The 1999 Freightliner Sterling has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 35,405 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR00V2320022000-08-0735,405 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: HEAVY DUTY TRUCKS AND SCHOOL BUS CHASSIS BUILT WITH BENDIX AIR ABS WITH AN EC-17 1030R ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT (ECU), THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF UNWANTED ABS ACTIVATION AT LOW SPEEDS CAUSED BY 1) CHAFED ABS WHEEL SPEED SENSOR WIRES ON ROTATING PARTS OR 2) A DAMAGED COMPONENT AT THE WHEEL END…
Consequence
THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE THE ABS ECU TO EXHAUST THE AIR AT THE AIR BRAKE MODULATORS FOR ONE OR MORE OF THE WHEELS. THIS COULD RESULT IN EXTENDED BRAKING DISTANCES AND A POSSIBLE CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ABS ECU.
Complaints by component
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY
1
Total complaints1
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Plastic radiator cracks due to normal vibration. Please provide further information. *ak”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA02036 Opened 2002-12-11 · closed 2004-01-26
ABS CORROSION EXTENDS STOPPING DIST
THE TONE RING TOOTH PROFILE OF AN UNCOATED HYDRAULIC DISC BRAKE DEGRADES AFTER EXPOSURE TO CORROSIVE ENVIRONMENTS.WHEN THE TONE RING TOOTH PROFILE HAS DEGRADED IN FREIGHTLINER VEHICLES, THE ABS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATES RELIABLY TO WARN THE OPERATOR TO HAVE THE ABS SYSTEM SERVICED.IN RESPONSE TO ODI'S INQUIRY,…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1999 Freightliner Sterling as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.