2022 Peterbilt 389 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Vehicle Speed Control (1) · Tires:tread/Belt (1) · Suspension (1)
Safety recalls (7)
Electrical System:software 2024-12-09 · campaign 24V915000 · 220,764 vehicles
Defect: PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Peterbilt and Kenworth vehicles, equipped with Bendix EC80 Advanced Electronic Control Units (ECU). Please see the recall report for a complete list of models. Electrical noise and low signal to the power line carrier may cause the ECU to incorrectly process commands or stop functioning.
Risk: Safety systems that depend on the ECU (Automatic Traction Control, ABS, Electronic Stability Control, Active Cruise Control, and Collison Mitigation System) may not function properly or at all, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 3, 2025. Owners may contact Kenworth's customer service at 1-425-828-5888 and Peterbilt's customer service at 1-940-591-4220. PACCAR's numbers for this recall are 24KWL and 24PBL.
Power Train:automatic Transmission:lever And Linkage:column Shift 2024-03-20 · campaign 24V190000 · 70,509 vehicles
Defect: PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Peterbilt 365, 367, 389, 535, 536, 537, 548, 567, 579, and 2021-2025 Kenworth T180, T280, T380, T480, T680, T880 and W990 trucks. The right-hand gear shifter stalk connectors may have been improperly crimped, resulting in a loss of communication.
Risk: A loss of communication between the gear shifter and the transmission may result in the vehicle becoming disabled after coming to a stop, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the gear shifter assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed December 15, 2025, then phased after that. Owners may contact Kenworth customer service at 1-425-828-5888 or Peterbilt customer service at 1-940-591-4220. PACCAR's numbers for this recall are 24PBE and 24KWE.
Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel 2022-10-17 · campaign 22V779000 · 74,730 vehicles
Defect: PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Kenworth T680, T880, W990, and Peterbilt 365, 367, 389, 567, and 579 vehicles. The digital display may freeze and not display critical safety information. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 101, "Control and Displays" and 102, "Trans Shift Lever Seq/Starter Interlock/Trans Braking Effect."
Risk: The loss of display information, such as vehicle speed and warning lights, can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 16, 2022. Owners may contact Kenworth's customer service at 1-425-828-5888 and Peterbilt's customer service at 1-940-591-4220. PACCAR's numbers for this recall are 22KWK and 22PBK.
Steering 2022-07-28 · campaign 22V547000 · 47,500 vehicles
Defect: PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Kenworth T170, T270, T280, T370, T380, T440, T470, T480, T680, T800, T880, W900, W990, C500, and 2022-2023 Peterbilt 325, 330, 337, 348, 365, 367, 389, 520, 536, 537, 548, 567, and 579 vehicles. The steering gears may have been assembled incorrectly, which can cause the gears to fracture.
Risk: A fractured steering gear can cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the steering gear serial numbers, and replace the steering gears as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 26, 2022. Owners may contact Kenworth's customer service at 1-425-828-5888 and Peterbilt's customer service at 1-940-591-4220. PACCAR's numbers for this recall are 22PBE and 22KWE.
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.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings 2021-08-19 · campaign 21V648000 · 163 vehicles
Defect: PACCAR, Inc. (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Peterbilt 367, 389, 567, and 579 vehicles. The cross member mounted Hill Start Assist valve assembly may have insufficient clearance to the rear axle, causing damage to the rear brake hose and loss of the rear brake signal.
Risk: If loss of the rear brake signal occurs, the vehicle could experience reduced rear braking capability or loss of brakes to the rear axle(s), increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect for clearance and re-work the assembly to conform with an updated design, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on September 24, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 11, 2022. Owners may contact PACCAR's customer service at 1-940-591-4220 (Peterbilt). PACCAR's number for this recall is 21PBJ.
Engine 2021-02-17 · campaign 21V080000 · 132 vehicles
Defect: PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Kenworth T680, T880, W990, T800, W900 and Peterbilt 579, 567, 389, 367 vehicles equipped with a Cummins X15 engine. The capscrews that attach the flywheel to the crankshaft may have been improperly torqued, allowing the flywheel to detach.
Risk: A detached flywheel can cause loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, driveline pieces may be ejected from the engine compartment, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: PACCAR will notify owners, and dealers will properly torque the capscrews and the engine will also be inspected for damage and, if necessary, repaired, free of charge. The recall began on March 29, 2021. 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 21KWA and 21PBB.
Service bulletins (66)
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.
Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings 2026-08-13 · 24KWL/PBL · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the verbiage in the introduction section has been updated.
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 2026-08-01 · E316 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
235 chassis have been removed from the chassis list and unflagged in prws due to expiration of applicable warranty coverage. 5 chassis have been added to the chassis list. the total chassis population is now 15,637.
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
Showing the 6 most recent of 66 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-08-25 · Service Brakes“oem pressed-on cast iron/stamped rings fail prematurely due to regional rust jacking, disabling the vehicle's abs. explicitly mention that the current design creates a systemic safety risk in cold-weather states and that a recall mandating corrosion-resistant materials (like stainless steel) is required. this cost thousands of dollars to repair and…”
2025-09-30 · Tires:tread/Belt · 439,087 mi“the contact owns a 2022 peterbilt 389 equipped with goodyear tires, tire line: marathon lhs, tire size: 11r22.5, dot number: 1my3ttybw0324. the tires had been replaced prior to the failure. while driving, the driver's side front tires had a blowout. the local dealer was contacted, where it was diagnosed that the tread had separated. the vehicle was…”
2023-04-06 · Vehicle Speed Control“digital dash/display and the whole cluster freezes while driving. the recall 22v-779 update was done on the truck 4 weeks ago and it still have the same issue. …”
2023-03-15 · Suspension“whenever the truck goes over mildly rough road the steering wheel shakes and the tires follow the ruts of the road . when this happens steering wheel jerks out of hand and have to be overcorrected to keep in lane . with the shaking of steering wheel the steering wheel itself came loose one time and was repaired by peterbilt by applying locktite to …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.