Vehicle recall 98V085000 · April 21, 1998
1996-1998 Freightliner Century
Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with meritor interaxle driveline u-joints.
Source: NHTSA data as of September 22, 2026. Last refreshed Sep 23, 2026, 2:43 AM UTC.
- Summary
- Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with meritor interaxle driveline u-joints. Deflector rings, a part of the system to seal the u-joints from contaminates, are loose. This allows water to enter the u-joint bearing area result in dilution of the lubricant, oxidation of the bearing and seal surfaces, and loss of lubricant.
- Consequence
- If this problem goes undetected, the interaxle driveline can separate from the vehicle, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the u-joints with the current design u-joints.
- Notes
- Owner notification will be conducted in two phases.the first phase is expected to begin July 13, 1998. The second phase will begin August 8, 1998. 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.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
- 98V085000
- Reported to NHTSA
- April 21, 1998
- Filed by
- FREIGHTLINER CORPORATION
- Owner notification
- July 13, 1998
- Vehicles potentially affected
- 22,186
- Initiated by
- the manufacturer
- Components
- Suspension › Front
Vehicles covered
As listed by NHTSA. A recall usually covers only some vehicles of each model and year, often a production date range.
- Freightliner Century (1996-1998): 1998, 1997, 1996
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.