Volvo Trucks Recall Details

Volvo Trucks North America is recalling certain 2026–2027 VNR (4) and 2025–2027 VNL (4) vehicles. The rear brake modulators may have unprotected electrical connectors that can short-circuit and lead to a loss of the anti-lock brake system (ABS) and electronic stability control (ESC). The recall impacts 2,800 trucks.

Dealers will inspect the rear brake modulator electrical connectors, install a protective cover, and replace the rear brake modulators, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on June 22. Owners may contact Volvo Trucks’ customer service at 800-528-6586. Volvo Trucks’ number for this recall is RVXX2605. Vehicle Identification Numbers involved in this recall are searchable on NHTSA.gov.

Mack Trucks Recall Details

Mack Trucks Inc. is recalling certain 2025–2027 Pioneer (4) and 2026–2027 Anthem (4) vehicles. The rear brake modulators may have unprotected electrical connectors that can short-circuit and lead to a loss of the anti-lock brake system (ABS) and electronic stability control (ESC). The recall impacts 2,337 trucks.

Dealers will inspect the rear brake modulator electrical connectors, install a protective cover, and replace the rear brake modulators, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on June 22. Owners may contact Mack’s customer service at 1-800-866-1177. Mack’s number for this recall is SC0494. Vehicle Identification Numbers involved in this recall are searchable on NHTSA.gov.

The Truck Drivers USA editorial team creates practical, driver-focused content covering industry topics, job trends, and real-world decisions that impact drivers at every stage of their careers. Each article is written to provide clear, accurate information that drivers can use.

Last updated May 7, 2026

Source: The Trucker

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If those numbers hold, it would mark the 15th straight quarterly decline and stand as one of the largest drops recorded under the Fatality Analysis Reporting System.

More Travel, Fewer Fatalities

What makes the data stand out is that the decline comes at a time when travel is increasing. Preliminary figures from the Federal Highway Administration show more vehicle miles traveled, not less.

Even with that added volume, fatalities still moved lower. The decrease was not isolated either. It showed up across most of the country, with 39 states, along with Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, reporting fewer deaths.

Where Officials Are Pointing

Federal agencies have tied the shift to a mix of enforcement and broader safety efforts. Increased coordination with law enforcement has been a key part of that approach, along with targeting high-risk driving behaviors.

“In the past year alone, we’ve partnered with our incredible law enforcement officers to get dangerous foreign truck drivers off the roads and educate the public about the dangers of distracted driving, drunk driving, and driving without a seat belt,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.

There has also been attention on identifying unqualified drivers and keeping them off the road.

Continued Focus on Behavior

Alongside enforcement, agencies continue to push messaging around behaviors that lead to serious crashes. Distracted driving, impaired driving, and failure to wear a seat belt remain consistent factors in fatal incidents.

“NHTSA is doing our part by doubling down on safety strategies that reduce risky driving behaviors before they cost lives,” said NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison.

What the Numbers Suggest

These are still estimates, but the direction is clear. Fatalities are trending down even as traffic levels rise. That combination points to changes in how safety is being managed and enforced.

Whether that trend continues will depend on how those efforts hold up over time, especially with more vehicles on the road and ongoing pressure on the system.

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Which International Trucks Are Impacted?

International Motors LLC has listed several popular models across a wide range of years. If you’re running one of these, it’s worth taking a closer look:

• 2016–2023 Lonestar
  • 2018 8600
  • 2018–2023 LT
  • 2021–2026 MV
  • 2022–2023 RH
  • 2023–2026 HX
  • 2025–2026 HV

The problem stems from electrical noise and low signal strength on the power line carrier. When that happens, the ECU may misread commands or stop working altogether, something no driver wants to happen mid-run.

What’s Causing the Issue?

The power line carrier isn’t consistently delivering a strong enough signal. That interference can confuse the ECU or interrupt it, leading to incorrect responses. Drivers may notice unusual behavior in systems tied to ECU communication, though the recall does not list specific alerts or warnings.

How International Plans to Fix It

International is teaming up with Bendix to reprogram the ECU software at no cost to owners. This fix will address the electrical noise and low signal issues that can cause the ECU to misread commands or stop working. Owner letters are expected to go out Jan. 19, 2026, and drivers can reach International customer service at 1-800-448-7825 with any questions. The recall number is 25525. Drivers can confirm whether their truck is included by searching VINs connected to this recall through NHTSA’s database. By completing this reprogramming, the company aims to ensure trucks operate safely and reliably, preventing ECU-related problems on the road.

