2024 Freightliner Cascadia

It is hard to impossible to drive the truck in a straight line (compared to models without the smartvalves), and often drifts side to side randomly without any warning or feedback. The steering requires constant input, and the "feel" of the truck is not correct to allow intuitive steering. When driving in tight areas, I find that I need to stay at least a foot away from barriers or other objects to not be in danger of hitting them. When in width-limited areas, like construction zones, I often need to straddle the center line and block other vehicles from passing me, so as not to be in danger of collision. These controllability problems are induced by the "active" smartvalve system. This is the chassis leveling system that adjusts air to the suspension air springs (air bags). The smart valve system is there to allow a driver to adjust the suspension up or down as needed to assist in hooking in improperly positioned trailer (to prevent injuries). The system also actively interferes with what would be the normal operation of a suspension "leveling" valve, and adjusts and or blocks the normal flow of air in and out of the suspension when driving. This results in poor handling and control problems. I have asked to have the valve replaced with a normal "dumb" valve on my truck, since I have found that the trucks handle normally with a standard leveling valve. I have also found that in many curvy road situations, the truck is hard to keep from running off the road, even bobtail. There is severe apparent understeer, and it seems likely to be attributed to the smartvalve leveler interfering with the suspension. I see that there is a recall on Freightliners having to do with understeer problems on curves (Recall 234245 [USA]: Understeering during a j-turn may increase the risk of a crash.). The recall says that Freightliner will replace the tires; it is likely that this will not help in the case of models with an active "smartvalve" system.

The contact owned a 2024 Freight Liner PT. The contact stated while the driver was driving at 64 MPH, the driver heard a pop sound, and the vehicle veered off to the left and crashed into a cement guard rail. The contact stated that the driver was steering in the right direction, however, the vehicle independently veered to the left. The vehicle was towed to the tow yard. The vehicle was deemed totaled by the insurance company. In addition, the contact stated that the same vehicle experienced a similar failure in January 2024. The contact stated that the vehicle was jack-knifed, however, the video confirmed that the driver was driving at 48 MPH and did not depress the brake pedal. Also, the contact stated that before the January 2024 failure, the engine was rebuilt in the vehicle. The contact was concerned that the failure was due to manufacturer defects. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,500.