2020 Peterbilt 579 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (2) · Service Brakes (1) · Electronic Stability Control (Esc) (1)
Safety recalls (6)
Steering:critical Fasteners 2022-04-25 · campaign 22V277000 · 17,641 vehicles
Defect: PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Kenworth T270, T370, T440, T470, T660, T680, T880, T800, W900, W990; and 2018-2020 Peterbilt 330, 337, 348, 365, 367, 389, 520, 567, and 579 vehicles. The Dana D-Series axle steer arm fasteners that attach the steering arm to the steering knuckle may fail.
Risk: Fastener failure can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace and torque the steer arm fasteners, at no charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 8, 2022. Owners may contact Kenworth customer service at 1-425-828-5888 and Peterbilt customer service at 1-940-591-4220. PACCAR's numbers for this recall are 22 PBB and 22 KWB.
Electrical System:wiring 2021-12-29 · campaign 21V00N000 · 1,107 vehicles
Defect: PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Peterbilt 567, 579, 2021-2022 Peterbilt 536, 2017-2021 Kenworth T880, 2016-2022 Kenworth T680, 2018-2020 Kenworth T440, 2020 Kenworth T270, and 2021 Kenworth T280 vehicles. The methane detection system will not function if the system loses power.
Risk: The operator may be unaware of a system malfunction or the presence of excessive methane levels, increasing the risk of injury or fire.
Fix: Dealers will re-wire the warning alarm, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 1, 2022. Owners may contact Peterbilt customer service at 1-940-591-4220, and Kenworth customer service at 1-425-828-5888. PACCAR's numbers for this recall are 21KWH and 21PBN.
Electrical System:software 2021-11-19 · campaign 21V906000 · 908 vehicles
Defect: PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2019-2022 Kenworth T880, W990, Peterbilt 567, 579, 389, and 2022 Peterbilt 536, 537 wrecker and auto hauler vehicles. The work brake (winch brake) may unintentionally disengage the service brakes during winching operations, causing the vehicle to roll.
Risk: Unintended vehicle movement can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Dealers will update the vehicle software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 3, 2022. Owners may contact PACCAR customer service at 1-425-828-5888 (Kenworth); or 1-940-591-4220 (Peterbilt). PACCAR's numbers for this recall are 21KWG and 21PBM.
Electrical System:12v/24v/48v Battery:cables 2020-03-04 · campaign 20V130000 · 35,671 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: 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.
Visibility 2019-10-15 · campaign 19V733000 · 248 vehicles
Defect: PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2020 Peterbilt 579 vehicles equipped with a sleeper box. The conspicuity tape may have been installed in the incorrect location, affecting the vehicle's visibility to other drivers on the road. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk: Reduced visibility increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: PACCAR will notify owners, and dealers will install additional conspicuity tape on back of sleeper in correct location, free of charge. The recall began November 4, 2019. Owners may contact PACCAR customer service at 1-940-591-4220. PACCAR's number for this recall is 19PBE.
Visibility:rearview Mirrors/Devices:exterior 2019-05-01 · campaign 19V340000 · 3,907 vehicles
Defect: PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2020 Peterbilt 520 and 579 vehicles and Kenworth T680, T880 and W990 vehicles. The mirror glass may detach from the mirror carrier plate due to inadequate adhesion.
Risk: If the mirror glass detaches, the driver may have reduced visibility and the mirror glass will become a road hazard that may strike another vehicle or pedestrian, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: PACCAR has notified owners, and dealers will inspect the upper mirror glass/mirror carrier, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 31, 2019. Kenworth owners may contact PACCAR customer service at 1-425-828-5888 and Peterbilt owners may call 1-940-591-4220. PACCAR's numbers for this recall is 19KWC and 19PBC.
Service bulletins (104)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Engine 2026-09-11 · P001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
"kenworth: dealers should check the chassis list and sir weekly for vin changes. 2 chassis added to the chassis list. peterbilt: dealers should check the chassis list and sir weekly for vin changes. 10 chassis added to the chassis list."
Engine 2026-09-05 · E343 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
an exhaust manifold slip joint seal kit is now available for epa 2017-2024 paccar mx-13 engines.
Engine 2026-08-13 · 43-088 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the procedure has been updated to include additional steps for verifying the software level on the vehicle electronic control unit (vecu2) and digital display (dd). steps have also been added to the paccar common rail injection 2 (pci2) software verification.
Engine 2026-07-25 · E311 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
105 chassis have been removed from the chassis list and unflagged in prws due to expiration of applicable warranty coverage. total chassis population is 732.
Engine 2026-07-21 · 43-088 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this optional software update is now available for chassis equipped with emy 2021b-2023 paccar mx-11 and mx-13 engines. this update provides customers with additional time to service their trucks before a def-related derate occurs. the software is being offered to customers in alignment with recentl
Engine 2026-07-18 · 41-029 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
incorrect air filters may be inadvertently installed in certain chassis equipped with under-hood donaldson air filter housings.
Showing the 6 most recent of 104 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-13 · Power Train“my 2020 [xxx] [xxx] vin:[xxx] was brought to rihm kenworth in [xxx] on xxx while actively under warranty." the dealership confirmed a paccar mx-13 camshaft failure, which is a known manufacturer defect tied to paccar campaigns e252 and e266. camshafts are explicitly covered 100% the text of paccar's official 700k warranty bulletin explicitly states…”
2026-04-10 · Power Train“camshaft failure as described in previous service bulletins for same year, make, model truck and paccar mx-17 engine. available for inspection as truck is not operational. vehicle has been inspected by mechanic and no warning, messages, or other symptoms prior to the failure being noticed and inspected to locate issue.…”
2025-09-18 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 349,571 mi“odometer fraud. the contact purchased a 2020 peterbilt 579. the contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. the vehicle was a dealer sale. at the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 217,000, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 349,571…”
2023-12-19 · Service Brakes“vehicle has a following distance sensor on front bumper. sensor is sensing overpasses when traveling underneath them and that should not be detected. vehicle is automatically applying hard braking. this is causing a possible rear end collision and or loss of vehicle controll in wet conditions.…”
2020-09-22 · Electronic Stability Control (Esc) · 180,000 mi“eoa support bracket broke off and the eoa manifold fell into the drive shaft causing the loss of air pressure. the truck was on the instate in the city.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.