Source: The Trucker

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According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), both manufacturers have reported specific lighting failures that may lead to safety risks.

Mack Recall: Headlight Malfunction on Granite Models

Mack Trucks is recalling 2024–2025 Granite models equipped with LED headlights after finding that the lights may fail over time. The recall impacts 8,857 trucks, and dealers will replace the headlights at no charge.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed January 2, 2026. Drivers can contact Mack customer service at 1-800-866-1177 or check their VIN on NHTSA.gov. The recall reference number is SC0485.

Volvo Recall: Roof Marker Light Issue on New VN Models

Volvo Trucks North America is recalling certain 2025–2026 New VN trucks due to roof center marker lights that may fail to illuminate. This issue means affected vehicles do not meet federal lighting standards under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, “Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment.”

A total of 3,124 trucks are affected. Dealers will replace the roof marker light free of charge, and owner notification letters are also expected to be mailed January 2, 2026.

Drivers can contact Volvo customer service at 800-528-6586 for details. The recall number for this issue is RVXX2509, and VINs can be verified at NHTSA.gov.

What Drivers Should Know

If you’re driving one of these Mack Granite or Volvo New VN models, it’s worth checking your VIN right away. Lighting issues aren’t just about visibility, they can lead to inspection violations and downtime if not addressed quickly.

Both manufacturers are covering all repair costs through authorized dealers once the recall service begins.

Stay Ahead of Safety Notices

Staying informed about recalls helps prevent unexpected breakdowns and compliance issues. Regularly checking your VIN through NHTSA.gov ensures you catch updates early and keep your rig in safe working order. Keeping up with recall alerts is one of the best ways to protect your truck, your schedule, and your safety on the road.

Source: The Trucker

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This move adds another layer of protection for drivers and passengers, particularly in rollover crashes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), rollovers account for nearly half of all truck occupant fatalities, making them one of the deadliest types of accidents on the road.

Building on a Legacy of Safety

Volvo’s reputation for safety leadership isn’t new. In 1996, the company introduced the driver-front airbag in its VN model and immediately made it standard across the lineup. Today, with side curtain airbags designed to deploy in the event of a rollover, Volvo continues that legacy by offering technology that helps minimize injuries in the most severe crash situations.

Magnus Koeck, Vice President of Strategy, Branding, and Marketing at Volvo Trucks, emphasized that safety is at the heart of everything the company does.

“We have always been the safety leader, and we will always be the safety leader,” Koeck said. “We will never compromise on safety. We’re putting active safety and passive safety at the top of our list.”

Leading the Industry Once Again

With this announcement, Volvo becomes the first heavy-truck manufacturer to make side curtain airbags a standard feature across all its models. The company has a long track record of pioneering safety advancements in heavy-duty trucks, from introducing high-strength steel cabs to implementing electronic stability control. More recently, Volvo was also the first to equip trucks with an automatic emergency call system that directly connects to 911 after airbag deployment.

What It Means for Drivers

For professional drivers, these standard safety upgrades translate into more confidence behind the wheel. Rollovers can happen in an instant, often with devastating consequences. By making side curtain airbags standard, Volvo is reducing risks in a way that could save countless lives and injuries on the road.

The decision reflects the brand’s ongoing commitment to driver protection and reinforces why Volvo remains a leader in heavy-duty truck safety.

Source: Commercial Carrier Journal

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The Recall Details

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is recalling select trucks due to a reduced brake performance safety concern. Approximately 68 vehicles are impacted by this recall.

According to the NHTSA, the recall includes specific 2025 models of the following trucks:

• Freightliner 114SD
• Freightliner Business Class M2
• Freightliner Cascadia
• Western Star 49X

The issue arises from insufficient air tank capacity, which affects the vehicle’s braking power. This discrepancy means the trucks do not meet the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 121, which governs “Air Brake Systems.”

Resolution Plan

DTNA is currently working on a fix for this problem. Interim notification letters will be mailed to vehicle owners on July 6, explaining the potential safety risks associated with this issue. A follow-up notification will be sent once a proven remedy is available.

What Should Owners Do?

If you own one of the recalled vehicles, you can contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712 for more information about the recall (reference recall number F1019). You can also contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or visit their website at nhtsa.gov.

Stay informed and take action to ensure safety on the road!

Source: The Trucker
Image Source: Freightliner

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Key Question Addressed by FMCSA

The FMCSA’s guidance specifically responds to the following question:

Does the absence, damage, or incompleteness of a rear-impact guard certification label constitute a violation of 49 CFR 393.86(a)(6) or suggest that the guard itself fails to meet the strength and energy absorption requirements mandated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) when the trailer was manufactured?

The FMCSA has made it clear—the answer is no.

According to the agency, “The regulation in 49 CFR 393.86(a)(6) requires a rear-impact guard to be permanently marked or labeled as required by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 223. However, NHTSA has determined that labels that wear, fade, or are removed during repairs do not indicate a current compliance issue with the requirements in FMVSS No. 223. FMCSA also recognizes that motor carriers may find it difficult to replace illegible, incomplete, or missing certification labels.”

Why This Matters

OOIDA has praised the clarification, emphasizing its significance for drivers and fleets.

“OOIDA’s collaborative efforts with CVSA and ATA have resulted in FMCSA issuing important new guidance on rear-impact guard stickers,” said Collin Long, OOIDA’s director of government affairs.

Focus Shifts to Guard Condition, Not Labels

Rather than fixating on the labels themselves, FMCSA has advised inspectors to focus on the physical condition of the rear-impact guards to ensure compliance with safety standards. Key areas of compliance include:

• General requirements [Section 393.86(a)(1)

• Guard width [Section 393.86(a)(2)]

• Guard height ([Section 393.86(a)(3))

• Rear surface of the guard [Section 393.86(a)(4)]

• Cross- sectional vertical height of the horizontal member ([Section 393.86(a)(5))

By directing attention to these aspects, FMCSA aims to ensure the integrity and safety of rear-impact guards without imposing unnecessary procedural hurdles on drivers and carriers.

Guidance for Clarity, Not Law

It’s important to note that regulatory guidance, while valuable for providing clarity, does not carry the same enforceable weight as law. Instead, it’s designed to offer insights and direction regarding existing legal or regulatory frameworks.

Source: Land Line

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NHTSA recently announced a new study focused on evaluating drivers’ responses to crash avoidance tools. According to the notice, “The objective of this driving research is to examine driver behavior in using crash avoidance warning systems and assess effects of human-machine interface characteristics on drivers’ behavior and driver response in crash-imminent scenarios.” This study will gather data from drivers on test tracks, public roads, or through simulations.

Approximately 200 licensed drivers, including some with commercial licenses, from Columbus, Ohio will participate in the study. Participants must be between 25 and 65 years old. Passenger vehicle drivers need a valid U.S. driver’s license and must drive at least 11,000 miles per year in light vehicles. Similarly, commercial truck drivers are required to hold a CDL and log the same mileage annually.

Crash avoidance systems work by providing alerts to drivers about potential hazards. The NHTSA describes, “These systems communicate the occurrence of such conditions to drivers via different sensory modalities, such as visual or auditory signals or vibration of the seat or steering wheel.”

The research aims to assess the effectiveness of these technologies. Test vehicles will be fitted with equipment to monitor driver eye movements, control inputs, vehicle position, speed, and turn-signal usage. The findings will be used to prepare a public report and possibly influence future NHTSA safety research and policymaking.

Some truck drivers criticize crash avoidance technology, citing frequent false alarms. Detractors of automatic emergency braking systems argue that they can misinterpret objects like guardrails or overpasses as collision threats.

Earlier this year, OOIDA Executive Vice President Lewie Pugh informed Congress about the potential discrepancies in how these technologies perform in trucks compared to cars. “Trucks are completely different than cars,” Pugh stated. “And just because a technology works well on a car doesn’t mean it’s going to work well on a truck. Every load and every type of truck is different as far as weight and how the product moves. You take a tanker, there’s liquid in there moving around. So, the way you have to stop (a tanker) is completely different than how you’d have to stop a load of paper towels in a van trailer.”

