U.S. public vehicle records

2001 Western Star 4900 problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

2 owner complaints analyzed

3 distinct recall campaigns

1,000 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2001 model year. Data updated: 2026-10-01 (October 1, 2026). 1 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.

This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Air Bags is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 2 complaints (50.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Air Bags

Suspension:Multiple Axle

Air Bags: 1; Suspension:Multiple Axle: 1

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 1; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0

Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (1). 1 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2008

2014

2008: 1; 2014: 1

Pattern summary

Air Bags leads the component reports. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Explore the data

Vehicle analysis explorer

Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.

Data completeness

2 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.

50.0%Usable mileage1 / 2 records

100.0%Valid incident date2 / 2 records

100.0%Valid filing date2 / 2 records

100.0%Ordered incident and filing dates2 / 2 records

Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.

Problems by model year

Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.

From model yearThrough model year

Component complaint heatmap
Component	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Tires	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	133.3% ODI 10658759 · 102,000 mi 2014 WESTERN STAR 4900 CAR HAULER, JUST REPLACED 2 STEER TIRES TO 2014 MICHELIN XZA 275/70/R22.5 18 PLY. TIRE HAD LESS THEN 30,000 MILES AND PASSENGER SIDE BLOW OUT. FRONT DESTROYED. TRUCK WAS FULLY LOADED WITH ABOUT 75000 POUNDS. DRIVER LOST CONTROL AND TRAVELED FROM LEFT LANE TO SHOULDER. CAME TO STOP ON THE SHOULDER. INSURANCE PAID ALMOST $30,000. *TR Look up ODI 10658759 at NHTSA ↗	1100.0% ODI 10652375 · 65,000 mi BRAND NEW TRUCK WITH ABOUT 60,000 ON ORIGINAL TIRES. PASSENGER SIDE TIRE BLEW AT SPEED AROUND 66. HOOD WAS DESTROYED, TRUCK WAS ABLE TO STOP ON THE SHOULDER. HAD ALMOST 1,000,000 IN CARGO ON TRUCK. HOOD AND OTHER PARTS WILL COST ABOUT $23,000 PLUS LABOR. ROAD SERVICE WAS $2,500. RIM WAS DESTROYED. TIRE SIZE 295/60/22.5 18 PLY THIS IS 4 TH BLOW OUT ON MY BRAND NEW TRUCKS. 2 PETE 388 AND 2 WESTERN STAR. ALL WITH SAME TIRE.MICHELIN XZA 2 ON ALL TRUCKS. WESTERN STAR BLOW OUT HAD 275/70/22.5. *TR Look up ODI 10652375 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Structure:Body	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	266.7% ODI 10652378 · 115,000 mi FRONT TIRE PASSENGER SIDE BLOW OUT. MICHELIN XZA 2 275/0.22.5. WHOLE FRONT OF THE TRUCK DAMAGED. HOOD BROKEN IN 2 PARTS. FENDER FLEW OFF. LIGHT FLEW OFF. RIM DESTROYED. REPAIR COST $16,000 TIRE WAS CHANGED AT ABOUT 90,000 MILES. *TR Look up ODI 10652378 at NHTSA ↗	1100.0% ODI 10652375 · 65,000 mi BRAND NEW TRUCK WITH ABOUT 60,000 ON ORIGINAL TIRES. PASSENGER SIDE TIRE BLEW AT SPEED AROUND 66. HOOD WAS DESTROYED, TRUCK WAS ABLE TO STOP ON THE SHOULDER. HAD ALMOST 1,000,000 IN CARGO ON TRUCK. HOOD AND OTHER PARTS WILL COST ABOUT $23,000 PLUS LABOR. ROAD SERVICE WAS $2,500. RIM WAS DESTROYED. TIRE SIZE 295/60/22.5 18 PLY THIS IS 4 TH BLOW OUT ON MY BRAND NEW TRUCKS. 2 PETE 388 AND 2 WESTERN STAR. ALL WITH SAME TIRE.MICHELIN XZA 2 ON ALL TRUCKS. WESTERN STAR BLOW OUT HAD 275/70/22.5. *TR Look up ODI 10652375 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Fuel/Propulsion System	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	1100.0% ODI 10862751 TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 WESTERN STAR 4900 TRUCK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CABIN DESIGN WAS DEFECTIVE AND CAUSED REGEN FUMES TO PENETRATE INSIDE THE TRUCK. THE CONTACT SUFFERED HEADACHES, NAUSEA, EYE IRRITATION, AND DIS-ORIENTATION WHILE DRIVING DUE TO THE FUMES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VIN AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE NOT AVAILABLE. Look up ODI 10862751 at NHTSA ↗	1100.0% ODI 10820500 · 280,471 mi TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 WESTERN STAR 4900. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE FUEL LINE CRACKED AND BEGAN LEAKING FUEL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE RESULTED IN THE VEHICLE CATCHING FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. A FIRE REPORT WAS FILED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 280,471. Look up ODI 10820500 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Wheels	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	133.3% ODI 10652378 · 115,000 mi FRONT TIRE PASSENGER SIDE BLOW OUT. MICHELIN XZA 2 275/0.22.5. WHOLE FRONT OF THE TRUCK DAMAGED. HOOD BROKEN IN 2 PARTS. FENDER FLEW OFF. LIGHT FLEW OFF. RIM DESTROYED. REPAIR COST $16,000 TIRE WAS CHANGED AT ABOUT 90,000 MILES. *TR Look up ODI 10652378 at NHTSA ↗	1100.0% ODI 10652375 · 65,000 mi BRAND NEW TRUCK WITH ABOUT 60,000 ON ORIGINAL TIRES. PASSENGER SIDE TIRE BLEW AT SPEED AROUND 66. HOOD WAS DESTROYED, TRUCK WAS ABLE TO STOP ON THE SHOULDER. HAD ALMOST 1,000,000 IN CARGO ON TRUCK. HOOD AND OTHER PARTS WILL COST ABOUT $23,000 PLUS LABOR. ROAD SERVICE WAS $2,500. RIM WAS DESTROYED. TIRE SIZE 295/60/22.5 18 PLY THIS IS 4 TH BLOW OUT ON MY BRAND NEW TRUCKS. 2 PETE 388 AND 2 WESTERN STAR. ALL WITH SAME TIRE.MICHELIN XZA 2 ON ALL TRUCKS. WESTERN STAR BLOW OUT HAD 275/70/22.5. *TR Look up ODI 10652375 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Air Bags	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Electrical System	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	1100.0% ODI 10652375 · 65,000 mi BRAND NEW TRUCK WITH ABOUT 60,000 ON ORIGINAL TIRES. PASSENGER SIDE TIRE BLEW AT SPEED AROUND 66. HOOD WAS DESTROYED, TRUCK WAS ABLE TO STOP ON THE SHOULDER. HAD ALMOST 1,000,000 IN CARGO ON TRUCK. HOOD AND OTHER PARTS WILL COST ABOUT $23,000 PLUS LABOR. ROAD SERVICE WAS $2,500. RIM WAS DESTROYED. TIRE SIZE 295/60/22.5 18 PLY THIS IS 4 TH BLOW OUT ON MY BRAND NEW TRUCKS. 2 PETE 388 AND 2 WESTERN STAR. ALL WITH SAME TIRE.MICHELIN XZA 2 ON ALL TRUCKS. WESTERN STAR BLOW OUT HAD 275/70/22.5. *TR Look up ODI 10652375 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Exterior Lighting	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	133.3% ODI 10652378 · 115,000 mi FRONT TIRE PASSENGER SIDE BLOW OUT. MICHELIN XZA 2 275/0.22.5. WHOLE FRONT OF THE TRUCK DAMAGED. HOOD BROKEN IN 2 PARTS. FENDER FLEW OFF. LIGHT FLEW OFF. RIM DESTROYED. REPAIR COST $16,000 TIRE WAS CHANGED AT ABOUT 90,000 MILES. *TR Look up ODI 10652378 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Parking Brake	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	1100.0% ODI 11197338 · 600 mi TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 WESTERN STAR 4900SB. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED ON AN INCLINE AND ATTEMPTING TO SET THE PARKING/EMERGENCY BRAKE, THE DRIVER HAD TO REMOVE HIS FOOT FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE ROLLED BACKWARDS. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE ONLY WAY TO ACTIVATE THE PARKING/EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS TO REMOVE HIS FOOT FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO FREIGHTLINER NORTHWEST (13232 CASE RD SW, OYMPIA, WA), BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND DID … Look up ODI 11197338 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.

Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.

Failure mileage by component

Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.

Component failure mileage distribution
Component	Mileage range (25th–75th percentile)	Median	Usable records	Examples
Suspension:Multiple Axle	Too few reports for a range	1,000 mi	1 (sparse)	ODI 10221205 · 1,000 mi TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 WESTERN STAR 4964SX (NA). THE VEHICLE SWAYS SIDE TO SIDE EACH TIME IT IS DRIVEN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INSTALLATION COMPANY AND THEY STATED THAT THE PUSHER AXLE WAS INSTALLED IMPROPERLY. THE SPEED AND ENGINE SIZE WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 74,068 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,000. Look up ODI 10221205 at NHTSA ↗

Complaint and recall timeline

Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.

ComponentPeriod

Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.

Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples

Monthly complaint and recall timeline
Month	Campaigns announced	Examples
2024-11	None	No examples available for this selection.
2024-12	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-01	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-02	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-03	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-04	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-05	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-06	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-07	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-08	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-09	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-10	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-11	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-12	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-01	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-02	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-03	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-04	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-05	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-06	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-07	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-08	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-09	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-10 (partial)	None	No examples available for this selection.

Emerging complaint spikes

Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.

This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.

No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.

Equal-age model-year comparison

Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.

Observation windowFirst model yearSecond model year

2022: 0 complaints · 2023: 0 complaints

Equal observation windows
Model year	Through age 0	Through age 1	Through age 2
2022	0	0	0
2023	0	0	0

Date coverage across each selected cohort

Date basis for all complaints in selected model years
Year	Incident dates used	Filing date fallbacks	Excluded dates
2022	0	0	0
2023	0	0	0

Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.

Components reported together

Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.

Component co-occurrence matrix
Component	Air Bags	Suspension:Multiple Axle
Air Bags	—	0
Suspension:Multiple Axle	0	—

Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.

Recurring narrative patterns

Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.

Search patterns

0 patterns with matching reports.

No narratives match the published patterns.

Complaints over time data
Category	Count
2008	1
2014	1