46 of the
400 complaints filed about the Freightliner Cascadia
are about the braking system —
12% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2019.
On May 24, 2026, while driving home from the Ocotillo Wells OHV Recreation Area toward San Diego, California, a drive of roughly 90 miles, a dashboard warning reading "Stability Controls Not Working" illuminated on [XXX] near Warner Springs in San Diego County. The vehicle is a 2026 Freightliner Cascadia chassis carrying a Renegade Classic 43CMD Super C motorhome body. The vehicle was approximately six weeks old with about 3,100 miles. I stopped the vehicle and attempted to clear the fault by cycling the chassis power; the warning did not clear. I completed the drive home with a passenger aboard, aware that the stability control system was reporting itself inoperative. On XXX I delivered the vehicle to Velocity Truck Centers, an authorized Freightliner service center in San Diego, California, recorded at 3,189 miles under service invoice XXX and warranty claim XXX. The technician recorded the cause as "ABS ECU SHORTED." His written correction states that he verified the ESC light was on, ran end-of-line code 1810/2 which did not clear the fault, confirmed the ESC module was mounted level and tight, unplugged the connector and drag tested all four pins and found them good, and concluded that the ESC module was shorted out. He removed the old module and installed a new one, which required calibration on a road test; the unit passed the road test. The replacement part is listed as ECU-ESC6, part number 446 065 095 0. An internally shorted electronic stability control module on a six-week-old vehicle with roughly 3,100 miles, on a motorhome of this size and weight carrying occupants at highway speed, is a safety concern. I am filing this complaint so the failure is documented for safety-trend and potential recall analysis. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11757569 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
while driving a UPS Freightliner truck (Cascadia Vin number [XXX] ) on [XXX] on [XXX] in Charlotte, North Carolina, the tractor brakes locked down causing [XXX] 's arm to jam into shoulder from having all momentum come to abrupt stop causing seatbelt to yank across shoulder ultimately necessitating surgery and putting me out of work for 6 months+ and ongoing INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11722434 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving on the highway on cruise at 70mph the right front brakes locked up. The day was clear. I was driving across a bridge. The truck pulled to the right and I fought to pull it back on to the road. My company has the incident on camera. I was pulling a loaded tanker. Had the pavement been wet or snowy I could have easily jack knifed. If a vehicle would have been next to me I would have struck them. The vehicle was inspected by our mechanic and was told the system was within specs. The truck has also hard braked and pulled to the right when vehicles in the lane next to it are turning.
NHTSA complaint #11621849 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2016 Freightliner Cascadia. The contact stated that while a driver was attempting to exit parking lot, the S-Cam 2 and S-Cam support bracket independently detached. No warning light was illuminated. A local independent mechanic arrived on scene to inspect the vehicle and it was determined that the S-Cam bracket and S-Cam mount needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V338000 (Equipment) however, the VIN was not included. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 700,000.
NHTSA complaint #11621550 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Intermittent air leak from the Turbo cut off valve on Wabco air drier, Causing loss of system air pressure. This issue has been happening on many of the freightliner trucks in our fleet, Ever since Wabco re-designed the air drier. Wabco tag info. 23161 116973 4324801450
NHTSA complaint #11614562 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My 2019 Freightliner Cascadia forward collision brakes activates automatically while on the road without any other vehicle nearby, airbrake malfunction (not released appropriately and fully released) and extremely fuel consumption.
NHTSA complaint #11610330 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
All 6 Rotors have circumferential Groves. Dealer refuses to fix the issue. It was dropped for repairs due to lack of proper braking. Dealer road tested unit and stated that everything operates properly. When confronted that groves will get deeper in short period of time and it's a safety issue they still refused to repair. Unit has bumper to bumper warranty for 100k miles.
NHTSA complaint #11578262 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
A collision avoidance system (CAS), also known as a pre-crash system, forward collision warning system (FCW), or collision mitigation system, is an advanced driver-assistance system designed to prevent or reduce the severity of a collision. System applied brakes bringing our Unit to a complete stop traveling 55 MPH on an Interstate while making a lane change, Because of this our Unit was rear-ended by another CMV, On board cameras video on both V1 and V2 clearly show incident. A print out of the DDEC shows code for braking system control at exact time of incident. In our fleet we have the same 2020 Freightliner Cascadia with this system and in trying to maintain the safety of our drivers and equipment no to mention our Insurance cost and CSA scores, This is a major issue as you can see on the Web the many cases and stories of these same incidents happening. Direction is needed Thank You
NHTSA complaint #11570495 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When driving, there is a constant and very strong vibration throughout the entirety of the truck. This makes it difficult to steer and drive in a safe manner. I've replaced any parts that might be associated with this malfunction with brand new parts at the advice of professional mechanics (cost over $30,000) and it was to no avail. The truck is still malfunctioning and I have been left unable to work or barely working for 14 months. The vibration has caused many health concerns, like headaches, nausea, and stomach ulcers. I went to over 10 dealers and there has been no solutions that have worked.
NHTSA complaint #11561665 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2022 Freightliner Cascadia. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V817000 (Service Brakes, Air, Forward Collision Avoidance) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the Axiomatic Braking System independently activated. The failure had occurred approximately 15 times and occurred intermittently. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who confirmed that it was a known issue. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 115,629. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA complaint #11550118 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Semi was traveling on the highway and transporting a 48,000 pound steel coil. The steel coil was secured with 4 chains. The automatic emergency braking system engaged with nothing in front of the vehicle, causing it to suddenly come to a dead stop in traffic. This caused the steel coil to break free of its bounds, crash through the trailer and into the vehicle cab, trapping the driver.
NHTSA complaint #11547088 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2022 Freightliner Cascadia. The contact stated while reversing at 10 MPH, the brake caliper seized and the two front driver’s side inside tires exploded. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with front brake modulator failure. The contact was informed that the front brake modulator valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact stated that she had contacted the dealer and the manufacturer about the failure and was informed by the manufacturer that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V817000 (Service Brakes, Air, Forward Collision Avoidance) however, the dealer would not honor the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 201,285.
NHTSA complaint #11532293 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My truck just came to a screeching halt on the interstate with no obstacles in front of it. It nearly caused a major accident. I could not override it. I was approaching an overpass approximately 100 yards away. Collision warning lights went on. Horn started beeping and brakes engaged immediately.
NHTSA complaint #11530515 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My Emplyoer has not fixed anything on the truck, the truck shouldn’t be operating, doesn’t meet DOT Regulations, I was told not to go into any scales or weigh stations, loses air and the air doesn’t build back up properly, I lost all air in my breaks while driving on the road
NHTSA complaint #11530297 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2022 Freightliner Cascadia. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the service brakes were applied without input from the driver. The Forward Collision-Avoidance warning light was illuminated. There was no object in the roadway to activate the feature. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where a diagnostic test was performed. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Action Number: PE23010 (Forward Collision Avoidance). The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 148,000.
NHTSA complaint #11529518 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The Automatic Emergency Braking System has activated at least 3 different times while I was driving. At each occurrence there was nothing in the roadway or travel lane. The vehicle came to an abrupt stop twice and slammed the brakes on but then released them a moment later once. In each event a very near collision with other vehicles was almost caused. There are other drivers that use this truck that have reported similar events (5 or 6), but I cannot say for certain what the exact circumstances were in those events. This vehicle is available for inspection if requested. A dealer has not confirmed the problem, each time they report that the system in functioning correctly. The vehicle has not been inspected by any entity other than the dealer. No symptoms prior, only a red collision warning light in the gauge cluster and a warning beep at the immediate time of the event.
NHTSA complaint #11526068 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
There was brake failure during an accident or 4/23/21 on the Massachusetts turnpike where there was a fatality. The air dryer filter broke off and my question is regarding nhtsa part 573 safety recall report 22v-443. I would like to know the two simultaneous events in this recall test. I realize the production date is a month or less after the recall date of vehicles.
NHTSA complaint #11523252 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Ascending Tehachapi Pass CA Hwy 58 Eastbound in the left lane grossing 45,000lbs and traveling at 55mph with cruise control ON. I was passing another slower moving truck(~35-40mph). Before I came along the other vehicle the highway curved to the left. The Collision Aviodance System(CAS) didn't alarm, however the cruise control cut power and Automatic Emergency Braking(AEB) hardbraked my truck reducing the speed from 55mph to 40-45mph. This was sudden and unexpected. Once I determined the issue, I applied throttle overriding the AEB/CAS. However my forward momentum was lost and accelerating uphill was slow. It was midday and clear skies. No one was following me fortunately, but sudden and unexpected braking could have had a vehicle tailing too closely(It was an uphill grade with a speed limit of 65 mph for POV) rear-end my trailer(48 foot stepdeck trailer). Please explain to me how CAS/AEB are safety systems for a CMV?!? This is the 4th report I have filed with NHTSA about the same Freightliner Cascadia tractor. According to the vehicle operating Manual that this occurrence of unexplained and unwarranted braking is a "feature" of this "safety system". Meaning that the CAS/AEB was functioning as designed(A flawed designed in my professional opinion). I have been contacted by the NHTSA about previous filed report about an ongoing investigation with the manufacturer. What action is this agency going to take? Will there be an investigation when the system performs as designed causing an avoidable accident, injury, or death? Will I be a defendant, witness, or victim? Sincerely, [XXX] Junction City, Oregon INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
NHTSA complaint #11522762 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.