How many recalls does the 2003 Freightliner Century have?

2 open NHTSA safety recalls are on record for the 2003 Freightliner Century, alongside 4 owner complaints.

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2003 Freightliner Century Recalls & Complaints

open safety recalls on record

Serious

4 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.75 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious03V500000

Service Brakes, Air

THIS COULD LEAD TO REDUCED BRAKE CONTROL, LOSS OF SERVICE BRAKE CONTROL, OR THE EMERGENCY BRAKES AUTOMATICALLY APPLYING, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A CRASH WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW CAB AIR MANIFOLD. OWNER NOTIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON JANUARY 21, 2004. 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 800-547-0712.

ON CERTAIN TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH AIR BRAKES, THE PLASTIC PUSH-TO-CONNECT AIR LINE FITTING CARTRIDGE COULD BE IMPROPERLY WELDED INTO THE NYLON JUNCTION BLOCK HOUSING ALLOWING AN AIR LINE TO BECOME DISCONNECTED.

Serious04V205000

Power Train:Manual Transmission

IF SHIFT LEVER DETACHMENT OCCURS, THA ABILITY RO ACCELERATE OT MAINTAIN SPEED WILL BE LOST, raises the risk of A CRASH.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL RE-SECURE THE SHIFT LEVER TO THE TRANSMISSION USING THREADLOCK AND RE-TORQUING THE FASTENING BOLT. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON MAY 21, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FREIGHTLINER AT 1-800-547-0712.

ON CERTAIN TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSION, THE TAPERED JOINT THAT ATTACHES THE SHIFTER TO THE TRANSMISSION MAY BECOME LOOSE MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO PUT THE TRANSMISSION INTO GEAR.

Complaint volume

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

0Crashes

1Fires

0Injuries

0Deaths

Across 4 complaints. Severity Index 0.75.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal — 1 reports
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — 1 reports
Tires:Tread/Belt — 1 reports
Tires:Sidewall — 1 reports

What to do

Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1997 (4) · 1998 (5) · 1999 (7) · 2000 (6) · 2001 (4) · 2003 · 2004 (3) · 2005 (2) · 2006 (8) · 2008 (9)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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