Paccar has issued a safety recall for more than 47,000 Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks due to a critical steering gear issue, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Thursday.
The recall affects a total of 47,513 vehicles, spanning more than two dozen Kenworth and Peterbilt models.
More than 47,000 trucks affected by recent Paccar recall
The steering gears “may have been assembled incorrectly, which can cause the gears to fracture,” potentially causing a loss of steering control, the NHTSA said. Owners of these trucks can take them to a dealer for inspection and, if necessary, replacement of the steering gears, free of charge.
Paccar notified the agency of the recall on July 28, and plans to send notification letters to affected customers on Sept. 26, according to the NHTSA announcement.
It’s at least the third recall — and the second related to steering problems — that Paccar has issued for its trucks this year.
The manufacturer notified the agency in April of a separate recall for more than 17,000 trucks due to potential failures of axle steer arm fasteners, which attach the steering arm to the steering knuckle. The April recall affected more than a dozen Kenworth and Peterbilt models from 2018-2020.
In January, the NHTSA announced a recall of more than 1,000 Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks due to an error with the methane detection system, which stopped functioning when the system lost power.
Owners of the trucks recalled in August may contact Kenworth's customer service at 1-425-828-5888 and Peterbilt's customer service at 1-940-591-4220, the NHTSA said. PACCAR's numbers for this recall are 22PBE and 22KWE.
