FL-837 – Brake Chambers Contacting the Frame Rail – 2020 Freightliner Cascadia

SEOCONTENT-START

Date: December 19, 2019
Michelle Rice
Recall Analyst
Department of Transportation
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590
Office: 202-366-1060
Subject: Brake chambers hitting the Frame rail
NHTSA NS No. – 19V-803
Manufacture number: FL837
There will be no publications for safety recall for 19V-803
Daimler Trucks North America
Andy Jones
Manager
Compliance and Regulatory Affairs
All vehicles identified within this recall have been repaired prior to any publication of Dealer’s Bulletin or
Owner Notification. All vehicles were repaired prior to July 2019.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Sincerely yours,
Andy Jones
Manager
Compliance and Regulatory Affairs
Daimler Trucks North America. LLC
4747 N. Channel Avenue
Portland OR 972 17-7699
Phone: 503-745•8000

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Defect Information Report
(Section 573.6)
FL-837
Date of Submission: November 7, 2019
Manufacturer: Daimler Trucks North America LLC
P.O. BOX 3849
Portland, Oregon 97208
Type of Report: X Safety Defect 0 Non-Compliance
Vehicle Information
Model Yr. Start: 2020
Make: Freightfiner
Model: Cascadia
Production Dates:
Model Yr. End: 2020
Begin: 04/04/2019
End: 05/16/2019
Descriptive Information: Cascadia vehicles built with certain air disc brakes and axle seats limiting
clearance between brake chambers and the frame.
Number potentially involved: 4 vehicles
Estimated percentage of involve with defect: 100%
Defect / Noncompliance Description
For this Defect/Noncompliance:
Describe the defect or noncompliance: On the affected vehicles, there was a report of the
brake chambers contacting the frame rail. This issue is limited to four vehicles that were specified with
incorrect axle seat angles resulting in reduced clearance between the brake chambers and the frame rail.
The reduced clearance can lead to the brake chambers contacting the frame rail when the suspension is
lowered and could result in separation or damage of the brake chamber. Of the four vehicles, there was
one confirmed event of a brake chamber separating from the brake assembly on the vehicle.
If a noncompliance, provide the applicable FMVSS: NA
Describe the safety risk: Broken or damaged brake chamber may reduce the braking efficiency of the
vehicle
Chronology of Defect/ Noncompliance Determination
Provide the chronology of events leading up to the defect decision or test data for the
Noncompliance decision. August 2019, DTNA received a field report concerning brake chambers
hitting frame rail when the suspension was lowered. September-October 2019, DTNA conducted a
thorough investigation to understand population and severity of consequence. It was confirmed that the
only time there would be contact is when the suspension is lowered. A lowered suspension is not a
normal operational condition while during highway travel. October, 2019 DTNA reviewed the topic with
the Office of Defect Investigation at NHTSA. November 1st, 2019, because the number of vehicles was
low and had already been repaired, a full study analyzing the potential safety consequences of an impact
between the brake chamber and frame rail was not undertaken, however, DTNA with an abundance of
caution, decided to conduct a voluntary recall on the potentially affected vehicles.
Identify the Remedy
Describe the defect/noncompliance remedy program, including the manufacture’s plan for
reimbursement. Warranty claims indicate that all vehicles in the population have been repaired. DTNA
will ensure that repairs were performed with no cost to customer.
Identify the Recall Schedule
Describe the recall schedule for notifications. All the vehicles in the population have been repaired.
DTNA will not be notifying customers.
Planned Dealer Notification Begin Date:
Planned Dealer Notification End Date:
Planned Owner Notification Begin Date:
Planned Owner Notification End Date:
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Manufacture’s identification code for this recall (if applicable): FL-837
DTNA Representative;
Andy Jones
Manager
Compliance and Regulatory Affairs