Kenworth T300 Recalls & Complaints by Model Year
NHTSA lists 30 safety recalls and 7 owner complaints across 15 model years of the Kenworth T300 (1996–2010). The most-complained-about year is 2007.
Pick your Kenworth T300 model year
What Kenworth T300 owners complain about
Across all model years, owners have filed 7 complaints with NHTSA. The 2007 model year has the most, with 3.
All Kenworth T300 recalls (30)
Every NHTSA safety campaign that lists a Kenworth T300, most recent first, with the model years each one covers.
-
Diesel (engine and engine cooling)
Paccar is recalling model year 2008-2010 kenworth t300, t270, and t370, model year 2009-2010 t800 and peterbilt model year 2008-2010 335, 340, and 367 vehicles built on cummins' diesel engine. The vehicles may be designed with a hard wired, dash-mounted switch that enables the vehicle operator to inhibit aftertreatment diesel…
Remedy: Paccar is working with cummins to repair the engines free of charge please see 09e-046. The safety recall began on october 1, 2009. Owners may contact cummins at 1-800-diesels (1-800-343-7357).
-
Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings (fuel system)
Paccar is recalling 36 my 2007-2008 t270, t370 and my 207 t300 trucks equipped with dual under-cab fuel tanks and an in-cab battery box (icbb). A harness support bracket mounted on the underside of the cab may come in contact with the fuel line at the top of the fuel splitter valve.
Remedy: Dealers will re-work the existing icbb cable routing bracket and replace the fuel splitter valve bracket to provide adequate clearance between components. The recall began o june 30, 2008. Owners may contact kenworth…
Model years: 2007
-
Latch (latches/locks/linkages)
Paccar is recalling 6,169 my 2008 kenworth t300, t660, t800, t2000, w900 and c500 vehicles and my 2008-2009 peterbilt models 365, 367, 384, 387, 388, 389 and 389 kits. Certain door latch assemblies on these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 206, 'door locks and door retention…
Remedy: Paccar is working with trimark and will inspect and replace the door latch if it is found to be defective. The recall began on march 14, 2008. Owners may contact kenworth at 1-425-828-5440 or peterbilt at 1-940-591-4196.
Model years: 2008
-
Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings (service brakes)
Certain trucks equipped with eaton synflex eclipse brand extruded nylon air brake hose tubing fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 106, "brake hoses." the tubing was manufactured with only four layers of nylon material, instead of the specified five layers.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the air brake hoses and, if necessary, replace the hoses. The recall began on february 22, 2008. Owner notification schedule for this campaign. Owners may contact kenworth at 1-425-828-5440 or…
Model years: 2008
-
Electrical system
On certain trucks equipped with cummins isc or paccar px8 engines, the jumper wire between the grid heater relay to the fuse block has been routed in such a way that the potential exists for it to rub against the radiator support.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the routing of the jumper wire. If the wire is not routed correctly, it will be inspected for rubbing or chaffing and replaced if necessary free of charge. The recall began on june 22, 2007. Owners…
-
Axle assembly (power train)
On certain trucks, the axle housings may have been manufactured with steel that was out of specification which could result in a fatigue failure over time.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the axles free of charge. The recall began on may 9, 2007. Owners may contact kenworth at 425-828-5440 and peterbilt at 1-940-591-4196.
-
Automatic transmission (power train)
On certain trucks, the wiring, parts, or transmission programming required for the auto neutral feature to function as designed were either not installed, connected, or programmed properly.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the affected vehicles to ensure the auto neutral feature functions properly and, if needed, will make the necessary repairs free of charge. The recall began on may 9, 2007. Owners may contact…
-
Service brakes, air
Certain trucks fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 121, "air brake systems." the trailer light line may have been routed using too tight of a bend radius. This routing method could cause the wires within the harness plug to be pulled away from the chassis plug resulting in an intermittent or…
Remedy: Dealers will reroute the light line to eliminate the excessive bend radius and replace any plug or harness that has been damaged free of charge. The recall began on april 16, 2007. Owner may contact kenworth at…
-
Cruise control (vehicle speed control)
An incorrect switch was installed in the cruise control system on certain model t300 trucks.
