Vehicle recall 79V256000 · December 4, 1979

1978 Freightliner Freightliner

The involved vehicles fail to conform to federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 121, "air brake systems".

Source: NHTSA data as of September 22, 2026. Last refreshed Sep 23, 2026, 2:43 AM UTC.

Summary: The involved vehicles fail to conform to federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 121, "air brake systems". The brake drums do not meet with brake recovery requirements. Brakes may be not perform adequately on long downgrades or due to heavy applications of air when the vehicle is brought to a stop from high speeds.
Remedy: Dealer will replace the brake drums on the drive axle on all involved vehicles at no cost to owner.
Notes: Vehicle description: trucks.system: service brakes; rear brake drum.consequences of defect: loss of braking effectiveness could result in loss ofvehicle control and a vehicle accident.note: the driver is urged to use extreme caution to avoid these situations byusing low gear on downgrades.

Recall details

NHTSA campaign: 79V256000
Reported to NHTSA: December 4, 1979
Filed by: FREIGHTLINER CORP.
Owner notification: February 21, 1980
Vehicles potentially affected: 28
Initiated by: the manufacturer
Components: Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Drum › Drum

Recall 79V256000 on nhtsa.gov, with the manufacturer’s documents

Vehicles covered

As listed by NHTSA. A recall usually covers only some vehicles of each model and year, often a production date range.

Freightliner Freightliner (1978): 1978

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