1999 Sterling Acterra: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 1999 Sterling Acterra
No owner has filed a defect report with NHTSA about the 1999 Sterling Acterra. That is not a clean bill of health — it usually means few were sold, or the year is too new for problems to have surfaced.
Recalls on the 1999 model year
NHTSA has issued 7 recall campaigns covering the 1999 Sterling Acterra, affecting an estimated 17,765 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover suspension:front:hub, parking brake:conventional:mechanical:linkage and cable, suspension:rear and steering:linkages:tie rod assembly. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
One caution about reading these together: a recall usually raises the complaint count for the same part, because owners who read about it go and file. The mileages stay informative; the counts get noisy.
SUSPENSION:FRONT:HUB
5,716 vehicles 2003-03-21- Defect
- On certain trucks equipped with truck hub units manufactured by skf exclusively for use on arvinmeritor's ff98x series non-drive steer axles, the hub unit bearings can wear prematurely.
- Consequence
- Seizure of the bearings can cause wheel separation or wheel end fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace both front hubs. Owner notification is expected to begin on or before september 20, 2003. 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.
PARKING BRAKE:CONVENTIONAL:MECHANICAL:LINKAGE AND CABLE
548 vehicles 2002-04-10- Defect
- On certain trucks equipped with meritor brand 12" x 4" dcm drum parking brake, the bolts used to attach the parking brake assembly to the flange yoke are too large and can interfere with the proper engagement of the braking system and possibly disengage.
- Consequence
- Improper engagement of the parking brake could result in the vehicle rolling away without prior warning possibly resulting in personal injury or death.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the attaching bolts with the correct size bolts free of charge. Owner notification is expected to begin during october 2002. 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.
SUSPENSION:REAR
219 vehicles 2001-11-29- Defect
- On certain trucks, the welds that attach the rear suspension control rod brackets to the axle housing may not meet specifications.
- Consequence
- A weld could fracture, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the rear suspension bracket welds to determine if they meet specifications and re-weld if necessary. Owner notification began july 31, 2002. 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.
STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
75,000 vehicles 2001-09-17- Defect
- Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with trw tie rod ends on certain meritor axles. The tie rod and drag link ball stud ends contain bearings that are below the specified case depth and/or hardness.
- Consequence
- This can lead to premature wear with possible separation of the ball stud from the socket, increasing the risk of loss of control of the vehicle.
- Remedy
- Dealers will remove and replace all affected tie rods and drag links with different designed ends. Owner notification began november 8, 2001. 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.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
1,350 vehicles 2001-03-12- Defect
- Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with hydraulic brakes and a durapark park brake system manufactured by arvinmeritor. Air is entering the hydraulic rear brake cylinders through an unknown path and the rear self-adjusting brakes may not be operating properly.
- Consequence
- This results in spongy or soft feel to the brake pedal and a loss of rear braking capability.
- Remedy
- Dealers will remove and replace the ABS ecu and inspect the brake pedal for proper travel. If excessive travel is detected, the brake system will be bled and rear brakes adjusted. As an interim measure, freightliner will notify all owners to have their vehicles inspected to assure proper function of the brake system. This will include adjusting and bleeding the brakes. Also, owners will be instructed that on a regular basis they should do several hard brake applications while stopped. This will exercise the self-adjusting system and if they observe a low or spongy brake…
STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR
22,499 vehicles 2000-08-23- Defect
- Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks. The upper steering column pinch bolt may not have been properly torqued.
- Consequence
- Loss of steering control can occur if the bolt falls out.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the upper steering column pinch bolt for correct torque and re-torque if necessary.
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK
35,405 vehicles 2000-08-07- 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 that generates a certain type of erratic sensor signal.
- 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.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
Every year of the Sterling Acterra
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Why this page is short
A model year needs about 8 reports before percentiles mean anything, and this one does not have them. Complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road, so a thin page usually means a rare car, a new car, or a car whose owners do not file.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed