NHTSA safety recall

Recall 81V001000

Steering › Gear Box (other Than Rack And Pinion) — Freightliner · reported 2 Dec 1981 · 104 vehicles potentially affected

What's wrong

AN AIR BRAKE HOSE FITTING BENEATH THE FLOOR OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES MAY RUB AGAINST THE ROTATING STEERING DRIVE SHAFT, EVENTUALLY CAUSING THE SHAFT TO FRACTURE. THIS CONDITION COULD EXIST IF A MECHANIC FAILED TO ORIENT THE THREADED 90 DEGREE ELBOW FITTING IN THE PROPER DIRECTION, OR IF THE STEERING COLUMN WAS POSITIONED INCORRECTLY. ALSO, AN IMPROPERLY ASSEMBLED BEARING PLATE WAS INSTALLED ON THE STEERING DRIVE SHAFT. THIS COULD CAUSE THE SLIP SHAFT TO BOTTOM OUT, RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE STEERING YOKE CONNECTION OR TO THE INTERNAL PARTS OF THE GEAR BOX.

The fix

THE DECK BEARING PLATE WILL BE REPLACED, A SLEEVE SPACER WILL BE ADDED TO THE STEERING SHAFT UNDER THE FLOOR AND TWO PARTS WILL BE ADDED TO THE STEERING COLUMN ATTACHMENT. THIS WILL BE DONE WITHOUT CHARGE TO THE OWNER.

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: HEAVY TRUCKS, CAB-OVER-ENGINE MODELS EQUIPPED WITH ANINTEGRAL POWER STEERING SYSTEM.SYSTEM: STEERING; STEERING COLUMN SHAFT.CONSEQUENCES OF DEFECT: EITHER DEFECT MAY RESULT IN LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL,WITHOUT WARNING, AND A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.

NHTSA campaign
81V001000
Filed by
Freightliner Corp.
Report received
2 Dec 1981
Owners notified
22 Jul 1981
Potentially affected
104

Vehicles covered by this recall

Whether a particular car is affected and still unrepaired depends on its VIN — a model year being listed does not mean every car of that year is included. Check any VIN free on CarLogs, or at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

1980 Freightliner Coe

Is this car's recall fixed?

Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer, for the life of the vehicle. A CarLogs report shows the recall status for a specific VIN as reported by the manufacturer — whether it's open or repaired, and whether the fix is available yet.

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation recall database. Look up another campaign →