The Recall Desk
SevereNHTSA·21V481000·Announced 2023-01-06

Truck battery cable defect recall: Western Star and Freightliner vehicles

Daimler Trucks North America is recalling certain Freightliner and Western Star trucks because the battery cable terminal may break, causing engine stall and crash risk. Dealers will repair or replace the cables at no cost.

What this means for you

Illness, injury, or structural failure has been reported. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.

Our severity reasoning: This is a structural vehicle defect affecting the electrical system's battery cable terminals, which causes engine stall and directly increases crash risk. No injuries or deaths have been reported, but the defect poses a significant safety hazard to vehicle operation.

Plain-English summary

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC is recalling certain 2019-2022 Freightliner Cascadia models, 2021 Western Star WH126, 2020 Western Star WJ121, and 2021-2022 Western Star 49X vehicles due to a battery cable defect. The battery cable terminal may break, resulting in a loss of electrical power and unintended engine stall, which increases the risk of a crash.

If you own an affected vehicle, contact your dealer or Daimler Trucks North America customer service at 1-800-547-0712 to schedule the free repair. Dealers will repair or replace the battery cables at no cost. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 7, 2022. For more information, you may also contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or visit www.nhtsa.gov.

The recalled product

Product
2020 WESTERN STAR WJ121
Brand
WESTERN STAR
Manufacturer
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC
Category
Vehicle — Electrical System
Hazard
  • battery-cable-failure
  • engine-stall
  • crash-risk
Affected units
122,056

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 (4)

  • WJ121
  • WH126
  • CASCADIA
  • 49X

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

Related recalls

Same brand · WESTERN STAR

Same category