Model year record

2020 PETERBILT 579

6 recall campaigns on file for this model year. 7 owner complaints on file.

Recalls

Recall campaignNHTSA 22V277000

Steering: critical fasteners

Component
Steering: critical fasteners
Manufacturer
PACCAR Incorporated
Vehicles affected
17,641
Reported to NHTSA
2022-04-25
Owners notified
2022-11-08

Defect description

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.

Safety risk

Fastener failure can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

Manufacturer remedy

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.

Recall campaignNHTSA 21V00N000

Electrical system: wiring

Component
Electrical system: wiring
Manufacturer
PACCAR Incorporated
Vehicles affected
1,107
Reported to NHTSA
2021-12-29
Owners notified
2022-12-01

Defect description

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.

Safety risk

The operator may be unaware of a system malfunction or the presence of excessive methane levels, increasing the risk of injury or fire.

Manufacturer remedy

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.

Recall campaignNHTSA 21V906000

Electrical system: software

Component
Electrical system: software
Manufacturer
PACCAR Incorporated
Vehicles affected
908
Reported to NHTSA
2021-11-19
Owners notified
2022-01-03

Defect description

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.

Safety risk

Unintended vehicle movement can increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Manufacturer remedy

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.

Recall campaignNHTSA 20V130000

Electrical system: 12V/24V/48V battery: cables

Component
Electrical system: 12V/24V/48V battery: cables
Manufacturer
PACCAR Incorporated
Vehicles affected
35,671
Reported to NHTSA
2020-03-04
Owners notified
2020-04-30

Defect description

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.

Safety risk

An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.

Manufacturer remedy

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.

Recall campaignNHTSA 19V733000

Visibility

Component
Visibility
Manufacturer
PACCAR Incorporated
Vehicles affected
248
Reported to NHTSA
2019-10-15
Owners notified
2019-11-04

Defect description

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."

Safety risk

Reduced visibility increases the risk of a crash.

Manufacturer remedy

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.

Recall campaignNHTSA 19V340000

Visibility: rearview mirrors/devices: exterior

Component
Visibility: rearview mirrors/devices: exterior
Manufacturer
PACCAR Incorporated
Vehicles affected
3,907
Reported to NHTSA
2019-05-01
Owners notified
2019-05-31

Defect description

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.

Safety 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.

Manufacturer remedy

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.

Owner complaints

A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.

ComponentComplaintsMedian mileage
Electrical system: instrument panel: speedometer/odometer2349,571 mi
Power train2
Electronic stability control (ESC)1180,000 mi
Forward collision avoidance: automatic emergency braking1
Service brakes1

The 2019 model has roughly the same number of complaints as this one. The 2021 model has 7 times as many complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.

Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.