Mack Recalls 151 MD Electric Trucks Over False Hill-Start Message
Mack Trucks is recalling 151 model-year 2024–2026 MD Electric trucks because their dashboards can falsely tell drivers that hill-start assistance is active. The electric trucks do not have the same hill-start-assist function as Mack’s diesel MD models, creating a risk that a truck could roll unexpectedly on a grade.
The recall covers trucks built from June 22, 2023, through September 25, 2025. Mack told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that all MD Electric trucks in the listed U.S. population are affected, with an estimated defect rate of 100 percent. The official filing is NHTSA campaign 26V719; Mack’s internal campaign number is SC0502.
What the dashboard gets wrong
Mack’s report says the MD Electric was manufactured with a hill-start-assist message enabled even though the truck lacks that feature. The problem is not that an installed system sometimes fails. It is that the dashboard and owner’s-manual language can lead a driver to expect a function that is not present.
On an incline, a driver relying on the message may not be prepared for the vehicle to move after the brake is released. NHTSA’s filing says unintended rollback can increase the risk of a crash. The document does not instruct owners to stop driving or park outside.
Mack traced the issue to shared dashboard iconography and owner’s-manual language between its electric and diesel medium-duty platforms. The diesel truck has a hill-start-assist function that the MD Electric does not.
Mack will disable the message and correct the manual
Dealers will disable the inaccurate dashboard notification and provide a correction to the owner’s manual at no charge. Mack said dealers were scheduled to receive notice by November 5, 2026. Owner letters are expected to be mailed December 28, and affected VINs became searchable November 5.
The manufacturer’s chronology records one field report and no warranty claims, crashes or injuries connected with the condition. Mack opened its safety investigation October 12, escalated the issue through two internal safety committees and decided on October 22 that a recall was necessary.
Fleet operators should check each truck by VIN rather than assuming every vehicle of the same model year needs the repair. Mack provides a recall lookup and contact page, while NHTSA maintains its own federal VIN search. Mack’s OneCall number is 800-866-1177.
The MD Electric is a Class 6 and Class 7 work truck
Mack markets the MD Electric as a Class 6 or Class 7 truck with 150-kWh or 240-kWh battery configurations. Its official product page lists estimated ranges of 140 miles with two battery packs and 230 miles with three, along with 19.2-kW AC and 80-kW DC charging. Mack notes that real-world range and charging times vary with the battery, charger and operating conditions.
Those specifications are not changed by this recall. The remedy addresses the inaccurate message and manual—not the battery, motor or charging hardware. For a recent passenger-EV charging update, see Chiefs Review’s report on the Opel Grandland Electric’s new 22-kW AC charging option.
Why a 151-truck recall still matters
The population is small compared with many passenger-vehicle recalls, but these trucks are commercial assets that may operate repeatedly on loading ramps, sloped streets and fleet yards. The risk comes from a mismatch between what the driver is told and what the vehicle can actually do, making clear software messages and manual instructions part of the safety system.
Owners should rely on a VIN result and the dealer remedy rather than the model description alone. Chiefs Review also recently covered a larger electric-vehicle safety campaign involving Hyundai Kona Electric and Veloster N airbag controls.
Featured image: a commercial truck used as an illustrative fleet photo; it is not a Mack MD Electric and does not depict an affected vehicle. Photo by GINA MATIAS on Unsplash, used under the Unsplash License.