Some Issues With 2014 Freightliners

We broke down again. This time it was in the Mohave desert.

My husband was driving when he thought he saw fog. Which was odd out in the desert. He slowed down. He thought he was seeing maybe a mist on the windshield so he turned the wipers on and it smeared.

At about that same time he smelled kerosene. He was trying to locate the smell when he saw thicker fog. He pulled over to try to sort it out. When he hit the brakes, the whole front of the truck was enveloped with smoke. Thick, heavy smoke.

I was asleep when all this happened so I missed out on all the details. I was awakened and was being dragged out of the truck before I was even half awake. I sat there on the sand blinking at our smoking truck and was ill. I gathered enough brain functioning to dial 911 and get the cops out there because we couldn't get all the way out of the road.

Once the fire department got there and discovered the source of all the smoke we were happy there wasn't a fire. Diesel doesn't burn very easily and that likely saved our lives. Had it been gasoline we would have been toast.

Hours later we find out from the mechanic that in the freightliner factory there was a mistake made. The fuel lines were tightened down too tight and that weakened the connections. Ours blew off and threw diesel all over the inside of our engine compartment, on the windshield, the windows, on TOP of the truck, and all the way to the back of the trailer.

We are fine and the truck is fixed. But that is the second factory defect we have found in the 2014 freightliner.

We broke down again. This time it was in the Mohave desert.

My husband was driving when he thought he saw fog. Which was odd out in the desert. He slowed down. He thought he was seeing maybe a mist on the windshield so he turned the wipers on and it smeared.

At about that same time he smelled kerosene. He was trying to locate the smell when he saw thicker fog. He pulled over to try to sort it out. When he hit the brakes, the whole front of the truck was enveloped with smoke. Thick, heavy smoke.

I was asleep when all this happened so I missed out on all the details. I was awakened and was being dragged out of the truck before I was even half awake. I sat there on the sand blinking at our smoking truck and was ill. I gathered enough brain functioning to dial 911 and get the cops out there because we couldn't get all the way out of the road.

Once the fire department got there and discovered the source of all the smoke we were happy there wasn't a fire. Diesel doesn't burn very easily and that likely saved our lives. Had it been gasoline we would have been toast.

Hours later we find out from the mechanic that in the freightliner factory there was a mistake made. The fuel lines were tightened down too tight and that weakened the connections. Ours blew off and threw diesel all over the inside of our engine compartment, on the windshield, the windows, on TOP of the truck, and all the way to the back of the trailer.

We are fine and the truck is fixed. But that is the second factory defect we have found in the 2014 freightliner.

Good thing is you guys are okay.. I just recently had a vehicle fire myself.. It was a gas engine, torched the entire engine bay..

I would request a new truck if possible..

And this is just another way the outsourcing of jobs to other countries is hurting us. I can all but guarantee the label on the inside of the door panel says something akin to "built in Mexico." It does on mine, anyway. When you pay $5 an hour, or whatever ridiculously low wage Daimler is paying their assembly workers down there, you don't get the same quality, pride in workmanship, and attention to detail you'd get from good, honest UAW workers here in the states.

$1 US dollar equals $12.90 in the Mexican peso. So $5 dollars an hours and they are in heaven down there.

Very good point! we need to use people' here less headaches by far. plus a stronger us job number.. also.. lets' make the sports stars who make millions buy more US Cars Trucks'.