Mack and Volvo Recall 1,242 U.S. Tractors Over Braking Risk With Smoothbore Tankers

Featured image: Representative Mack Anthem photo. This 2024 tractor is outside the model years covered by the recall. (Photo: Mr.choppers/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.)

• The recalls cover 850 Mack and 392 Volvo tractors in the United States, all built with tanker application packages.
• Liquid movement in smoothbore tankers can disrupt braking calculations and increase stopping distance without a warning.
• A free software remedy is planned; fleets using only baffled or compartmentalized tankers have a separate option.

A North American Tank Lines food-grade tanker traveling in Canton Township, Michigan, in May 2011. (Photo: Dwight Burdette/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.)

Mack Trucks and Volvo Trucks North America have issued a tanker braking recall covering 1,242 U.S. tractors because software can reduce trailer braking effectiveness when the trucks pull smoothbore tankers. The September 28 filings identify a risk of longer stopping distances and increased crash risk.

The campaigns cover certain Mack Anthem and Pioneer tractors and Volvo VNL and VNR tractors equipped with tanker application packages. For liquid-bulk carriers, the immediate question is which tractors are affected and whether their assignments include smoothbore or unbaffled trailers.

The planned remedy makes trailer type especially important. Customers operating exclusively with baffled or compartmentalized tankers may retain the existing calculations. Fleets that alternate between trailer types need to discuss their full operating pattern with the dealer.

Which Mack and Volvo tractors are covered?

The Mack recall filing lists 850 tractors under National Highway Traffic Safety Administration campaign 26V620 and manufacturer campaign SC0500. The Volvo recall filing lists 392 tractors under NHTSA campaign 26V619 and manufacturer campaign RVXX2610.

These are potentially affected vehicles identified through manufacturing records. The model name and year alone do not establish recall coverage: the tanker application package is part of the selection criteria. Fleets should confirm each tractor by its vehicle identification number, or VIN.

The total of 1,242 is specific to the United States. October 1 dealer alerts also identify 150 Mack and 205 Volvo vehicles in Canada, bringing the combined U.S.-Canadian population to 1,597.

How liquid movement affects the braking calculations

The manufacturers say liquid movement inside smoothbore tankers can produce errors in dynamic axle-load calculations. Those errors can reduce trailer braking effectiveness, extending the distance needed to stop. Both filings identify Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems as the component supplier and list software as the involved component.

Tank Transport’s earlier coverage of hauling liquids in unbaffled tankers provides background on how product movement affects braking and handling.

The filings state that no warning precedes the issue. Therefore, the absence of warning lights should not be used to rule out recall applicability.

Volvo reported three field reports and no related warranty claims, accidents or injuries in its September 28 submission. Mack’s filing describes the same Volvo Group investigation but reports no Mack field reports, warranty claims, accidents or injuries. The investigation led to a September 21 recall decision.

The specified correction addresses software calculations. Routine checks of brake hardware remain a separate maintenance task; Tank Transport’s earlier commercial-vehicle brake safety coverage explains the inspection context. A satisfactory hardware inspection does not establish that an affected tractor has received the recall software.

The software remedy and what fleets should check now

A Volvo VNL 860 tractor displayed at IAA Transportation in Hanover, Germany, in September 2024, showing its fifth wheel and trailer connections. (Photo: Matti Blume/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.)

Dealers will install new software at no cost that disables dynamic trailer-braking calculations. The change affects those calculations; it does not require disabling the trailer brakes.

The remedy program allows customers who use only baffled or compartmentalized tanker trailers to keep the existing software. If those customers later begin transporting smoothbore tankers, dealers and service centers can install the revised package after it is released.

For a fleet that switches trailers, that distinction makes assignment records useful. Maintenance and dispatch personnel should identify affected tractors, record the trailer types they may pull, and give that information to the dealer when arranging the recall response. A tractor’s current assignment alone may not describe its next load.

Both October 1 dealer alerts said repair instructions would be released when available. Mack’s dealer alert also directs dealers to correct affected inventory before releasing it to a customer. The reviewed public documents do not establish that the software remedy was available by October 9.

The filings scheduled dealer notification and VIN search availability for October 5, with owner notification on or before November 27. Those notification dates should not be treated as confirmation of a repair appointment or software availability.

Owners can use the Mack safety-recall lookup or Volvo Trucks safety-recall lookup and contact an authorized dealer. Mack’s listed customer-service number is 800-866-1177; Volvo’s is 800-528-6586. Have the VIN, campaign number, and intended trailer use available, and ask for current remedy availability and operating instructions.

NHTSA cautions that recently announced recalls may not immediately include every VIN in search results. Owners with a matching configuration should resolve any uncertainty with the manufacturer or dealer rather than relying solely on a search result.

For mixed-brand fleets also tracking the separate PACCAR truck recall, each campaign needs its own VIN list and completion record. Once service is performed, retain the dealer documentation with the tractor’s maintenance history and communicate any trailer-use conditions to dispatch.

Mack and Volvo Tanker Braking Recall: Key Developments

• The U.S. campaigns cover 1,242 tractors equipped with tanker application packages.
• Smoothbore tanker liquid movement can reduce braking effectiveness without warning.
• The planned free software remedy disables dynamic trailer-braking calculations.
• Only customers exclusively using baffled or compartmentalized tankers have the stated option to retain the existing calculations.
• Owner notifications are scheduled by November 27; fleets should confirm repair availability and instructions with their dealers now.