Source: Land Line

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In a recent decision, FMCSA issued a five-year exemption to Encore Building Products, based in Springdale, Arkansas. This construction material transporter will be permitted to equip its trucks with an electronic braking module developed by Intellistop, Inc.

The Intellistop system temporarily increases the intensity of a truck’s rear lights, flashing them four times within two seconds as brakes are applied, then maintaining steady illumination while braking continues. This approach contrasts with federal regulations mandating that brake lights remain steadily lit.

FMCSA commented, “The agency has determined that granting the exemption to Encore would likely achieve a level of safety equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety achieved by the regulation.”

This is a significant victory for Intellistop, which had previously sought a broader industry exemption that FMCSA rejected two years ago. The prior rejection was due to concerns that the wide-reaching exemption wouldn’t provide safety measures comparable to regulatory standards, although FMCSA suggested that exemptions for specific motor carriers like Encore might align more closely with its authority.

The decision to approve Encore’s exemption hinges on its limited scope—affecting approximately 223 trucks—and supporting data indicating that enhanced rear signal systems can potentially mitigate rear-end collisions.

FMCSA stated, “Initially restricting the application of this exemption to a limited portion of Encore’s fleet will allow for a comparison between the crash involvement of Encore CMVs [commercial motor vehicles] equipped with the Intellistop device, those without the device, and the overall crash involvement of CMVs operated by similarly sized motor carriers with similar operations and overall safety performance.”

Encore must limit the installation of the module to no more than half of its power units and trailers during the exemption’s first year. Recent statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that the rear of large trucks (weighing over 10,000 lbs.) is the second most common initial impact point in crashes causing injuries (17%) and fatalities (22%).

Supporting this initiative, the Truck Safety Coalition has advocated for stricter truck equipment standards to prevent collisions involving passenger vehicles. They remarked, “[We support] FMCSA’s exemption to allow for limited field testing of Intellistop’s module ‘in order to collect data and more fully determine the potential safety benefits of this promising approach.’”

Conversely, the Transportation Safety Equipment Institute (TSEI) opposes the exemption. They argue, “We do not believe FMCSA should make the leap … without a thorough consideration of safety data and research with the aim of setting standards (including those related to flash patterns) to ensure consistency across all vehicles equipped with such lamps.”

The TSEI urges FMCSA to reject Encore’s application while suggesting, “the agency to closely study the use of non-steady burning and pulsating lamps and, as appropriate, engage in formal rulemaking to amend [federal regulations] to provide consistency among all vehicles (or vehicle types).”

Source: FreightWaves

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released documents indicating that nearly 17,000 Freightliner and Western Star trucks are impacted by this issue, which involves a body lighting interface controller and replacement brake lights.

The main concern is that the brake lights may not turn on when the brakes are applied automatically during an active brake-assist event. This malfunction can lead to other drivers not being adequately warned that the truck is slowing down, thereby raising the potential for collisions.

Affected Daimler Truck Models:

• Freightliner 108SD (2024-25)

• Freightliner 114SD (2022-25)

• Freightliner Business Class M2 (2022-25)

• Freightliner EM2 (2025)

• Western Star 47X (2021-25)

• Western Star 49X (2020-25)

• Western Star 57X (2022-25)

To resolve this problem, Daimler Truck will provide a free update to the active brake assist software. Owners of the affected vehicles can expect to receive notification letters by November 9th.

For any inquiries, customers can reach out to Daimler Truck’s customer service at 800-745-8000, referencing recall number F1009. Alternatively, they can check the NHTSA’s recall number 24V-668 for more details.

This recall follows an earlier one in July that targeted a similar issue found in a limited number of Freightliner Custom Chassis vehicles. During that investigation, Daimler Truck assessed whether factory-installed brake lights on other models were subject to the same defect. Although they were not, it was determined that certain “truck equipment manufacturers,” who handled brake lighting installation later in the production process, used an alternative wiring method that might not receive the automatic emergency braking input signal.

In the documentation submitted to NHTSA, Daimler Truck clarified that it remains uncertain which trucks contain the factory-installed brake lights versus those with truck equipment manufacturer lighting. To err on the side of caution, the company decided to initiate a recall. Fortunately, there have been no warranty claims, field service reports, or any incidents involving deaths, injuries, or property damage associated with this issue.

Source: Land Line

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