2006–2021 Freightliner, Sterling and Western Star: exterior lighting recall
The vehicle's rearward visibility may be reduced, increasing the risk of a crash.
What was reported
Source: manufacturer filing, 49 CFR Part 573Reported to NHTSA Apr 14, 2020 by Daimler Trucks North America LLC, owners notified May 29, 2020.
Which vehicles are covered
Source: NHTSA campaign 20V214000| Model year | On WhichTrim |
|---|---|
| 2014 Freightliner 122SD | — |
| 2015 Freightliner 122SD | — |
| 2016 Freightliner 122SD | — |
| 2017 Freightliner 122SD | — |
| 2018 Freightliner 122SD | — |
| 2019 Freightliner 122SD | — |
| 2020 Freightliner 122SD | — |
| 2021 Freightliner 122SD | — |
| 2006 Freightliner Argosy | — |
| 2006 Freightliner Business Class M2 | — |
| 2007 Freightliner Business Class M2 | — |
| 2008 Freightliner Business Class M2 | — |
| 2009 Freightliner Business Class M2 | — |
| 2010 Freightliner Business Class M2 | — |
| 2011 Freightliner Business Class M2 | — |
| 2012 Freightliner Business Class M2 | — |
| 2013 Freightliner Business Class M2 | — |
| 2014 Freightliner Business Class M2 | — |
| 2015 Freightliner Business Class M2 | — |
| 2016 Freightliner Business Class M2 | — |
| 2017 Freightliner Business Class M2 | — |
| 2018 Freightliner Business Class M2 | — |
| 2019 Freightliner Business Class M2 | — |
| 2020 Freightliner Business Class M2 | — |
| 2021 Freightliner Business Class M2 | — |
| 2008 Freightliner Cascadia | — |
| 2009 Freightliner Cascadia | — |
| 2010 Freightliner Cascadia | — |
| 2011 Freightliner Cascadia | — |
| 2012 Freightliner Cascadia | — |
| 2013 Freightliner Cascadia | — |
| 2014 Freightliner Cascadia | — |
| 2015 Freightliner Cascadia | — |
| 2016 Freightliner Cascadia | — |
| 2017 Freightliner Cascadia | — |
| 2018 Freightliner Cascadia | — |
| 2019 Freightliner Cascadia | — |
| 2020 Freightliner Cascadia | — |
| 2021 Freightliner Cascadia | — |
| 2006 Freightliner Century Class | — |
| 2007 Freightliner Century Class | — |
| 2008 Freightliner Century Class | — |
| 2009 Freightliner Century Class | — |
| 2010 Freightliner Century Class | — |
| 2011 Freightliner Century Class | — |
| 2006 Freightliner Classic XL | — |
| 2007 Freightliner Classic XL | — |
| 2008 Freightliner Classic XL | — |
| 2006 Freightliner Columbia | — |
| 2007 Freightliner Columbia | — |
| 2008 Freightliner Columbia | — |
| 2009 Freightliner Columbia | — |
| 2010 Freightliner Columbia | — |
| 2011 Freightliner Columbia | — |
| 2012 Freightliner Columbia | — |
| 2013 Freightliner Columbia | — |
| 2014 Freightliner Columbia | — |
| 2015 Freightliner Columbia | — |
| 2016 Freightliner Columbia | — |
| 2017 Freightliner Columbia | — |
| 2018 Freightliner Columbia | — |
| 2019 Freightliner Columbia | — |
| 2020 Freightliner Columbia | — |
| 2007 Freightliner Coronado | — |
| 2008 Freightliner Coronado | — |
| 2009 Freightliner Coronado | — |
| 2010 Freightliner Coronado | — |
| 2011 Freightliner Coronado | — |
| 2012 Freightliner Coronado | — |
| 2013 Freightliner Coronado | — |
| 2014 Freightliner Coronado | — |
| 2015 Freightliner Coronado | — |
| 2016 Freightliner Coronado | — |
| 2017 Freightliner Coronado | — |
| 2018 Freightliner Coronado | — |
| 2019 Freightliner Coronado | — |
| 2020 Freightliner Coronado | — |
| 2006 Freightliner FLD | — |
| 2007 Freightliner FLD | — |
| 2008 Freightliner FLD | — |
| 2009 Freightliner FLD | — |
| 2010 Freightliner FLD | — |
| 2007 Sterling 9500 | — |
| 2006 Sterling AT9500 | — |
| 2007 Sterling AT9500 | — |
| 2017 Western Star 5700 | — |
None of the vehicles this campaign names has a page on WhichTrim: the catalogue covers the cars, trucks and SUVs the EPA certifies from 2016 on, and these vehicles fall outside it — older model years, or motorhomes, trailers, buses, motorcycles and chassis cabs the EPA does not rate. The campaign record above is complete as filed, and whether one specific vehicle is included is settled by its VIN. Other campaigns on vehicles without a page here →
How much of it has been fixed
Source: manufacturer quarterly report, 49 CFR 573.7of the campaign
The final figure: the six quarters of reporting that 49 cfr 573.7 requires have closed.
This is the manufacturer's own cumulative count of vehicles it has inspected and repaired, divided by the vehicles the campaign covers. It files that count with NHTSA every quarter for six consecutive quarters, starting from the quarter in which owners were told a remedy was ready, and then the obligation ends — so a figure on an older campaign is where the count stopped, not where it stands today.
It rarely reaches 100%, and not because the work was not done. The same report asks manufacturers to count vehicles they could not reach at all — exported, stolen, scrapped, or simply never located — and those stay in the denominator. A low number means a lot of these vehicles are still out there unrepaired; it does not tell you which ones.
The federal paperwork
Source: nhtsa.govFiled documents
- Owner letter PDF — The letter mailed to registered owners, in full.
- Remedy instructions PDF — What the dealer is told to actually do about it.
Check one specific vehicle
A recall applies to a build range, so year, make and model cannot settle it. NHTSA checks a VIN against the manufacturer's own list and tells you whether the repair is still outstanding on that vehicle.
NHTSA VIN recall lookup →Campaign 20V214000 · the manufacturer calls it FL848
Own one, or run a fleet? Recall Watch checks each VIN against every new NHTSA campaign and emails you when one lands, this one's expansions included. Or take a free one-line alert by model year.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR Part 573Is FL848 the same recall as 20V214000?
Yes. FL848 is the number Daimler Trucks North America LLC uses for this campaign in its own paperwork and in the letter it sends owners. 20V214000 is the number NHTSA files it under. One recall, two references — dealers and service departments generally quote the manufacturer's.
Does this recall repair cost anything?
No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to remedy a safety defect or a compliance failure at no charge, for vehicles up to 15 years old measured from the date of first sale. A dealer that asks you to pay for a recall repair is in the wrong.
How do I know whether my vehicle is included?
By VIN, not by model year. The manufacturer files a build range with NHTSA and only vehicles inside it are covered, so two identical-looking cars from the same year can differ. NHTSA's own lookup checks a VIN against the manufacturer's list.
What if the repair is not available yet?
It happens, and often. Manufacturers must notify owners when a defect is found even if the parts or the software are not ready, then notify them a second time once the remedy exists. The remedy filed for this campaign is described above.
What did the manufacturer say was wrong?
The problem, risk and fix quoted on this page are the manufacturer's own words as filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR Part 573. WhichTrim does not paraphrase them.
Who started this recall?
NHTSA's record credits the manufacturer. A recall can begin with the manufacturer's own testing, with a defect investigation, or with a compliance test against a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard.