CSR

Kenworth · NHTSA safety record

2019 Kenworth T680

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

8

Complaints

0

Crashes

2

Fires

1

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2019 Kenworth T680 have filed 8 safety complaints with NHTSA between January 2019 and January 2025. The most complained-about system is the brakes, named in 3 of them (38%). The typical failure was reported at 222,500 miles, the median across the 4 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 8 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (8)

SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:SUPPLY:RESERVOIR/TANK

24V145000 · February 23, 2024

The defect
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2009-2021 Kenworth C500, 2012-2021 Kenworth T440, 2009-2015 Kenworth T660, 2015-2024 Kenworth T680, 2009-2024 Kenworth T800, 2009-2020 Kenworth T370, 2014-2023 Kenworth T880, 2011-2016 Kenworth T470, 2023 Kenworth T480, and 2009-2019 Kenworth W900 vehicles. The air tanks have an insufficient volume of air for the brake system. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 121, "Air Brake Systems."
The risk
Insufficient air volume can reduce braking performance and increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will install the correct volume air tanks, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 12, 2024. Additional owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2025. Owners may contact PACCAR customer service at 1-425-828-5888. PACCAR's number for this recall is 24KWD.

PACCAR Incorporated · up to 936 vehicles across all model years covered

STEERING:CRITICAL FASTENERS

22V277000 · April 25, 2022

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

PACCAR Incorporated · up to 17,641 vehicles across all model years covered

SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK

20V593000 · September 28, 2020

The defect
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2016-2021 Kenworth T680 trucks equipped with a 2.1m Cab and WABCO 6S/6M ABS brake system with drum brakes. The brake systems were manufactured with a standard rear-brake ABS modulator valve instead of a quick release valve, which may exceed the intended service-brake release timing. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 121, "Air Brake Systems."
The risk
Longer than expected service-brake release timing may lengthen vehicle stopping distance, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
PACCAR will notify owners, and dealers will replace the standard rear-brake, ABS modulator valve with a quick release valve, free of charge. The recall began November 30, 2020. Owners may contact PACCAR customer service at 1-425-828-5888. PACCAR's number for this recall is 20KWD.

PACCAR Incorporated · up to 1,416 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

20V199000 · April 6, 2020

The 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 for the ABS may not illuminate to warn the driver of the loss of ABS. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 121, "Air Brake Systems," and 136, "Electronic Stability Control System on Heavy Vehicles."
The risk
If the driver unknowingly operates the vehicle without the ABS functioning, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
The 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.

PACCAR Incorporated · up to 460,515 vehicles across all model years covered

PARKING BRAKE

19V275000 · April 5, 2019

The defect
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2018-2020 T680 and T880 tandem axle vehicles equipped with a parking brake on a single axle and certain models of automated manual transmissions. During cold temperatures, the signal from the park brake pressure switch to the transmission controller may be delayed possibly resulting in the vehicle moving unexpectedly.
The risk
Unexpected vehicle movement may increase the risk of a crash or injury.
The remedy
PACCAR will notify owners and dealers will replace the park brake pressure switch, free of charge. PACCAR issued owners and interim notification on June 3, 2019. The recall began August 6, 2019. Owners may contact PACCAR customer service at 1-918-259-3258. PACCAR's number for this recall is 19KWB.

PACCAR Incorporated · up to 1,837 vehicles across all model years covered

POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY

18V931000 · December 21, 2018

The 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.
The risk
Unintended movement of a vehicle can increase the risk of a crash.
The 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.

PACCAR Incorporated · up to 25,556 vehicles across all model years covered

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

18V816000 · November 16, 2018

The defect
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Kenworth T680 and T880 and Peterbilt 579 trucks, greater than 30 feet long and equipped with side extender mounted intermediate marker lamp/turn signals that do not include a reflex reflector. Since both intermediate side marker lamps and reflex reflectors are required, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
The risk
Missing reflex reflectors can reduce the vehicle's visibility to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
PACCAR will notify owners and dealers will install reflex reflective tape, free of charge. The recall began January 15, 2019. Owners may contact PACCAR customer service at 1-918-259-3258. PACCAR's number for this recall is 18KWF, and 18PBC.

PACCAR Incorporated · up to 1,619 vehicles across all model years covered

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL

18V657000 · September 21, 2018

The 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.
The risk
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.
The 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.

PACCAR Incorporated · up to 48,896 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations (1)

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Haldex Brake Chamber Failures

PE21018

Closed preliminary evaluation · opened July 16, 2021 · closed October 10, 2025

the parking brake

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation (PE21018) based on eleven Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ). These VOQs included seven wheel-end fires on various Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks.Several of the VOQs were submitted by a maintenance facility stating that the fires were due to power spring fractures within brake chambers manufactured by Haldex Commercial Vehicle Systems (Haldex). According to the reports, the fractured spring punctured the brake chamber diaphragm, resulting in a partial loss of compressed air to the park brakes, causing the brakes to drag and overheat. ODI sent an information request letter to Haldex on August 3, 2021. On October 17, 2021, Haldex submitted a complete response. In this investigation, ODI analyzed thousands of warranty claims as well as fleet reports of brake chamber replacements. ODI gathered information from multiple vehicle manufacturers and reviewed legal testimony alleging defects and laboratory reports that raised concerns about spring failures initiated by corrosion. ODI found that spring failures were often detectable as soon as they occurred. In the subject incidents, after detecting the failures, some operators continued driving to a maintenance facility rather than stopping and waiting for a mobile technician to address the issue, increasing the risk of fire. While over twenty entities purchased the subject component from Haldex, the VOQs that ODI received involved only PACCAR vehicles. Haldex completed replacement campaigns for several fleets operating PACCAR vehicles, reducing the risk of further failures. Brake chambers have a limited service life. Industry guidance generally recommends replacement every two to four years depending on operating conditions, with some manufacturers and fleets recommending even shorter intervals. Vehicles operating in salt-belt states—where the majority of VOQs originated—require more frequent replacement than vehicles in less corrosive environments. Haldex’s standard warranty is four years and unlimited mileage. ODI determined that the average time in service for warranty claims was 4.9 years and 260,000 miles. Currently, all of the chambers subject to this investigation are between five and ten years old. Given the absence of recent failures and because the subject components are now older than their expected service life, ODI is closing this investigation. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 8.

