Daimler Trucks North America, Wabash National Issue Safety Recalls
Daimler Trucks North America and Wabash National Corp. have issued voluntary recalls, respectively, on about 1,160 Freightliner and Western Star trucks and 2,400 converter dolly trailers, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website safercar.gov reported.
DTNA had two recalls. In the first, the truck manufacturer is recalling 1,007 model year 2013-2017 Freightliner Cascadia vehicles manufactured from Sept. 24, 2012, to May 27, 2015, and equipped with compressed natural gas engines.
On the trucks, the power distribution module is mounted near the CNG fuel tank. It may short-circuit if sprayed with water and contaminants from the road, and if it does, there would be an increased risk of a fire, especially if the nearby CNG tank leaks, DTNA said.
In June, it began investigating reports of melting or burning power distribution modules, DTNA said.
DTNA will notify the owners, and its dealers will relocate the module, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin Nov. 7, 2016.
The second DTNA recall involves 156 model year 2014-2017 Freightliner M2 Business Class, 108 SD, 114 SD, Cascadia, Coronado, Western Star 4700, 4800 and 5700 XE trucks manufactured from March 15, 2013, to July 29, 2016, and equipped with ConMet aluminum hubs that are not high-capacity.
These vehicles specify a front-axle weight limit that may be greater than that of the hub capacity, DTNA said, and as a result, the hub may fail and the wheel may separate from the axle — increasing the risk of a crash. DTNA did not specify that any crashes had occurred.
DTNA will notify owners, and its dealers will replace the front axle hubs, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin Oct. 27, 2016.
Trailer maker Wabash National said it is not aware of accidents or injuries associated with its recall of model year 2015-2016 Con-Gear Converter Dolly Trailers manufactured between March 31, 2014, to Aug. 6, 2015.
In the affected trailers, the frame may crack on the counterbalance leg weld seam or the top plate, Wabash said, leading to the counterbalance leg detaching while the trailer is being used and possibly causing the counterbalance leg to be a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash. The recall was set to begin around Sept. 26-30.
Wabash will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the dolly for cracks and add welds and weld plugs on the inboard side of the counterbalance legs, the company said. If welding will not resolve the issue, then the dolly frame will be replaced free of charge.
