AI DamageWestern Star 4900EX: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Western Star 4900EX across 2 model years: 3 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
| Year | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) | YouTube repair videos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What fails most often
- 1 Engine and cooling 33% of all complaints
- 2 Equipment 33% of all complaints
- 3 Structure 33% of all complaints
- 4 Tires 33% of all complaints
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (33% of all).
- Equipment: 1 complaints (33% of all).
- Structure: 1 complaints (33% of all).
- Tires: 1 complaints (33% of all).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The overhead consoles, which house multiple radios, have insufficient strength and cause the radios to fall on the driver while he was driving.
2008 started overheating under a load and uphills. Several egr valves, air charge coolers, turbos, flushing and steam cleaning radiator,head gaskets, thermo stats, and it still overheats. We have consulted with western star to find the problem and they will no longer return our calls.
On march 12, 2009 I bought 8 sumitomo 255/70r22.5 model #st727 tires for my commercial truck. Aprox. 50k miles of use one of the tires are cracking from the top of the tire going down the side wall.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
Other models of this make
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.