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NHTSA Owner Complaints

2011 Freightliner Cascadia

12 owner-reported issues

Owner-reported data
Total complaints
12
Crash reports
1
Fire reports
0
Open recalls
7

What this means

12 NHTSA complaints filed on 2011 Freightliner Cascadia. Light sample — pattern recognition is limited but specific complaints may still be useful. The dominant complaint patterns are: ENGINE (8%), POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES (8%), POWER TRAIN (8%). These three categories cover 25% of all reports — typical signal that there are 2-3 known systemic issues on this make/model/year, not random faults.

Top reported issues
  • #1ENGINE
    1 (8%)
  • #2POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES
    1 (8%)
  • #3POWER TRAIN
    1 (8%)
  • #4FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
    1 (8%)
  • #5ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
    1 (8%)
  • #6ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    1 (8%)
  • #7ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    1 (8%)
  • #8POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
    1 (8%)
  • #9FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
    1 (8%)
  • #10STRUCTURE
    1 (8%)
Recent complaint examples
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE0000-00-00

ON 5-24-19, I WAS TRAVELING WEST ON HWY 56, 4 MILES EAST OF HERINGTON KS. SUDDENLY WITHOUT NOTICE, MY ENGINE SHUT OFF, I WAS LEFT WITH A DEAD TRUCK, TRAVELING AT 62 MPH, AND MY TANKER WAS FULLY LOADED, I COULD NOT HOLD THE TRUCK ON THE ROAD, THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE CAUGHT THE SOFT …

CrashInjuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING0000-00-00

TRAILER LIGHT NOT WORKING DAMAGED SAM CHASSIS…

POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES0000-00-00

THIS VEHICLE IT'S HAVING POWER TRAIN PROBLEMS CAUSING THE VEHICLE BEEN HARD TO CONTROL ON THE ROAD PLUS ITS BRAKING WRONG AT TIMES. SOME TIMES IT BRAKE WELL, MOST OF THE TIMES IT DON'T BRAKE. ONGUARD SYSTEM TOO INTRUSIVE MAKING VERY HARD BRAKING IN FALSE ( BRIDGE DETECTED AS STOP…

FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL0000-00-00

TL* THE CONTACT DROVE A 2011 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA. THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE FOR WORK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DIESEL ENHANCEMENT FLUID LEVEL COMPONENT FAILED TO WORK PROPERLY, INCLUDING THE SENSOR/WARNING INDICATOR. IN ADDITION, THE SPEEDOMETER FAILED TO FUNCTION AND TH…

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM0000-00-00

WHEN OUR VEHICLE IS OPERATING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THE VEHICLE LOSES ALL POWER AS IF YOU HAD TURNED OFF THE IGNITION SWITCH AND THEN TURNED IT BACK ON. THIS LASTS FOR A FEW SECONDS WHERE TOTAL CONTROL TO THE VEHICLE IS LOST BEFORE IT RESUMES NORMAL WORKING CONDITIONS. WE HAVE SPOK…

ENGINE0000-00-00

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 FREIGHTLINER CASCADIA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED AND RESTARTED WHILE ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS WHERE ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE WAS PERSISTENT. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT HE RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN…

POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM0000-00-00

1. AT FIRST, I FELT THE VEHICLE HESITATE WHEN I UP-SHIFT. I GOT INTO THE HIGHWAY AND THE ENGINE STARTED TO MISS GRADUALLY AND GETTING WORSE. I PULLED INTO A FREIGHT-LINER AND THE SAY THAT FUEL LINE IS CONTAMINATED BECAUSE THE FUEL PUMP BROKE INSIDE. THEY SAID THEY HAVE TO FLUSH O…

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM0000-00-00

1. AT FIRST, I FELT THE VEHICLE HESITATE WHEN I UP-SHIFT. I GOT INTO THE HIGHWAY AND THE ENGINE STARTED TO MISS GRADUALLY AND GETTING WORSE. I PULLED INTO A FREIGHT-LINER AND THE SAY THAT FUEL LINE IS CONTAMINATED BECAUSE THE FUEL PUMP BROKE INSIDE. THEY SAID THEY HAVE TO FLUSH O…

Related

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these Freightliner Cascadia 2011 complaints verified by NHTSA?
NHTSA collects complaints from owners but does NOT verify each one. The complaints below are unfiltered owner reports — useful for spotting patterns, but a single complaint doesn't prove a defect. Pay attention to: (1) volume of complaints on the same component, (2) consistency of described symptoms, and (3) whether NHTSA has opened a formal investigation or issued a recall on the same component. If a component appears in 5+% of complaints, that's usually a real pattern worth taking seriously.
Should I avoid buying a 2011 Freightliner Cascadia based on these complaints?
It depends on the components reported. 12 complaints across roughly tens of thousands of trucks of this model year is a light signal. Compare against other model years of the same truck — if 2022 has 3x more complaints than 2020 or 2024, that specific year has issues. Also check whether the most-reported component is something you can preventively address (e.g., DEF system issues can be mitigated with quality fluid + dealer software updates).
Have any of these complaints led to recalls on the 2011 Freightliner Cascadia?
Yes — 7 NHTSA recalls have been issued for this make/model/year. Owner complaints are one of the inputs NHTSA uses to identify potential safety defects — when a pattern shows up in complaints, an investigation can open, and if a defect is confirmed, a recall is issued. See the recall page for this vehicle for details.
How do I file my own complaint about a Freightliner truck?
Visit NHTSA.gov/file-complaint. You'll need: your VIN, the date of incident, description of what happened, and component affected (drivetrain, brakes, etc.). Filing takes ~10 minutes and adds your data point to the public record. This is the input that triggers NHTSA investigations. For commercial trucks, fleet operators reporting issues at scale (10+ similar reports) often accelerate NHTSA's review timeline.
What's the most expensive complaint pattern on the 2011 Freightliner Cascadia?
Based on the complaint data: the top reported issue is 'ENGINE' with 1 reports. Depending on the specific failure mode, this can range from a few hundred dollars (sensor replacement) to several thousand (transmission rebuild, DPF replacement, engine work). The complaint pattern alone won't tell you cost — check the symptoms described for hints about the actual root cause. Most commercial-truck complaints describe symptoms ($1,500–$5,000 repair range is typical), not catastrophic failures.

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