2020 WESTERN STAR 4700 Complaints and Recall Information
The 2020 WESTERN STAR 4700 has 3 complaints and 16 recalls filed with NHTSA. Owners most frequently report engine shutdowns caused by a faulty relay in the master power distribution (PNDB). These shutdowns have occurred at highway speeds with a fully loaded truck, resulting in loss of power steering and a hazardous driving condition.
Common Issues- Engine shutdown. A faulty relay in the master power distribution (PNDB) interrupts engine power, causing the engine to shut off unexpectedly.
- Loss of power steering. When the engine shuts down due to the PNDB relay failure, power steering is lost, compromising vehicle control.
- Frequent recurrence. The issue with the PNDB relay is reported as common by Western Star service departments.
Sixteen recalls affect the 2020 WESTERN STAR 4700, addressing various systems including tires, wheels, steering, electrical wiring, fuel system, brakes, suspension, and certification labels.
Recalls- Tires and Rims. (NHTSA 22V919000; 49 vehicles) Tires incompatible with 8.25-inch rims reduce tire performance and increase crash risk. Dealers will replace tires free of charge. No "Do Not Drive" advisory.
- Steering Shaft. (NHTSA 19V769000; 1331 vehicles) Improper installation of the steering shaft may cause loss of steering control. Dealers will inspect and correct as needed at no cost.
- Ground Harness Wiring. (NHTSA 20V281000; 2987 vehicles) Undersized wire can melt connector, causing engine stalls without restart capability. Dealers will replace ground harness free of charge.
- Tires and Rims Approval. (NHTSA 21V896000; 307 vehicles) Tires and rims not rated for vehicle reduce tire performance and increase crash risk. Dealers will inspect and replace tires and rims as necessary free of charge.
- Fuel Injection Fuel Rail. (NHTSA 21V965000; 2843 vehicles) Fuel tubes may crack causing high pressure fuel leaks, raising fire risk. Dealers will replace fuel tubes and add vibration isolators free of charge.
- Ground Harness Wiring. (NHTSA 21V206000; 5111 vehicles) Similar to 20V281000 recall; wiring may melt connector causing engine stalls. Dealers will replace ground harness at no cost.
- Fuel Rail Assembly. (NHTSA 21V326000; 9662 vehicles) Sealing washers may fail causing fuel leaks, increasing fire risk. Dealers will replace fuel rail and lines free of charge.
- Brake Caliper Bolts. (NHTSA 20V127000; 2585 vehicles) Brake caliper mounting bolts may be loose, reducing brake effectiveness and increasing crash risk. Dealers will inspect and repair free of charge.
- Certification Labels. (NHTSA 20V634000; 53 vehicles) Incorrect Gross Axle Weight Rating labels could result in axle overloading and increased crash risk. Dealers will replace labels with correct information free of charge.
- Suspension Hardware. (NHTSA 20V539000; 103 vehicles) Lower rear pivot cap screws may be too short, risking hardware separation and road hazards. Dealers will inspect and correct hardware free of charge.
- Certification Labels. (NHTSA 20V211000; 89 vehicles) Incorrect GAWR labels could cause vehicle overloading and increased crash risk. Dealers will update labels at no cost.
Owners dealing with repeated repairs or unresolved safety recalls may have rights under their state’s lemon law. Consulting legal resources can help clarify options when dealing with ongoing defects or safety-related issues.
2020 WESTERN STAR 4700 Summary
2020
Model Year
3
Total Complaints
11
Total Recalls
25120
Vehicles Affected
Recalls
2020 WESTERN STAR 4700
49 vehicles affected
WHEELS:RIM
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Freightliner 114SD, 2023 Freightliner 122SD, 2020 Western Star 4700, 2019-2022 Western Star 4900, 2019-2023 Freightliner Business Class M2, and 2021 Freightliner Cascadia vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with tires that are not compatible with their 8.25-inch rims. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 120, "Wheels and Rims-Other Than Passenger Cars."
Risk: Driving with tires that are not compatible with their rims can reduce tire performance, increasing the risk of a crash.
2020 WESTERN STAR 4700
307 vehicles affected
TIRES
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2012-2021 Freightliner SD 108, Freightliner SD 114, 2016-2020 Freightliner Coronado, 2013 Western Star 6900, 2013-2022 Western Star 4700, Western Star 4900, and 2022 49X vehicles. The tires and rims are not approved and rated for these vehicles from the Tire and Rim Association or tire manufacturer. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 120, "Wheels and Rims-Other Than Passenger Cars."
Risk: Unapproved tires that are not rated for the vehicle can cause tire performance issues, increasing the risk of a crash.
