Over 100,000 Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks recalled

The recall is due to a problem with the gearshift lever

Paccar has announced the recall of over 116,000 Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks due to an issue with the gear shift lever. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the connectors of the right transmission lever may be improperly engaged in the affected units, leading to loss of communication.

This can render the vehicle inoperable when stopping, increasing the risk of a collision. The recall includes detection of a dashboard screen failure when communication is lost, affecting approximately 4% of vehicles. The models being recalled are as follows:

2021-24 Peterbilt Models: 348, 365, 367, 389, 535, 536, 537, 548, 567, 579.
2021-24 Kenworth Models: T180, T280, T380, T480, T880, W990, T680 (models from 2021-25).

The recall involves trucks equipped with right-side gear shift levers, identified by part numbers Q21-6155-000, Q21-6164-000, and Q21-6165-000, along with their corresponding dashboard versions, manufactured between 2020 and 2024, by Kongsberg Automotive.

Additional information from Paccar and the NHTSA

Paccar’s records as of March 8 show 11,395 warranty claims and 56 field malfunction reports related to the dashboard issue. So far, no accidents or injuries caused by the failure have been reported.

Inspections will be conducted by dealerships, and the gear shift assembly will be replaced free of charge as necessary. The replacement component will contain properly crimped cables in their coupling connectors. This solution was implemented in production after the supplier corrected its manufacturing process in August 2022.

Notification letters to owners will be sent out on May 7, 2024. It has been announced that owners who have paid for a solution to the problem covered by the recall before receiving the notification can request a refund.

Last month, another recall was issued by Paccar for over 47,000 affected 2024-25 Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks due to a steering issue. It was identified that a gear with an insufficient number of recirculating balls could jam, potentially resulting in loss of vehicle steering. Notification letters will be sent out to model owners before March 25.