Remedy: Kenworth will install the correct sensor switch. The recall began on january 10, 2007. Owners may contact kenworth at 1-425-828-5440.
Model years: 2006
-
Hydraulic (parking brake)
On certain trucks equipped with hydraulic brakes, there may be a defect in the anchor bolt of some bosch model #305 parking brake assemblies. A different coating was applied to the bolt which did not meet paccar specifications. This could reduce the fatigue life of the bolt and lead to premature failure.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the parking brake assembly and replace the defective bolts free of charge. Peterbilt's recall began on november 4, 2005; and kenworth began on november 4, 2005. Owners may contact kenworth at…
-
Electrical system: wiring
On certain trucks, the power feed harness p92-1993 terminals were not properly crimped.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the harness. The recall began january 13, 2005. Owners should contact kenworth at 1-425-828-5440.
Model years: 2004
-
Engine and engine cooling
On certain trucks built with cummins isc and isl engines, plugs were assembled incorrectly creating stress and cracks which could cause an oil leak.
Remedy: Cummins will notify owners and arrange for installation of a steel cup plug boss cap. Owners should contact cummins at 1-800-343-7357.
Model years: 2004
-
Fan (engine and engine cooling)
On certain trucks equipped with caterpillar c7 or 3126e 2002 engines and horton fan hubs, the fan hub mounting bolts can fail, resulting in the hub and fan assembly separating from the engine. This loss of clamp load causes unwanted vibration in the assembly that leads to bolt failure.
Remedy: Dealers will install a new journal bracket. The recall began may 11, 2004. Owners should contact kenworth at 1-425-828-5440.
-
Axle hubs (power train)
On certain heavy duty trucks, the locking tab that locks the outer spindle nut onto the spindle was not engaged or properly bent over.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the hubs to determine if the locking tabs are properly bent. If the locking tabs are not bent, then dealers will inspect the appropriate components for premature wear and replace such components as…
Model years: 2003
-
Fifth wheel assembly (trailer hitches)
On certain trucks equipped with jost international jsk 37u series fifth wheels, a fatigue crack can develop in the bracket pin weld under certain loading conditions.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the bracket pins and repair instructions free of charge. Peterbilt's owner notification began june 20, 2003. Kenworth's owner notification began june 12, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an…
-
Exterior lighting
Certain trucks equipped with trailer connections fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) no. 121, "air brake systems," and no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." the supplier removed a rubber grommet from the trailer light line connector. The vehicles are…
Remedy: Dealers will install the missing grommet on all affected chassis. If a connector is found defective, it will be replaced with a new connector. Owner notification is began on march 14, 2003. Owners who take their…
-
Fuel pump (fuel system)
On certain trucks equipped with caterpillar 3126e hydraulically controlled electronically actuated unit injected diesel engines with high efficiency pumps (hep8). The pump components may experience a high pressure seal failure which can result in a short period of rough running and subsequent engine stall due to a loss of injection…
Remedy: Caterpillar is conducting the owner notification and remedy for this campaign. Dealers will inspect the pump serial numbers and replace the pump if necessary. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on…
Model years: 2002
-
Hand control/valve (service brakes)
On certain vehicles equipped with bendix tc-7 trailer control hand-operated valve with push-to-connect fittings. The delivery port in the valve body may be partially blocked due to a problem during the molding process.
Remedy: Paccar will notify its customers and inspect and replace, if necessary, the hand valve free of charge. Owner notification began october 18, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon…
Model years: 2002
-
Tie rod assembly (steering)
Heavy duty trucks equipped with trw tie rod ends on certain arvinmeritor and dana axles. Peterbilt will recall 1,434 vehicles equipped with arvinmeritor axles manufactured from december 11, 1999, to may 14, 2000, and from july 22 to september 30, 2000. Kenworth will recall 859 vehicles equipped with arvinmeritor vehicles manufactured…
Remedy: Dealers will remove and replace all affected tie rods and drag links with different designed ends. Owner notification began july 15, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon…
-
Check valve (service brakes)
On certain heavy duty trucks equipped with meritor wabco pneumatic anitlock brake system (ABS) valve packages, the assembly bolts on these valve packages were not tightened correctly.
Remedy: Dealers will tighten the fasteners to the proper specification. Owner notification began february 15, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the…
Model years: 2001
-
Defroster/defogger/hvac system (visibility)
Vehicle description: certain heavy duty trucks fail to comply with the requirements of FMVSS no. 103, "windshield defrosting and defogging systems." the mode door in an HVAC system can become inoperable. The mode door cam and actuator could bind, causing the cam retaining tabs to shear off.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the mode door operation and replace the HVAC cab mode housing assembly if necessary. Owner notification began november 7, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed…
Model years: 2001
-
Tie rod assembly (steering)
Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with trw tie rod ends on certain meritor axles. The tie rod and drag link ball stud ends contain bearings that are below the specified case depth and/or hardness.
Remedy: Dealers will remove and replace all affected tie rods and drag links with different designed ends. Owner notification began october 24, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon…
-
Shoes/linings (service brakes)
Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with 10,000 or 12,000 pound dana front axles. A condition called brake "sprag", which is characterized by a noise at the end of an applied stop, can develop in the brake system. This noise is the result of a pulsation of the brake lining with the brake drum during brake application. These…
Remedy: Dealers will replace the brake lining on the front axle of each vehicle with a lining made of a different composition. In addition, the tie rod ends will be replaced free of charge. Owner notification began october 12,…
-
Reservoir/tank (service brakes)
Vehicle description: certain vehicles having an intended service code of "fire service" and either type 24 or larger front brake chambers or type 36 rear brake chambers fail to comply with requirements of FMVSS no. 121, "air brake systems." these vehicles were built with a combined air reservoir volume less than 12 times the combined…
Remedy: Dealers will install an additional air tank on chassis with a single rear axle. On tandem rear axle chassis, dealer will replace an existing air tank with a larger air tank. Owner notification began july 16, 2001.…
-
Suspension
Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with chalmers 1000 series and 800 series suspension kits. These suspension kits may have insufficient penetration of the weld attaching the torque rod eye to the torque rod tube.
Remedy: Dealers will replace all chalmers fixed torque rods on these vehicles. Owner notification began july 27, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive…
Model years: 2000
-
Tie rod assembly (steering)
Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with tie rod assemblies manufactured by trw. The suspect tie rods contain 24-dl model ball sockets. Certain of the tie rod ball-socket bearings have a below-specification case depth and/or hardness, which can lead to premature wear of the socket.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the defective ball sockets and/or drag links. Owner notification began on april 10, 2001, to kenworth owners and on april 25, 2001, to peterbilt owners. Owners who take their vehicles to an…
Model years: 1999
-
Tie rod assembly (steering)
Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with trw tie rod ends on certain meritor axles. The tie rod and drag link ball stud ends contain bearings that are below the specified case depth and/or hardness.
Remedy: Dealers will remove and replace all affected tie rods and drag links with different designed ends.
Model years: 1999
-
Automatic transmission (power train)
Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with eaton autoshift gen ii transmission assemblies. Due to a software problem in the transmission assemblies, the transmission will select the wrong gear.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the autoshift transmissions. Eaton performed the campaign for the kenworth portion. However peterbilt will be conducting their own campaign.
Model years: 2000
-
Driveline (power train)
Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks. The installation of the aluminum steering driveline exceeds the u-joint angles specified by dana, the driveline manufacturer. By exceeding this specification, the u-joint could contact and cause a stress riser in the aluminum drive shaft. This contact could cause in a notch in the aluminum…
Remedy: Dealers will replace the aluminum driveline with a steel version.
Model years: 1999
-
Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (service brakes)
Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks. The air hoses from the relay valves were connected directly to the service brake chambers, rather than beting connected through the anti-lock braking system (ABS) modulator. This does not comply with FMVSS no. 121, "air brake systems."
Remedy: Dealers will reroute the air hoses through the ABS modulator.
Model years: 1998
Other Kenworth models
- T68077 complaints
- T200038 complaints
- T80033 complaints
- W90032 complaints
- Kenworth23 complaints
- T60016 complaints
- Conventional10 complaints
- T88010 complaints
Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.