Vehicle recall 01V044002 · February 21, 2001
Sterling A-Line, Freightliner Argosy and 17 more models
Vehicle description: trucks, school bus and motor home chassis, and transit buses equipped with tie rod assemblies manufactured by TRW.
Source: NHTSA data as of September 22, 2026. Last refreshed Sep 23, 2026, 2:43 AM UTC.
- Summary
- Vehicle description: trucks, school bus and motor home chassis, and transit buses equipped with tie rod assemblies manufactured by TRW. The suspect tie rods contain 24-DL model ball sockets. Certain of the tie rod ball-socket bearings have a below-specification case depth and/or hardness, which can lead to premature wear of the socket.
- Consequence
- If this condition occurs, the driver can lose partial control of the right front wheel, possibly resulting in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the defective ball sockets and/or drag links. Owner notification began may 22, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact freightliner at 1-800-547-0712 or TRW customer service at 1-866-280-3287.
- Notes
- Also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).
Recall details
- NHTSA campaign
- 01V044002
- Reported to NHTSA
- February 21, 2001
- Filed by
- FREIGHTLINER CORPORATION
- Manufacturer campaign
- FL-284
- Owner notification
- May 22, 2001
- Vehicles potentially affected
- 16,000
- Initiated by
- the manufacturer
- Components
- Steering › Linkages › Tie rod assembly
Vehicles covered
As listed by NHTSA. A recall usually covers only some vehicles of each model and year, often a production date range.
- Freightliner Argosy (1999): 1999
- Freightliner Cargo (1999): 1999
- Freightliner Century (1999): 1999
- Freightliner FLB (1999): 1999
- Freightliner FLD (1999): 1999
- Freightliner FLN (1999): 1999
- Freightliner FS-65 (1999): 1999
- Freightliner S112 (1999): 1999
- Freightliner XC (1999): 1999
- Orion II (1999): 1999
- Orion V (1999): 1999
- Sterling A-Line (1999): 1999
- Sterling Cargo (1999): 1999
- Sterling L-Line (1999): 1999
- Thomas MVP EF (1999): 1999
- Thomas MVP ER (1999): 1999
- Thomas Built Buses Transit Liner ER (1999): 1999
- Western Star Constellation (1999): 1999
- Western Star Heritage (1999): 1999
Has your Freightliner been repaired?
Recalls here come from NHTSA’s records for the model and year. Not every vehicle of a model is included in every recall, and this site can’t see whether a repair has been done. Only a VIN lookup can tell you that.
NHTSA’s VIN search doesn’t show recalls that were already repaired, recalls more than 15 years old, or some small manufacturers’ recalls. A Freightliner dealer can also check your VIN. Recall repairs are free.