PACCAR Incorporated: Equipment
PACCAR Incorporated reported this defect to federal regulators on Oct 9, 2015 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 290. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
Paccar Incorporated (Paccar) is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Peterbilt 579 and 587 trucks manufactured February 14, 2011, to December 5, 2012 and 2011 Kenworth T700 trucks manufactured September 21, 2010, to October 1, 2010. The affected trucks are equipped with Fontaine Ultra LT Fifth Wheel connectors, which, due to cumulative damage to the fifth wheel and its locking mechanism, have a locking mechanism that may fail to operate or to properly engage.
The risk
If the fifth wheel and locking mechanism are sufficiently damaged, the locking mechanism may fail to operate as intended and the trailer may unexpectedly detach from the tractor, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
PACCAR will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fifth wheel with an Ultra NT model fifth wheel, free of charge. The recall began on December 7, 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 15KWP (Kenworth) and 1015M (Peterbilt).
5 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 Peterbilt 579 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 Peterbilt 587 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 Peterbilt 579 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 Peterbilt 587 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| 2011 Kenworth T700 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 15V641000.
Full record for the 2013 Peterbilt 579 → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →