The Used Car Index

2017 Peterbilt 389 problems

NHTSA lists 1 complaints for the 2017 Peterbilt 389, 0 of them mention a crash and 0 mention a fire. 0 complaints mention an injury, with 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-08.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as PETERBILT 389.

At a glance

Complaints
1
With crash
0
With fire
0
With injury (complaints)
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
0
Recalls
7
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
460,515
Investigations
2
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
56

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1100.0%
POWER TRAIN1100.0%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
electrical electronic1100.0%0.46
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
low1100.0%0.89

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 1 tagged complaints of 1 complaints (100.0%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

7 recalls.

20V199000

Date: 2020-04-06. Systems: ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC), SERVICE BRAKES, AIR.

Defect: 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 (excerpt)

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

Remedy: 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. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

20V130000

Date: 2020-03-04. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

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.

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

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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

18V657000

Date: 2018-09-21. Systems: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.

Defect: PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Kenworth C500, T600, T660, T680, T800, T880 and W900 trucks, as well as Peterbilt 367, 386, 389, 567, 579 and 587 trucks, equipped with Cummins ISX15 or X15 diesel engines. In certain driving conditions, such as on a long down-hill grade, the fuel line may burst if the fuel pump cooling circuit screen becomes restricted.

Consequence: If the fuel line bursts, fuel may leak onto the road resulting in a roadway hazard for other motorists. The engine may also stall without warning, resulting in the vehicle's inability to restart, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Cummins will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect fuel pump cooling circuit screen, free of charge. The recall began November 21, 2018. Owners may contact PACCAR customer service at 1-940-591-4220. PACCAR's number for this recall is 18E081.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

17V443000

Date: 2017-07-13. Systems: FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL.

Defect: PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Peterbilt 367, 389, 567, 579 and 587 trucks, and 2018 Kenworth C500, T680, T800, T880 and W900 trucks equipped with Cummins ISX 15L engines. These engines have a fuel pump whose drive gear could possibly slip on its drive shaft, causing a fuel pump function loss, resulting in an engine stall.

Consequence: An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Cummins will notify the vehicle purchaser, and Cummins dealers will replace the fuel pumps, free of charge. The recall began July 1, 2017. Owners may contact Cummins customer service at 1-800-286-6467 or PACCAR customer service at 1-425-468-7400. PACCAR's number for this recall is C1909.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

16V872000

Date: 2016-12-05. Systems: EXTERIOR LIGHTING.

Defect: PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain model year 2017 Peterbilt 325, 330, 337, 348, 365, 367, 386, 389, and 587 vehicles manufactured April 20, 2016, to June 13, 2016. The brake lights may not illuminate when the brakes are applied. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and (excerpt)

Consequence: If the brake lights do not illuminate when the brakes are applied, other drivers will be unaware the vehicle is stopping, which can increase the risk of a crash. (excerpt)

Remedy: PACCAR will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace any brake light switches with date code 08-01760, free of charge. The recall began on January 26, 2017. Owners may contact Peterbilt customer service at 1-940-591-4000. Paccar's number for this recall is 816-F. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

16V803000

Date: 2016-11-04. Systems: TIRES.

Defect: PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain model year 2017 Kenworth K370, T270, T370, T440, T660, T800 trucks manufactured February 2, 2016, to October 13, 2016, and Peterbilt 330, 337, 348, 367, 389, 567, and 579 trucks manufactured March 7, 2016, to October 5, 2016. The affected vehicles are equipped with certain Goodyear LHS Load Range G tires, size 295/75R22.5 G399A, that due to incomp (excerpt)

Consequence: A partial tread separation may increase the risk of a crash. (excerpt)

Remedy: Goodyear will notify the owners of the affected Peterbilt and Kenworth vehicles and Goodyear dealers will replace the affected tires, free of charge. The recall began on December 14, 2016. To find a Goodyear dealer, owners should contact Goodyear Consumer Relations at 1-800-592-3267. Consumers may also contact Kenworth customer service at 1-425-828-5000 and Peterbilt customer service at 1-940-5 (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

