Daimler Recalls 110,000 Trucks to Fix Defect in Detroit Diesel Engines

This story appears in the March 12 print edition of Transport Topics.

Daimler Trucks North America said it was recalling all 110,000 of its 2006-2013 Freightliner, Western Star and Sterling trucks equipped with Detroit Diesel 13-, 15- and 16-liter engines to fix a defect the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said could cause accidents, fuel leaks and fires.

Daimler spokeswoman Amy Sills said last week that the company reported the possible problem and recall to NHTSA on Feb. 27. Daimler also sent a Defect Information Notice to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.

Daimler reported that the engines’ “pump-to-rail High-Pressure Fuel Line (HPFL) support system is sensitive to assembly torque and may be damaged during service and maintenance procedures,” Sills told Transport Topics.

“There have been no related accidents or injuries,” Sills said. “DTNA is implementing a proactive and voluntary safety campaign.”

The trucks involved include 95,853 sold in the United States, 13,479 in Canada and 1,079 that were exported, she said.

“Company officials estimate that less than 1% of this vehicle and engine population is affected by the reported defect,” Sills said.

Daimler also offers heavy-duty engines from independent Cummins Inc. for both its Freightliner and Western Star brands, but none of its engines was involved in the recall.

“Model Years 2006 through 2013” were affected, Sills said.

Sills said the Freightliner models involved were the 114SD, Business Class M2, Cascadia, Century, Columbia and Coronado.

The Freightliner brand has been the leading seller in the Class 8 market in both 2010 and 2011 in the United States.

Daimler sold 52,276 Class 8 Freightliners in 2011, for 30.5% of the U.S. market.

The affected Western Star models were the 4700, 4900, and 6900, while the only Sterling model affected was the 9500, Sills said.

Daimler closed down the Sterling brand in 2009 (12-22-08, p. 8).

She added that Detroit Diesel sold 518 of the engines with the possible defect to other vehicle manufacturing companies, but she did not identity them immediately.

“Dealers, distributors, and customers will be notified shortly,” Sills said. “Inspection of the HPFL support system and replacement, if required, will be performed at authorized Detroit Diesel repair facilities.”

Daimler gave TT a copy of a letter sent March 2 from Jennifer Timian, NHTSA’s chief of the recall management division, Office of Defects Investigation Enforcement.

Timian wrote that, “as a result of other repairs [beyond that the one described by Daimler], the line supports may loosen, potentially leading to fuel line cracking and a fuel leak.”

In a separate paragraph, Timian wrote: “A fuel leak could create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash. Also, a fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can result in a fire.”

NHTSA said Daimler would perform the repairs, where needed, free of charge.

Daimler’s recall was the second major recall to hit the heavy duty trucking industry this year.

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems said last month that it had begun to distribute 130,000 kits to fix a defective brake system valve, with at least 67,000 U.S. and Canadian trucks possibly facing the problem (2-27, p. 1).

Richard Witcher, chairman of the American Truck Dealers association, said he did not believe that the two major recalls would cause hesitation among truckers considering the purchase of new vehicles.

“I don’t see any impact on customers getting ready to buy,” Witcher told TT. “The purchase of a commercial truck is based on decisions that are well planned and thought out and done on a comparative basis.”

He said that there was no “impulse buying” of trucks, “which can happen with automobiles.”

“Truck buyers are very sophisticated these days, and they carefully evaluate all factors when they make a business decision, said Witcher, who is also CEO of Minuteman Trucks Inc., a Navistar International dealer in Walpole, Mass.

Gary Meteer Sr., account director of R.L. Polk’s commercial vehicle sector, agreed. Polk tracks commercial vehicle information by counting state registration data.

“I don’t think the recalls will cause any delays in truck selling, because its not that big a number,” Meteer told TT.

“You have to remember that there are 1.3 million Freightliner trucks operating in the United States now, the most of any brand,” Meteer said. “So unless one company has all of its trucks with these defective engines, it’s not that big a number, and the repairs are all covered by warranty.”