The Used Car Index

2018 Peterbilt 389 problems

No complaints are listed for the 2018 Peterbilt 389. NHTSA's API and bulk file list none in this build.

Data build 2026-10-07.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as PETERBILT 389.

At a glance

Complaints
0
With crash
0
With fire
0
With injury (complaints)
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
0
Recalls
6
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
460,515
Investigations
2
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
52

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

Model-generated complaint tags: No complaints are listed for tagging.

Recalls

6 recalls.

22V277000

Date: 2022-04-25. Systems: STEERING.

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.

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

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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

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.

18V931000

Date: 2018-12-21. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

Defect: PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Peterbilt 337, 348, 365, 367, 389, 567, 579 and 587 trucks and 2018-2019 Kenworth C500, T270, T370, T440, T660, T680, T800, T880 and W900 trucks equipped with automated manual transmissions. An internal component in the clutch assembly may fail, possibly resulting in unintended vehicle movement.

Consequence: Unintended movement of a vehicle can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: PACCAR will notify owners, and dealers will update the transmission control module, free of charge. The recall began February 23, 2019. Owners may contact PACCAR customer service at 1-940-591-4220. PACCAR's numbers for this recall are 18PBE and 18KWH.

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.

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

52 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM14
ENGINE10
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING10
EQUIPMENT9
POWER TRAIN6
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY5
STRUCTURE4
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR3

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.
  • NHTSA's complaints API and bulk file list no complaint for this make, model and model year in this data build.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
3890

Same model, other years

All model years | All Peterbilt models

Other Peterbilt models, 2018

Sources

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