16V426000

Date: 2016-06-10. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Defect: PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain model year 2017 Kenworth C500, T660, T680, T800, T880, and W900 vehicles manufactured March 9, 2016, to April 26, 2016 and 2017 Peterbilt 320, 365, 367, 389, 567, 579, and 587 vehicles manufactured March 10, 2016, to May 6, 2016. The affected vehicles are equipped with Cummins ISX12 or ISX15 engines and have an engine control module (ECM) that may (excerpt)

Consequence: An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash. (excerpt)

Remedy: Cummins will notify owners, and Cummins dealers will replace the defective engine control modules, free of charge. The began on July 8, 2016. Owners may contact Cummins customer service at 1-800-343-7357, Kenworth customer service at 1-425-828-5000 or Peterbilt customer service at 1-940-591-4000. PACCAR's numbers for this recall are 16KWB (Kenworth) and 616-C (Peterbilt). (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

2 investigations; 0 open.

PE20015

Opened: 2020-09-21. Closed: 2021-10-14.

Quarter Fender Failures

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation (PE21-015) based on one Vehicle Owner Questionnaire (VOQ) and supporting fleet reports. The reports indicated that the subject quarter fenders were prone to cracking and/or separation.After a comprehensive review of the data related to the quarter fender failures on the subject vehicles, ODI did not identify the existence

Systems: STRUCTURE.

Linked campaign numbers: None listed.

PE20006

Opened: 2020-05-01. Closed: 2024-03-27.

Intermittent Loss of Power Steering Assist

On May 1, 2020, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE20006 to investigate complaints of intermittent loss of power steering assist in Daimler Truck North America (DTNA), Volvo Trucks of North America (Volvo) and PACCAR vehicles equipped with a ZF/TRW (TRW) THP60 steering gear.A The investigation focused on 2010-2020 DTNA Freightliner Cascadia, M2 and WST; Volvo VN, VAH and VHD and P

Systems: STEERING.

Linked campaign numbers: None listed.

Manufacturer communications

56 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM15
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING12
ENGINE10
EQUIPMENT9
POWER TRAIN6
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY5
STRUCTURE4
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL3

11037541

Date: 2026-09-11. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.

"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."

11037451

Date: 2026-09-05. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.

An exhaust manifold slip joint seal kit is now available for EPA 2017-2024 PACCAR MX-13 engines.

11035343

Date: 2026-07-25. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.

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.

11035111

Date: 2026-07-10. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.

The Condition, Chassis Affected, Service Action, Warranty, and Procedure sections have been updated to include the latest prognostics bulletin verbiage.

11032293

Date: 2026-04-17. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.

The attached procedures document has been updated with more detail and explanations. This is not a stand-alone procedure. Cummins Quickserve troubleshooting will specify the use of these procedures while troubleshooting specific fault codes.

11032284

Date: 2026-04-01. Type: Emissions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE.

EPA17-24 MX Fuel Injector Connector - This bulletin has been revised to include all EPA17-24 and CARB24 PACCAR MX engines.

11028314

Date: 2026-01-31. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.

Procedure pictures updated for clarity. When troubleshooting Cummins X15 fault codes 555 or 556, follow this additional testing, inspection, and documentation procedure to help identify the root cause of dusted engines. This is not a stand-alone process but must be used alongside Cummins troublesho

11019217

Date: 2025-05-22. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

T016: Warranty section updated to include 0.5 hours for test drive. Recommended Repair T016C has been updated from 6.4 hours to 6.9 hours. SRT codes updated in PRWS Claim Coding Table: B25-17A for 6.9 hours created to replace all other codes. 26-040: Warranty section updated to include 0.5 hours fo

11010926

Date: 2024-11-22. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.

Info Only Unnecessary starter replacements can result from customer complaints regarding engine starting issues. A new Starter Troubleshooting Guide has been created to provide a comprehensive list of starting system checks, which should reduce unnecessary starter replacements and associated warran

11010896

Date: 2024-11-11. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

Fix-As-Fail The window switch fails prematurely due to excessive amperage flowing through the window switch circuit. A new door harness design has been developed to prevent failures. Fix-As-Fail start date is 11/11/2024.

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
3891

Same model, other years

All model years | All Peterbilt models

Other Peterbilt models, 2017

Sources

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