The Recall Desk
Our severity:HighNHTSA·17V761000·Announced 2017-11-27

Daimler Recalls 2008-2018 Trucks for Brake Light Switch Defect

Daimler Trucks North America is recalling 2008-2018 Freightliner and Western Star trucks because the brake light switch may fail to activate lights after hard braking, increasing crash risk.

What this means for you

Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 3/5 (High).

Real risk of harm even if no illness or injury has been reported yet. Stop using the product and follow the agency's guidance.

Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a safety-critical component (brake lights) where failure increases the risk of a crash, but the source text does not report any specific injuries, deaths, or NHTSA 'death/serious injury' classification, placing it in the High category for risk-of-harm products without reported injury.

Plain-English summary

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2008-2018 Freightliner Cascadia, Western Star 4700, 4900, 5700, and 6900 trucks. The recall involves a defect in the brake light pressure switch. After hard brake applications, the switch may not activate the brake lights when the driver applies the brake pedal lightly.

If the brake lights fail to illuminate, other motorists will not receive a signal that the vehicle is slowing down. This lack of signaling increases the risk of a crash. The recall affects approximately 438,255 vehicles.

DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. Daimler issued interim notifications to owners on January 22, 2018, and the recall began on May 9, 2018. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-756. Owners may also contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or visit www.safercar.gov.

The recalled product

Product
FREIGHTLINER, WESTERN STAR CASCADIA, 4700, 5700, 4900
Brand
FREIGHTLINER
Manufacturer
Daimler Trucks North America LLC
Category
Vehicle — Commercial Truck
Hazard
Affected units
438,255

Is your product affected?

Check your packaging against the codes below. If any of them match, the product is part of this recall.

Model numbers (5)

  • CASCADIA
  • 4700
  • 5700
  • 4900
  • 6900

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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