Paccar recall prompts ‘do not drive’ order for certain Kenworth, Peterbilt trucks

Paccar is recalling several thousand Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks of various models after discovering a steering-related issue similar to a recent Mack and Volvo recall that resulted in advising owners not to drive the vehicles.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Paccar is recalling nearly 4,000 new Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks. The tie rod or drag link assembly may contain an improperly heat-treated ball stud, causing the ball stud to break. A broken ball stud can cause a complete loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Kenworth trucks affected by the recall include (all model year 2025):

• K270
• K370
• T280
• T380
• T480
• T680
• T880
• W900
• W990

Peterbilt trucks affected by the recall include (all model year 2025):

• 220
• 536
• 537
• 548
• 567
• 579
• 589

Dealers will inspect and replace the tie rod and drag link assemblies for free. Notification letters will be sent on Aug. 11.

Paccar is urging owners of affected trucks not to drive the vehicles until dealers inspect and fix the issue.

As of June 6, Paccar had not received any warranty claims or reports about any trucks in the field that may be related to the issue. No related deaths or injuries have been reported.

For more information, call Kenworth’s customer service at 425-828-5888 with recall number 24KWG or Peterbilt’s customer service at 940-591-4220 with recall number 24PBG. NHTSA’s number for this recall is 24V-433.

Paccar’s recall is nearly identical to one issued by Mack and Volvo Trucks earlier in June. That recall also involved improperly heat-treated ball studs within the drag link assembly. Both recalls reveal that a supplier mixed ball studs with an unvalidated heat-treat process into production-ready ball studs shipped to manufacturers. Mack, Volvo and Paccar likely receive their drag links from the same supplier. A key difference is that Paccar’s recall also includes tie rods, whereas the Mack and Volvo recalls do not. LL