2009 Kenworth T800 Recall

On certain trucks, the welds that attach the trailer hitch may crack due to improper welding. As a result, the hitch could detach from the truck while towing a trailer. Note: This recall only affects certain trucks with trailer hitches installed by Commercial Truck Equipment.

A trailer that detaches from a truck could create a risk of a crash.

Commercial Truck Equipment will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your truck to a dealer to inspect the trailer hitch and repair or replace it, as necessary. You should stop using the trailer hitch until the inspection and repair have been completed.

On certain trucks, the warning light for the tractor anti-lock brake system (ABS) may not turn on if the system loses power. If this happens, the driver will not get warning that the ABS is not working properly. Note: This problem would also cause the traction control (TC) and electronic stability control (ESC) lights not to turn on.

If a driver is not warned that the ABS is not working properly, there could be an increased risk of a crash.

PACCAR will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your truck to a dealer to update the software for the cab control module (CECU).

On certain trucks equipped with a Caterpillar C15 diesel engine, the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) combustion tube may fail. This could result in a vehicle fire causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the DPF combustion tube.

A failure of this component (engine) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles equipped with a PACCAR MX engine, the oil module centrifugal spinner filter cap may become loose, possibly allowing the cap to come off and engine oil to partially discharge from the oil module onto nearby exhaust components. The discharge of engine oil onto hot exhaust components could result in a fire causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will re-torque the oil module filter cap and install a secondary retention device on the secondary centrifugal spinner filter cap.

A failure of this component (engine) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles equipped with the AG400L suspension and air disc brakes, a caliper could be installed on the wrong side of the drive axle. This could cause interference with the suspension bracket and U-bolts as the outermost brake pads wear and the floating caliper moves inboard. As this interference gets larger, it prohibits the movement of the floating caliper, subsequently reducing the outer pad's pressure on the disc which can eventually lead to reduced braking performance and increasing the risk of a crash. Correction: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace one drive axle brake caliper.

A failure of this component (brakes) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain trucks, the weld around the steering shaft tube, which joins the splined tube to the non-splined intermediate tube, may be mislocated. An improperly located weld bead may allow the splined tube and non-splined tube to rotate relative one another during a low speed, high torque turn, resulting in a possible separation of the tubes. This could cause a loss of steering control which could result in a crash causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the steering shaft.

A failure of this component (steering) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

Certain vehicles may suffer cracking of various brake assembly components (i.e. brake cam tube mounting flanges, brake air chamber bracket, brake air chamber, brake spider). Over time, this cracking can cause a complete fracture of the cam tube, which could increase stopping distances and decrease parking brake hold capability. A reduction of braking capability could increase the risk of a crash causing property damage, personal injury or death. Correction: Dealers will inspect the rear axle brake assembly, replace cracked rear axle brake components where required, and install cam tube support brackets on all rear axle wheel ends.

A failure of this component (brakes) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain trucks, the rear axle u-bolts may have received insufficient tightening torque during vehicle assembly. This could allow the u-bolts to loosen over time, which may cause vibration in the rear suspension. If multiple fasteners were to become loose, the U-bolt holding the axle may lose clamp load and the rear axle may shift relative to the rear suspension drive beam, which might result in a crash causing personal injury or death. Correction: Dealers will tighten the axle u-bolts.

A failure of this component (suspension) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

The emergency vehicle applications that are subject of this recall are designed with a dash-mounted switch that enables the vehicle operator to inhibit the aftertreatment diesel particulate filter regeneration in environments where the operator believes it may be unsafe for elevated exhaust temperatures. Due to an issue with the logic in the Electronic Control Module (ECM) software in certain vehicles, the switch may not function correctly, leading the operator to believe that the switch is in "inhibit" mode when, in fact, it is not. As a consequence, the operator may unknowingly permit hot exhaust gases to exit the vehicle tailpipe, increase the risk of melting or burning of nearby surfaces, or a fire, causing property damage, personal injury or death. Correction: Cummins dealers will upgrade the ECM software.

A failure of this component (emissions) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles, an incorrect weld on the steering shaft tube assembly may allow the splined tube and the non-splined tube to rotate relative to one another during a low speed, high torque turn, possibly resulting in a separation of the two tubes. This could result in a loss of steering control and a crash cause property damage, personal injury or death. Correction: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the steering shaft assembly.

A failure of this component (steering) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles, the brake spider mounting fasteners attaching the brake spider to the front steer axle flange may have received insufficient torque during vehicle assembly. This could cause the brake spider fasteners and brake spider to become loose. If undetected, this could allow the fasteners to shear and fall either onto the roadway or into the drum brake assembly, allowing the brake to bind. Extended stopping distances may result in a vehicle crash causing property damage, personal injury or death. Correction: Dealers will inspect the brake spider fastener torque. If a defect is found, the brake spider mounting fasteners will be replaced.

A failure of this component (brakes) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles, the caliper mounting fasteners attaching the air disc brake caliper assembly to the torque plate may have received insufficient tightening torque during the assembly process. Insufficient torque may allow the caliper mounting fasteners and/or the caliper itself to become loose. This could cause the brake on the affected wheel end to become inoperable. Extended stopping distance could result in a vehicle crash causing property damage, personal injury or death. Correction: Dealers will replace caliper mounting fasteners and inspect the caliper assembly.

A failure of this component (brakes) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

Certain vehicle configuration which includes an AG400 rear suspension, long stroke brake chambers, and wide base tires may develop an increase in lateral and vertical axle movement. This movement may cause part or parts of the brake assembly to develop fatigue cracks, possibly resulting in the failure of part or parts within the brake assembly. A failure may reduce vehicle brake performance, increasing the risk of a crash causing personal injury or death. Correction: Dealers will affect repairs.

A failure of this component (suspension) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain trucks equipped with a Caterpillar C9 diesel engine, the fuel pump outlet check plug may crack and cause fuel to spray and leak from the fuel pump which may create a fire hazard. Correction: Caterpillar dealers will replace the fuel pump plugs.

A failure of this component (fuel system) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain trucks, the inadequate stiffness of the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) bracket could result in the separation of the DPF from the chassis, which could result in personal injuries or death to motorists or bystanders. Correction: Caterpillar dealers will replace bracket as necessary.

A failure of this component (other) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain trucks, the rear axle u-bolts may have received insufficient tightening torque during vehicle assembly. This could allow the u-bolts to loosen over time, which may cause vibration in the rear suspension. If multiple fasteners were to become loose, the U-bolt holding the axle may lose clamp load and the rear axle may shift relative to the rear suspension drive beam, which might result in a crash causing personal injury or death. Correction: Dealers will tighten the axle u-bolts.

A failure of this component (suspension) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

Certain vehicles may have been assembled with an incorrectly manufactured Bendix MV-3 dash control valve. If the double check valve becomes lodged, in the event of a primary reservoir failure, air pressure can leak past the lodged valve, thereby depleting the secondary reservoir, causing a reduced ability for modulating the emergency brakes. Extended stopping distances may result in a vehicle crash, causing property damage, and/or personal injury or death. Correction: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the dash control valve.

A failure of this component (brakes) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).