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2015 Peterbilt 389 Recalls & Complaints

10

open safety recalls on record

Critical

12 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 2.00 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical14V810000

Parking Brake:Conventional:Air

Brake drag may result in a wheel end fire.

Remedy & full details

Kenworth and Peterbilt will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the brake chamber, as necessary, free of charge. An interim notice was mailed to owners March 3, 2015. The recall began on May 14, 2015. Owners may contact PACCAR customer service at 1-425-828-5000 (Kenworth), or 1-940-591-4000 (Peterbilt). PACCAR's number for this recall is 14KWP (Kenworth), and 1214L (Peterbilt).

PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain model year 2015 Peterbilt 367, 389, 567, 579, and 587 trucks manufactured from May 23, 2014, to February 13, 2015, and 2015 Kenworth T270, T370, T440, T470, T660, T680, T800, T880, and W900 trucks manufactured from May 23, 2014, to February 13, 2015, equipped with certain air brake actuators. The affected vehicles may experience brake drag due to an improperly seated diaphragm in the brake chamber.

Critical15V456000

Electrical System:Alternator/Generator/Regulator

If the alternator cable rubs through its insulation, an electrical short may occur, raises the risk of a fire.

Remedy & full details

Peterbilt will notify owners, and dealers will reroute the alternator charge cable away from the metal freon line and install a plastic insulator on the cable end, free of charge. The recall began on September 23, 2015. Owners may contact Peterbilt customer service at 1-940-591-4000. Peterbilt's number for this recall is 715-K.

PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain model year 2012-2016 Peterbilt 365, 367, 384, 386, 388, 389, 567, 579, and 587 trucks manufactured January 13, 2011, to April 20, 2015. The affected trucks, equipped with extended-body Leece Neville alternators, have alternator charge cables that may chafe against a formed metal freon discharge line.

Critical15V270000

Electrical System:Alternator/Generator/Regulator

If the alternator cable rubs through its insulation, an electrical short may occur, raises the risk of a fire.

Remedy & full details

PACCAR will notify owners, and dealers will reroute the alternator charge cable away from the metal freon line, free of charge. PACCAR issued an interim notification to owners on July 10, 2015. The recall began on September 16, 2015. Owners may contact Kenworth customer service at 1-425-828-5000 or Peterbilt customer service at 1-940-591-4000. PACCAR's numbers for this recall are 15KWE and 515-F.

PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Kenworth T660, T680, T880 trucks manufactured February 18, 2013, to April 10, 2015, and 2011-2016 Peterbilt 386, 389, 567, 579, and 587 trucks manufactured December 13, 2010, to April 20, 2015. The affected trucks, equipped with PACCAR MX-13 engines and Delco-Remy 40SI alternators, have alternator charge cables that may chafe against a formed metal freon discharge line.

Critical20V130000

Electrical System:12v/24v/48v Battery:Cables

electrical short circuit can raises the risk of a fire.

Remedy & full details

PACCAR will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the battery jumper terminal cables, and replace them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 30, 2020. Owners may contact PACCAR customer service at 1-940-591-4220. PACCAR's number for this recall is 20PBA.

PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Peterbilt 365, 389, 567, and 579 vehicles equipped with a left-hand under hood jumper terminal (option code 2539410). The positive battery jumper terminal cable may be too long, allowing it to chafe against the left front suspension spring and result in an electrical short circuit.

Serious15V036000

Electronic Stability Control (Esc)

If the steering angle sensor is damaged, the ESC sensor may malfunction, raises the risk of a vehicle crash.

Remedy & full details

Peterbilt will notify owners, and dealers will replace the horn contact plate and the ESC steering angle sensor, free of charge. The recall began on March 6, 2015. Owners may contact Peterbilt customer service at 1-940-591-4000. PACCAR's number for this recall is 115A.

PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain model year 2015 Peterbilt 389 Pride and Class edition vehicles manufactured October 1, 2014, to December 4, 2014, and equipped with electronic stability control (ESC). The affected vehicles were manufactured with an incorrect horn contact plate that may damage the ESC steering angle sensor.

Serious15V132000

Equipment:Other:Labels

If the tires are underinflated due to the incorrect inflation pressure listed on the label, the truck may not be able to carry the maximum gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) load listed without experiencing tire failure which would raise…

Remedy & full details

Peterbilt will notify owners and mail them a corrected Tire and Rim certification label, free of charge. The recall began on June 19, 2015. Owners may contact Peterbilt customer service at 1-940-591-4000. PACCAR's number for this recall is 215-D.

PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain model year 2006-2016 Peterbilt 587, 579, 567, 389, 388, 387, 385, 382, 379, 378, 367, 365 and 357 trucks manufactured July 25, 2005, to February 26, 2016. The affected vehicles may be equipped with Tire and Rim Certification Labels that list a tire pressure below the actual correct amount. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 120, "Tire selection and rims and motor home/recreation vehicle trailer load carrying capacity information for motor vehicles with a GVWR of more than 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds)."

Serious15V108000

Steering:Linkages:Tie Rod Assembly

Undertorqued tie rod end clamp bolts are susceptible to corrosion, which may cause loose bolts to separate resulting in a loss of vehicle control and an increased risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

PACCAR will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front axle tie rod assembly on any vehicle where the factory installed assembly has not been previously replaced, free of charge. Owners were mailed interim notices on May 11, 2015. The recall began on April 4, 2016. Owners may contact Peterbilt customer service at 1-940-591-4220. PACCAR's number for this recall is 215-C.

PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain model year 2009-2015 Peterbilt 320, 365, 367, 388, and 389 trucks manufactured July 21, 2008, to February 28, 2014. The front axle tie rod end clamp bolts may be improperly torqued.

Serious15V740000

Tires

Higher vehicle speeds and other factors such as tire load and road temperatures may result in premature tire failure, raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

Peterbilt will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the engine's vehicle speed parameters to limit the maximum vehicle speed to the tire speed rating, free of charge. The recall began on January 4, 2016. Owners may contact Peterbilt customer service at 1-940-591-4000. PACCAR's number for this recall is 1115P.

PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 Peterbilt 340, 2010, 2012, and 2015-2016 Peterbilt 337, 2010 Peterbilt 335, 2011-2016 Peterbilt 348, 2009 and 2011-2016 Peterbilt 365, 2009 and 2012-2013 Peterbilt 386, 2009-2015 Peterbilt 388, 2015-2016 Peterbilt 389, and 2015 Peterbilt 567 auto hauler vehicles. The affected trucks are equipped with Michelin 295/60R22.5 XZA-2 front tires that have a speed rating less than the vehicle is governed to.

Serious14V731000

Steering

incorrect or improperly torqued steering wheel attachment nut could allow the steering wheel to come loose, resulting in a loss of vehicle control, raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

PACCAR will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the steering wheel attachment nut, and replace it and/or tighten it, as necessary, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact PACCAR customer service at 1-940-591-4220 (Peterbilt). PACCAR's number for this recall is 1114K.

PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain model year 2015 Peterbilt 389 "Pride and Class" edition trucks manufactured September 30, 2014, to November 3, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the steering wheel may have been installed with an incorrect attachment nut, or the nut may not be have been properly torqued.

Serious20V199000

Electronic Stability Control (Esc)

If the driver unknowingly operates the vehicle without the ABS functioning, there would be an increased risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

PACCAR will notify owners, and dealers will update the NAMUX software within the cab control module, free of charge. PACCAR issued owners an interim notification on June 4, 2020. The recall began May 26, 2020. Owners may contact Kenworth customer service at 1-425-828-5888 or Peterbilt customer service at 1-940-591-4220. PACCAR's number for this recall is 20pbc AND 20KWB.

PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2008-2019 Peterbilt 330, 335, 337, 340, 348, 365, 367, 384, 386, 387, 388, 389, 567, 579 and 587 vehicles and 2008-2020 Kenworth T170, T270, T370, T660, T680, T800, T880, and W900 vehicles equipped with NAMUX Software. In the event that the Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) loses battery and/or ignition power to the controller, the dash warning light for the ABS may not illuminate to warn the driver of the loss of ABS. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 121, "Air Brake Systems," and 136, "Electronic Stability Control System on Heavy Vehicles."

Complaint volume

12 this model-year 7 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

2Crashes
0Fires
0Injuries
2Deaths

Across 12 complaints. Severity Index 2.00.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Wheels4 · 33%Structure · Body2 · 17%Tires2 · 17%Electrical System1 · 8%Electronic Stability Cont…1 · 8%Unknown Or Other1 · 8%Visibility/Wiper1 · 8%
  1. Wheels — 4 reports
  2. Structure:Body — 2 reports
  3. Tires — 2 reports
  4. Electrical System — 1 reports
  5. Electronic Stability Control (Esc) — 1 reports
  6. Unknown Or Other — 1 reports
  7. Visibility/Wiper — 1 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

2008 (12) · 2012 (9) · 2014 (7) · 2015 · 2017 (7) · 2019 (6) · 2021 (6) · 2022 (7) · 2024 (5)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.