2020 WESTERN STAR 4700
9662 vehicles affected
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:FUEL RAIL
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Freightliner Custom Chass XC Chassis, 108SD, Custom Chass XB Chassis, Business Class M2, 114SD, and Western Star 4700 vehicles. The sealing washer may not seat correctly in the pilot bore holes, allowing the high pressure fuel rail assembly to leak.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
2020 WESTERN STAR 4700
5111 vehicles affected
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Western Star 4700 and Western Star 5700 vehicles. The ground harness wiring may be undersized and may cause a connector to melt.
Risk: Damage to the ground harness may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
2020 WESTERN STAR 4700
2843 vehicles affected
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:FUEL RAIL
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Western Star 4700, 2019-2022 Freightliner 114SD, 2021-2022 Western Star 49X, Freightliner Cascadia P4, 2022 Western Star 47X, 2021 Western Star WF110, 2020 Western Star WJ121, and 2019-2021 FCCC XCP Chassis vehicles. The fuel tubes between the fuel rail and the injectors for cylinders four, five, and six may fatigue and crack, which can result in a high pressure fuel leak.
Risk: A high pressure fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
2020 WESTERN STAR 4700
89 vehicles affected
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020 Freightliner 108SD and 2020-2021 Freightliner Coronado, 114SD, and Western Star 4700 and 4900 vehicles. The Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) on the certification label may be incorrect, possibly resulting in the vehicle being overloaded. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 120, "Wheels and Rims - Other Than Passenger Cars."
Risk: An overloaded vehicle can increase the risk of a crash.
2020 WESTERN STAR 4700
103 vehicles affected
SUSPENSION:MULTIPLE AXLE
Daimler Truckers North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Freightliner 114SD, 122SD and Western Star 4700, and 4900 vehicles equipped with certain SL2065 steerable lift axles. The lower rear pivot cap screws may not be long enough to sufficiently engage the locking feature of the corresponding nuts.
Risk: If the screws are not long enough to engage the corresponding nuts, the hardware may separate from the suspension system, becoming a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash and/or injury.
2020 WESTERN STAR 4700
2987 vehicles affected
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Western Star 4700 and 5700 vehicles. A particular wire in the ground harness may be undersized, possibly resulting in a melted connector in the ground circuit harness. If the connector becomes damaged, under certain circumstances, the engine may stall without the ability to restart.
Risk: An engine stall may increase the risk of a crash.
2020 WESTERN STAR 4700
53 vehicles affected
TIRES
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Western Star 4700 and 4900 and Freightliner Coronado, 108SD and 114SD vehicles. The vehicle certification label contains incorrect information, stating a Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) that exceeds the tire capacity rating. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 120, "Wheels and Rims-Other than passenger cars."
Risk: Incorrect weight rating information on the certification labels could result in potential overloading of the axles, increasing the risk of a crash.
2020 WESTERN STAR 4700
2585 vehicles affected
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:DISC:CALIPER
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Freightliner 108SD, 114SD, Cascadia, Business Class M2, Western Star 4700 and 5700, Freightliner Custom Chassis S2, Custom Chassis XB, and Custom Chassis XC vehicles equipped with air disc brakes. The brake caliper mounting bolts may have been insufficiently tightened.
Risk: Loose brake caliper mounting bolts can reduce brake effectiveness, increasing the risk of a crash.
2020 WESTERN STAR 4700
1331 vehicles affected
STEERING
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020 Western Star 4700 vehicles. The steering shaft may have been improperly installed, potentially causing a loss of connection between the steering wheel and front axle wheels.
Risk: This loss of connection would result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Complaints
2020 WESTERN STAR 4700
ID: 2061123STEERING
Western Star utilizes relay in master power distribution, they call PNDB. When this device is faulty it interrupts the power to engine causing truck engine to shut down. This shut down has happened with the truck fully loaded (71,000 LBS) traveling at 60 mph a couple of times. With no engine power you lose power steering. This is a very dangerous condition that I have discovered is more common than it should be. Talk to any Western Star service department. The Service Department knew exactly what the problem was and related to me this is common.
2020 WESTERN STAR 4700
ID: 2061122ENGINE
Western Star utilizes relay in master power distribution, they call PNDB. When this device is faulty it interrupts the power to engine causing truck engine to shut down. This shut down has happened with the truck fully loaded (71,000 LBS) traveling at 60 mph a couple of times. With no engine power you lose power steering. This is a very dangerous condition that I have discovered is more common than it should be. Talk to any Western Star service department. The Service Department knew exactly what the problem was and related to me this is common.
2020 WESTERN STAR 4700
ID: 2061121ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Western Star utilizes relay in master power distribution, they call PNDB. When this device is faulty it interrupts the power to engine causing truck engine to shut down. This shut down has happened with the truck fully loaded (71,000 LBS) traveling at 60 mph a couple of times. With no engine power you lose power steering. This is a very dangerous condition that I have discovered is more common than it should be. Talk to any Western Star service department. The Service Department knew exactly what the problem was and related to me this is common.