2005 Peterbilt 386 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2005 Peterbilt 386, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Engine1100.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 PETERBILT 386. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE FELT AS IF HE HAD BEEN DRUGGED WHENEVER HE AWOKE FROM SLEEPING IN THE VEHICLE. THE FOLLOWING DAY, WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, HE BECAME SLEEPY FOR NO APPARENT REASON. HE PURCHASED A TESTER TO TEST THE VEHICLE FOR NITRIC OXIDE AND THE LEVELS READ OVER 5,000 PPM. THE COMPANY THAT THE CONTACT WORKS FOR STATED THAT THEY NEVER HEARD OF A SEMI-TRUCK LEAKING NITRIC OXIDE. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER HAVE NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED PROPERLY. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 485,037 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 435,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .