What is the worst year for a Freightliner Century?

The 2000 Freightliner Century has the worst FaultScore of any year of this model, with 19 complaints filed with NHTSA, most of them about the suspension.

What is the best year for a Freightliner Century?

The 1999 Freightliner Century has the cleanest record of the graded years, with 10 complaints on file.

What breaks most often on a Freightliner Century?

Engine & Cooling accounts for more complaints than any other part on the Freightliner Century.

Worst years for a Freightliner Century

Owners have filed 76 complaints about the Freightliner Century with NHTSA across model years 1997 to 2008. More of them are about the engine & cooling than anything else.

Avoid

2000 Freightliner Century

19 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly suspension.

Cleanest on record

1999 Freightliner Century

10 complaints — the lowest FaultScore of the graded years.

Every Freightliner Century year, graded

The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.

5 21 10 19 4 4 2 2 8 1

97 98 99 00 01 03 04 05 06 08

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

Year	Grade	Complaints	Fires	Median miles	Most reported
2008	—	1	0	—	Transmission & Drivetrain
2006	—	8	0	145,000	Engine & Cooling
2005	—	2	0	—	Tires
2004	—	2	0	—	Engine & Cooling
2003	—	4	1	—	Tires
2001	—	4	0	—	Suspension
2000	D	19	0	—	Suspension
1999	B	10	1	—	Electrical System
1998	B	21	0	—	Windows, Mirrors & Wipers
1997	—	5	0	—	Equipment & Accessories

What breaks on a Freightliner Century

Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.

Engine & Cooling 15 19.7%

Worst in 2006

Suspension 13 17.1%

Worst in 2000

Tires 7 9.2%

Worst in 2003

Steering 6 7.9%

Worst in 1998

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 6 7.9%

Worst in 1998

Transmission & Drivetrain 4 5.3%

Worst in 1998

Body & Structure 4 5.3%

Worst in 2000

Fuel & Propulsion 4 5.3%

Worst in 1998

Equipment & Accessories 4 5.3%

Worst in 1997

Electrical System 2 2.6%

Worst in 1999

Wheels 2 2.6%

Worst in 2000

Seats 2 2.6%

Worst in 1998

Other & Unspecified 2 2.6%

Worst in 1998

Airbags 1 1.3%

Worst in 2006

Complaints filed over time

Every complaint about every Freightliner Century, by the month it reached NHTSA.

Oct 1998 peak 8 Apr 2025

Compare the Freightliner Century

Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.

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