Dive Brief:
- Paccar is recalling 5,919 model year 2027 Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks because the power distribution box may be contaminated with oil, according to a July 27 defect notice the manufacturer filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- Failure of the unit, which routes electrical power through the cab, can cause a loss of drive power, anti-lock braking, exterior lighting, windshield wipers or the defogging system, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Letters notifying owners of the safety issue are expected to be mailed Sept. 25. They can take their trucks to dealerships, where the power distribution center boxes will be replaced free of charge if necessary.
Dive Insight:
Paccar told regulators that an ABS malfunction triggers a warning lamp, but drivers get no indication before losing lights, wipers, defrost or drive power, according to a July 30 filing with the NHTSA.
The exposure is narrow but recent. Every affected unit is a 2027 model built in a roughly five-week window: June 9 through July 13.
The affected 2027 makes and models are:
- Kenworth T280 (truck)
- Kenworth T380 (truck)
- Kenworth T480 (truck)
- Kenworth T680 (tractor)
- Kenworth T880 (tractor)
- Kenworth W990 (tractor)
- Peterbilt 536 (truck)
- Peterbilt 537 (truck)
- Peterbilt 548 (truck)
- Peterbilt 567 (truck)
- Peterbilt 579 (tractor)
- Peterbilt 589 (tractor)
The trucks fall short of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 103, 104 and 108, covering defrosting, wipers and lamps, which makes it illegal for dealers to sell affected units until they are repaired.
As of July 27, Paccar has received no warranty claims related to the recall.
This push follows a string recalls for the manufacturer in recent years, involving more than 47,000 trucks in early 2024 over steering gear assembly, more than 116,000 trucks in March 2024 due to improperly crimped right-hand shifter stalk connectors, roughly 221,000 in December 2024 related to Bendix EC80 electronic control units and more than 55,000 in mid-2025 for headlight and lift axle issues.
