Freightliner Sprinter 2500 · model year

2018 Freightliner Sprinter 2500

3 NHTSA complaints, and 7 recall campaigns listed for this cohort. 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
3
Recalls
7

The verdict

The 2018 Freightliner Sprinter 2500 posts top-quartile complaint standing among its own model-year siblings.

Top 20%
fewest complaints, own model years
7
recall campaigns

The 2018FreightlinerSprinter 2500 carries 3 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.

The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 2018 Sprinter 2500 is steering with 1 filings, followed by service brakes (1) and forward collision avoidance: warnings (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause. This cohort has 7 NHTSA recall campaigns listed below. Enter a VIN in NHTSA's official recall lookup to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

NHTSA currently has 38 investigation files overlapping the 2018 Sprinter 2500. 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.

3
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
2018 Freightliner Sprinter 2500

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.

Total Complaints

3 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

ComponentCount
STEERING1
SERVICE BRAKES1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS1

Recalls (7)

20V66300028/10/2020

STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS

Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Mercedes Benz Sprinter and Freightliner Sprinter vehicles. The hydraulic power steering return line hoses may detach at their connection points under certain operating conditions, causing hydraulic fluid to leak.

18V74300024/10/2018

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2018 Freightliner Sprinter 2500 and 3500 and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 and 3500 vehicles. The right side door latches may have been built with incorrect components. As a result, when the doors are electronically unlocked, the right-side doors ma

19V66500018/09/2019

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH

Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner Sprinter vehicles. The screw connection on the upper hood catch may have been improperly tightened. As a result, factors such as the vehicle's speed, wind resistance and road conditions may cause the hood t

20V15500018/03/2020

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Freightliner Sprinter vehicles. The spare tire label may indicate the maximum speed at 55 kilometers per hour (kph) rather than as 34 miles per hour (mph).

20V15600018/03/2020

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Freightliner Sprinter vehicles. The spare tire label indicating the maximum speed may have not been affixed to the spare tire.

19V69500002/10/2019

AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE

Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner Sprinter vehicles. The airbag systems may not have been activated after vehicle production. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numb

19V50700002/07/2019

VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR

Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner Sprinter 1500, 2500, 3500 and 4500 vehicles. The rear side windows may be single-pane safety glass instead of laminated safety glass.

Recent Complaints

20230909SERVICE BRAKES

Multiple Episodes of vigorous Sudden Application of Active Brake Assist, sometimes with a sudden dip, occasionally without a noticeable inciting issue. Often Occurs at Hiway speeds, on a narrow bridge with car slowing to 5 mph. At low speeds break assist may turn off and able to resume driving, sometimes requires restart of engine to clear brake assist. Drivers following behind are not happy when this unexpectedly happens, very unsafe. Atteeempts to deal with it through dealer have been unsuccessful or dis,issued.

20230909FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

Multiple Episodes of vigorous Sudden Application of Active Brake Assist, sometimes with a sudden dip, occasionally without a noticeable inciting issue. Often Occurs at Hiway speeds, on a narrow bridge with car slowing to 5 mph. At low speeds break assist may turn off and able to resume driving, sometimes requires restart of engine to clear brake assist. Drivers following behind are not happy when this unexpectedly happens, very unsafe. Atteeempts to deal with it through dealer have been unsuccessful or dis,issued.

20200917STEERING

WHEN WE BOUGHT THE VAN NEW FROM THE DEALER, I ASKED THE DEALER ABOUT THE KNOWN POWER STEERING HOSE ISSUE. THE ISSUE IS THAT ONE OF THE POWER STEERING FLUID HOSES IS TOO SHORT & IT WORKS ITS WAY OUT OF POSITION UNTIL IT POPS OFF & FLUID SPRAYS OUT, RESULTING IN A LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. I KNEW ABOUT IT BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY REPORTS ON THE INTERNET OF THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. THE DEALER DENIED ANY KNOWLEDGE OF THIS ISSUE. I WENT BACK FOR SERVICE A YEAR LATER & SHOWED THEM THE HOSE SLIPPING OFF, THEY DID NOT CARE & DID NOTHING ABOUT IT. DESPITE ME DILIGENTLY CHECKING & REPOSITIONING THE HOSE WHENEVER IT STARTED TO SLIP OUT OF PLACE, WHICH WAS VERY FREQUENTLY, IT FINALLY POPPED OFF ON US WHILE WE WERE DRIVING ON A NARROW TWISTY HIGHWAY & WE LOST STEERING CONTROL. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS ISSUE. IN THE ATTACHED PHOTO, TAKEN AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, YOU CAN SEE THE LOWER HOSE OUT OF POSITION, IT SHOULD BE WHERE THE UPPER HOSE IS RELATIVE TO THE METAL PIPE.

Mileage: 14,704

Compare 2018FreightlinerSprinter 2500 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Vehicle Safety Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2018 Freightliner Sprinter 2500 have?
The 2018 Freightliner Sprinter 2500 has 3 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2018 Freightliner Sprinter 2500?
Yes, the 2018 Freightliner Sprinter 2500 has 7 recall(s). The most common affected component is STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2018 Freightliner Sprinter 2500?
The most-complained component for the 2018 Freightliner Sprinter 2500 is STEERING with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SERVICE BRAKES and FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS.
Is the 2018 Freightliner Sprinter 2500 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 2018 Freightliner Sprinter 2500; 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.