SERVICE BRAKES 3 38%
POWER TRAIN 2 25%
STRUCTURE 2 25%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 25%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 13%
ENGINE 1 13%
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL 1 13%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 13%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2019 at 2.

2019 2025
2019 to 2025

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

STRUCTURE:BODY

1 injured · 40 miles

MY FATHER WAS FUELING THIS BRAND NEW TRUCK WITH CNG (COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS) WHEN ONE OF THE TANKS EXPLODED. THE TRUCK WAS STATIONARY AT THE ANG (AMERICAN NATURAL GAS) STATION IN BUTTONWILLOW CALIFORNIA AT THE INTERSECTION OF INTERSTATE 5 AND HWY 58. MY FATHER IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION AT THE ICU IN UCLA WITH MULTIPLE BROKE BONES AS WELL AS BLEEDING AND SWELLING ON HIS BRAIN. I HAVE ATTACHED A PHOTO OF THE TRUCK.

NHTSA complaint 11164528. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

fire · towed

We have under hood fire during operating the truck. The driver was driving in TX. The police and fire department need to be involved to extinguish the fire. The truck need to be towed to terminal. The two dealers were doing estimate and the try to look up the causes of the fire, but is seems they not able to find it. We asked some privet mechanics and they think that fire could start from starter. The truck is 2019 T680 455,972 miles with engine Paccar MX-13. The truck is available fot inspection.

NHTSA complaint 11544747. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

fire · 200,000 miles

UNIT DRIVING DOWN ROAD AND BRAKE CHAMBER FAILED CAUSING BRAKES TO SLOWLY APPLY WITHOUT OPERATOR BEING AWARE UNTIL SEEN SMOKE COMING FROM DRIVE AXLE BRAKES. THE LOW AIR PRESSURE LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE, STAYED HIGH ENOUGH NOT TO ILLUMINATE A LOW AIR WARNING. 2 INDEPENDENT FIRE INSPECTIONS PROVED THIS WAS A HALDEX BRAKE CHAMBER FAILURE. THE CHAMBER WAS INSPECTED AND FOUND IT IS IN THE RANGE WHERE HALDEX HAD MANUFACTURING DEFECTS OF THE POWER COIL IN THE PARKING CHAMBER, HALDEX CONFIRMED THEY HAVE AN ISSUE WITH THE 3030 CHAMBER, AND NOT ISSUING A RECALL EVEN THOUGH PUBLIC SAFETY AS RISK. SPRING BRAKE BROKE AND PUNCTURED THE RUBBER DIAPHRAGM CAUSING THE DRIVER TO LOOSE CONTROL OF THE BRAKING

NHTSA complaint 11355468, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
When I was driving on the highway the transmission fault error came on and my truck came to a stop on on the highway. It changed gears weirdly and kept the rpm’s high. Once it came to a stop I turned the truck off and on and it work fine. This has happened multiple times and a nationwide failure of the MTM and transmission is the cause of this. Many of my fellow drivers are having this same issues and are having to replace the whole transmission due to the MTM failing and destroying the transmission.

NHTSA complaint 11639536. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
The Eaton 12 speeds that these trucks come equipped with are failing just after the warranty expires. Lots of drivers with the same problem.

NHTSA complaint 11630873. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

432,549 miles

The contact owns a 2019 Kenworth T680. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, there was an abnormal popping noise detected and the vehicle decelerated and the fuel system detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the pump bolt had fractured. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 432,549.

NHTSA complaint 11469311. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

245,000 miles

AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THE COLLISION MITIGATION SYSTEM WILL GO OFF FOR NO REASON CAUSING A SUDDEN HARD BRAKING. THIS SEEMS TO BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IF VEHICLE IS TRAVELING ON WET OR ICY ROADS, IN CLOSE QUARTER CONSTRUCTION ZONES OR IF VEHICLE HAPPENS TO BE IN A TURN. UNFORTUNATELY IF ANOTHER VEHICLE WAS FOLLOWING TOO CLOSE WOULD BE AN ACCIDENT, WHICH I HAVE HEARD HAS HAPPENED. I HAVE TAKEN TRUCK TO KENWORTH SERVICE TWICE AND THEY SAID THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. IT IS A REQUIRED SYSTEM AND ARE JUST VERY SENSITIVE. I SEE NOTHING GOOD ABOUT THIS SYSTEM. WHEN I COME UPON AN ACTUAL HAZARD IT DOESN'T GO OFF. IT IS STRESSFUL TO DRIVE AND WONDER AT ANY GIVEN TIME IF THE HARD BREAK AND LIGHTS ARE

NHTSA complaint 11339638, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Kenworth T680

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2023 9 9
2020 8 7
2018 11 14
2017 9 10
2015 8 11
2014 10 13

Every Kenworth on this site — 7 vehicles, 224 recall campaigns and 0 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst