Total Complaints
2 filings
Western Star 4900 · model year
2020 Western Star 4900
2 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
- 2
- Recalls
- 7
The verdict
The 2020 Western Star 4900 posts below-average complaint volume among its own model-year siblings.
- Top 33%
- fewest complaints, own model years
- 7
- recall campaigns
The 2020Western Star4900 carries 2 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 2020 4900 is suspension with 1 filings, followed by unknown or other (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.
No open NHTSA investigation overlaps the 2020 4900 in the current dataset. 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.
2
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
2020 Western Star 4900
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 |
|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | 1 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 |
Recalls (7)
21V89600017/11/2021
TIRES
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2012-2021 Freightliner SD 108, Freightliner SD 114, 2016-2020 Freightliner Coronado, 2013 Western Star 6900, 2013-2022 Western Star 4700, Western Star 4900, and 2022 49X vehicles. The tires and rims are not approved and rated for these v
20V63400014/10/2020
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Western Star 4700 and 4900 and Freightliner Coronado, 108SD and 114SD vehicles. The vehicle certification label contains incorrect information, stating a Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) that exceeds the tire capacity rating. As
22V91900012/12/2022
WHEELS:RIM
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Freightliner 114SD, 2023 Freightliner 122SD, 2020 Western Star 4700, 2019-2022 Western Star 4900, 2019-2023 Freightliner Business Class M2, and 2021 Freightliner Cascadia vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with tires that are
19V72200010/10/2019
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2017-2020 Western Star 4900 and 5700 vehicles. The adhesive bond may fail allowing the baggage or sleeper side door to separate from the hinges.
20V21100010/04/2020
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020 Freightliner 108SD and 2020-2021 Freightliner Coronado, 114SD, and Western Star 4700 and 4900 vehicles. The Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) on the certification label may be incorrect, possibly resulting in the vehicle being overload
19V79200004/11/2019
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:REAR WINDOW
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2016-2020 Western Star 4900 and 5700 vehicles equipped with sleeper cab vent windows. Due to improper adhesive, the vent window may detach from the vehicle.
20V53900003/09/2020
SUSPENSION:MULTIPLE AXLE
Daimler Truckers North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Freightliner 114SD, 122SD and Western Star 4700, and 4900 vehicles equipped with certain SL2065 steerable lift axles. The lower rear pivot cap screws may not be long enough to sufficiently engage the locking feature of the cor
Recent Complaints
20210524SUSPENSION
Center pin in front leaf springs is not long enough to enter hole in front axle which, keeps them from moving side to side and front to rear. This caused axle to move front and back egg shaping the spacers and causing u bolts to loosen. This could have been catastrophic if it had not been caught by mechanic after I noticed something not being right. The front axle could have folded under the weight of the truck had I had to apply the brakes hard to stop which could have caused a terrible accident. This has kept me in the shop for over a week. Now I have a huge bill and a truck note to pay because of negligence on behalf of western star trucks.There are other trucks that have experienced this same problem and no cure found from western star not to mention how many truck are on the highway right now with the same issue like a ticking time bomb. They have denied responsibility for this but, the truck came from their factory this way and the new springs had the the same size center pin so,
20210524UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Center pin in front leaf springs is not long enough to enter hole in front axle which, keeps them from moving side to side and front to rear. This caused axle to move front and back egg shaping the spacers and causing u bolts to loosen. This could have been catastrophic if it had not been caught by mechanic after I noticed something not being right. The front axle could have folded under the weight of the truck had I had to apply the brakes hard to stop which could have caused a terrible accident. This has kept me in the shop for over a week. Now I have a huge bill and a truck note to pay because of negligence on behalf of western star trucks.There are other trucks that have experienced this same problem and no cure found from western star not to mention how many truck are on the highway right now with the same issue like a ticking time bomb. They have denied responsibility for this but, the truck came from their factory this way and the new springs had the the same size center pin so,
Compare 2020Western Star4900 to Similar Vehicles
Vehicle Safety Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2020 Western Star 4900 have?▼
The 2020 Western Star 4900 has 2 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2020 Western Star 4900?▼
Yes, the 2020 Western Star 4900 has 7 recall(s). The most common affected component is TIRES. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2020 Western Star 4900?▼
The most-complained component for the 2020 Western Star 4900 is SUSPENSION with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Is the 2020 Western Star 4900 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 2020 Western Star 4900; 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.