Commercial vehicle manufacturer MAN Truck & Bus is intensifying its ongoing measures to prevent possible engine damage in older vehicles with a D26 Euro 6c engine produced between 11/2016 and 8/2019. Since 2022, MAN has already called on the owners of certain trucks and buses with this engine type (D2676LF51–53, D2676LOH35–37) to undergo workshop inspections on several occasions and carried out various service measures. 90 percent of these have already been implemented and effectively prevent engine damage.
In order to further increase operational robustness even further with increasing mileage, MAN is now shortening the previously recommended oil change intervals by 25 percent for all trucks in the D26 Euro 6c vehicle generation. In addition, as a precautionary measure, the company is replacing the lower engine main bearings in vehicles that already have a higher stress on the corresponding components, for example due to their operating profile or maintenance history.
In the case of the above-mentioned engine types, damage to oil filter components and engine main bearings can occur if maintenance and repairs are not carried out on time or professionally, or if the engine oil is excessively aged and dirty, and in rare cases can also result in engine fires. With the expansion of the measures, MAN is underlining its responsibility for its products and their operational safety at the customer.
MAN uses positive experience
In the past, MAN has already applied the extended service measures in addition to the mandatory replacement of the oil filter cap for all vehicles, if it seemed appropriate based on the individual use, maintenance and pre-repair history of the vehicle. Internal analyses confirm that these measures are highly effective in preventing engine damage. Around 10,000 trucks have already received new engine main bearings in this context.
The positive experience confirms MAN’s decision to extend the aforementioned service work to other vehicles as a precautionary measure. In particular, MAN is once again inviting customers to the workshops that have not yet agreed to a bearing replacement that has already been recommended on the basis of their individual vehicle history. MAN also provides for precautionary bearing replacement for vehicles for which the intensive analysis from previous service activities and the extensive findings from ongoing field observation show an increasing risk of engine damage with increasing mileage. This affects up to 25 percent of trucks with D26 Euro 6c engines that have not yet received this measure or whose owners have so far rejected it.
Together with the reduction of the oil change interval, this significantly reduces the risk of engine damage even in vehicles with very late replacement of the oil filter cover, previous damage due to improperly carried out repairs or longer and more frequent maintenance delays. Owners of vehicles for which MAN plans to expand the service measures will receive individual letters as early as mid-November.
Probability of fire events low
There can be a variety of causes for vehicle defects and the resulting fires, such as: overheated tires or brakes, neglected maintenance, subsequent attachments and installations or defects in electrical and electronic components. In Germany alone, there are around 15,000 vehicle fires every year, around ten percent of which affect heavy commercial vehicles.
By comparison, MAN has an extremely reliable fleet of around 880,000 vehicles in operation in Europe. Of these, around 120,000 trucks and over 5,000 buses built between 2016 and 2019 are equipped with the aforementioned engine types. According to MAN’s findings, there have been a total of 263 fire incidents worldwide involving the aforementioned engines over the past nine years, which – alongside other possible causes – could be attributed to the aforementioned engine damage pattern. This corresponds to 0.2 percent of all vehicles with D26 Euro 6c engines. In 2025, the number was 42 cases worldwide. For most of them, maintenance intervals were significantly exceeded or preliminary repairs were not carried out according to the manufacturer’s specifications.
If maintenance is carried out correctly and oil change intervals are observed, the probability of engine damage and a resulting fire is therefore very low in D26 Euro 6c vehicles.
