Total Complaints
8 filings
FREIGHTLINER SPRINTER · model year
8 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2002FREIGHTLINERSPRINTER carries 8 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 2002 SPRINTER is parking brake with 1 filings, followed by tires (1) and electrical system (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 2002 SPRINTER. 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
8 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| PARKING BRAKE | 1 |
| TIRES | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL | 1 |
| SUSPENSION:MULTIPLE AXLE:TORQUE ARM | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL | 1 |
WE PURCHASED SEVERAL 2002 FREIGHTLINER SPRINTERS AND HAVE HAD MANY PROBLEMS INCLUDING 2 ENGINE REPLACEMENTS. THESE VEHICLES ARE JUST OUT OF THE 6,00 MILE WARRANTY. THE CHRYSLER CORP ASSISTED ON THE REPAIRS 2 HOWEVER WE NOW HAVE A 3RD VEHICLE THAT HAS 71543 MILES ON IT AND THE CHRYSLER CORP IS REFUSING TO OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE IN THE REPAIR. IF THIS WAS ONLY ON 1 OF THEM I WOULD UNDERSTAND BUT THIS IS A PERSISTENT PROBLEM. THERE WERE ENOUGH PROBLEMS THAT AMERICAN LAFRANCE AMBULANCE CONVERSION STOPPED MAKING THEM INTO AMBULANCES DUE TO THE PROBLEMS. *JB
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE ACCELERATING UPHILL AT VARIOUS SPEEDS IN VARIOUS ROAD CONDITIONS, THERE WAS A VIBRATION PHYSICALLY FELT THROUGH THE FLOORBOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE TORQUE ARM CONVERTER AND PLATE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED.
Mileage: 84,000
I HAVE HAD FOUR SEPARATE OCCASIONS WHEN THE EGR VALVE ON MY SPRINTER HAS LEAKED OIL ALL OVER THE MOTOR AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE COST FOR THIS REPAIR IS NOW OVER $500.00 EACH OCCURRENCE. THE AVERAGE MILEAGE FOR THIS FAILURE IS 25,000 MILES. NOT RIGHT FOR A MERCEDES BENZ PRODUCT THAT DOESN'T HAVE THIS PROBLEM IN EUROPE. *JB
Mileage: 700
DT: THE CONSUMER HAS 2002 FREIGHTLINER SPRINTER VAN HAD A CARRIER BEARING ON THE DRIVESHAFT WHICH SEIZED AND SPINNED OUT. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE DRIVESHAFT TO A REPAIR SHOP TO HAVE IT CHECKED. THE MECHANIC SUGGESTED THAT THE CONSUMER REPLACE THE DRIVESHAFT. THE CONSUMER MADE SEVERAL CALLS TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY TOLD HIM THAT IT IS WAS ONLY WARRANTED FOR 36,000 MILES. THE VAN HAS 130,000 ON IT. THE MECHANIC TOLD THE CONSUMER THAT THIS SHOULD HAVE LASTED MUCH LONGER THAN THIS. THE CONSUMER IS GOING TO HAVE TO BUY THE DRIVESHAFT AT THE PRICE OF $1,000.00. CHRYSLER DENIED THE CLAIM TO HELP REIMBURSE OR EVEN TALK TO THE CONSUMER TWICE AT THIS POINT. THE VAN IS BEING REPAIRED THIS WEEK. THE VAN WAS REGULARLY MAINTAINED. THE CONSUMER IS UNHAPPY WITH THE WAY THAT DAIMLER/CHRYSLER IS TREATING HER. *AK THE AUTOMATIC LOCKING SYSTEM FAILED. UPDATED 12/06/05. *JB
Mileage: 132,773
TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. I HAVE EXPERIENCED THE FOLLOWING PROBLEM ON DIFFERENT TYPES OF TERRAIN, BUT IT HAS BEEN MOST COMMON IN AREAS WITH STEEP HILLS. AFTER ACCELLERATING TO MAINTAIN SPEED WHILE CLIMBING A STEEP INCLINE AND FEATHERING THE THROTLE AS THE HILL IS TOPPED, THE (AUTOMATIC) TRANSMISSION KICKS COMPLETELY OUT OF GEAR ON THE DESCENT AND WILL NOT RE-ENGAGE WITHOUT BRINGING THE VEHICLE TO A STOP, SHIFTING TO NEUTRAL OR PARK AND RESTARTING THE ENGINE. SO FAR, THE DRIVERS FOLLOWING ME HAVE ALL PASSED THE BRAKE TEST AND THEIR HORNS SEEM TO BE IN GOOD WORKING ORDER. I'VE HAD THE VEHICLE SINCE JULY OF 2004 AND IT CURRENTLY HAS ONLY 25K MILES. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION SINCE IT OCCURS INTERMITENTLY AND YOU CAN'T TELL THE TRANS HAS DISENGAGED UNTIL YOU REACH THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL AND TRY TO ACCELERATE TO CLIMB THE NEXT INCLINE. I CALLED A LOCAL DEALER AND THEY MUMBLED SOMETHING ABOUT LEAKY O RINGS BUT DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER THERE HAVE BEEN ANY RECALLS OR SERVICE BULLE
Mileage: 25,000
WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONSUMER TRIED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND WAS ABLE TO DO SO. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AT THIS TIME. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *JB
THIS IS RELATED TO THE DIAMLER CHRYSLER DODGE SPRINTER TIRE VALVE STEMS THAT I READ YOU ARE INVESTIGATING. I HAVE A 2002 FREIGHTLINER SPRINTER (SAME VAN AS THE DODGE MADE BY MERCEDES). MY VAN HAS THE 15"GOODYEAR CARGO TIRES. I'VE HAD PROBLEMS WITH BOTH REAR TIRES. OCCASIONALLY, THEY WOULD LOOSE 10-20 PSI PRESSURE. BOTH REAR TIRES HAVE HAD BLOW OUTS IN THE 35-45K MILES RANGE. FROM OTHER DRIVERS, I UNDERSTAND THAT THESE TIRES SHOULD LAST 80-90K MILES. BOTH REAR TIRES HAD SIMILAR FAILURES, DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, PART OF THE THREAD WOULD TEAR OFF THE WHEEL. ALSO, AFTER INSPECTION, IT APPEARED THAT THE TIRES HAD EXCESSIVE WEAR ON THE OUTER PART, AS THOUGH THEY RAN WITH INSUFFICIENT PRESSURE. I DID TAKE SOME DIGITAL PICTURES OF THE SECOND TIRE THAT DID THIS, BUT I WAS FOCUSING ON THE UNUSUAL THREAD WEAR. I'D BE HAPPY TO SEND THEM TO YOU. ALSO, I BELIEVE GOODYEAR SHOULD STILL HAVE THE LAST TIRE AS I HAD IT REPLACED ONLY A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO. THE FIRST TIRE FAILED IN MARCH, THE
Mileage: 43,865
THE PARKING BRAKE WORE OUT WHICH CAUSED THE CALIPERS AND CABLE TO FREEZE. PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT THE PARKING BRAKES WERE HAVING A LOT OF FAILURES. MANUFACTURER AND DEALERSHIP WERE NOT PROVIDING ANY ASSISTANCE ON THIS ISSUE. *AK
Mileage: 23,000
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.