TUBE EXTENSION WHICH FRIEGHTLINER HAS CHANGED THEIR DESIGN TO INCORPORATE THIS. CONSUMER WAS DENIED COST OF REPAIR/CORRECTION AND FELT A RECALL SHOULD'VE BEEN ISSUED NOT A SERVICE BULLETIN. IN ADDITION, HE WOULD LIKE REIMBURSEMENT FOR COST OF REPAIRS, $748.15. *PH

20020116ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN

BEARINGS ON FAN HUB FAILED FAN FLEW OFF PULLEY DESTROYING PULLEY BEARING ASSEMBLY, FAN, AND RADIATOR

20010424SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

RT & LF REAR BRAKE ASSY TO AXLE FLANGE RETAINING SPIDER BOLTS WERE LOOSE. *AK

20010423SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK

REAR AXLE BRAKE ASSY RETAINING SPYDER BOLTS LF&RT SIDE WERE LOOSE. *AK

20010423SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

RT & LF REAR BRAKE ASSY TO AXLE FLANGE RETAINING SPIDER BOLTS WERE LOOSE. *AK

20010423SUSPENSION:REAR

RT & LF REAR BRAKE ASSY TO AXLE FLANGE RETAINING SPIDER BOLTS WERE LOOSE. *AK

20010423SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

RT & LF REAR BRAKE ASSY TO AXLE FLANGE RETAINING SPIDER BOLTS WERE LOOSE. *AK

20010423SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

RT & LF REAR BRAKE ASSEMBLY TO AXLE FLANGE RETAINING SPIDER BOLTS WERE LOOSE. *AK

20010423SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

RT & LF REAR BRAKE ASSEMBLY TO AXLE FLANGE RETAINING SPIDER BOLTS WERE LOOSE. *AK

20010419SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK

OF 19 DIGGER DERRICK TRUCKS AND 1 TOW TRUCK; ALL 20 UNITS (ALL 1999) HAD LOOSE REAR BRAKE SPIDER BOLTS. *AK