2013 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 2013 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
A DRIVER PURCHASED THIS TRUCK USED IN NOVEMBER OF 2017, BUT WE STEARMAN TRANSPORTATION NOW HOLDS TITLE TO VIN # , ORIGINAL CUMMINS ENGINE SERIAL # AND CURRENT CUMMINS RECON ENGINE SERIAL # .TRUCK HAS SPENT MORE TIME IN SHOP THAN ON ROAD SINCE PURCHASE. TAKEN TO [XXX] COMPLAINING OF A TICKING NOISE COMING FROM ENGINE WHERE REPAIR SHOP VERIFIED COMPLAINT BY REMOVING VALVE COVER AND FOUND THAT THE CAM WAS PITTED AS WELL AS THE ROCKER ARM ROLLERS. FOUND TAPPETS PITTED. FOUND OIL CONTAMINATED WITH FINE COPPER AND METAL PARTICLES.FOUND BEARINGS FOR THE MAINS SCRATCHED AND FIRST LAYER GONE AND COPPER LAYER ON THE CRANK SCRATCHED. TOLD BY [XXX] THAT CUMMINS TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 5411180 EXPLAINS PROBLEMS. TOLD CRANKSHAFT COULD NOT BE REUSED. ALL OTHER COMPONENTS DAMAGED AS RESULT OF OIL CONTAMINATION. POSSIBLE CARBON PACKING ON PISTON, TIMING GEARS BUSHINGS AND SHAFT, OIL COOLER, HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP AND TURBO CHARGER REPLACED RECENTLY. BASED ON REC WE HAD TO REPLACE AS TOLD OUR ONLY OPTION BECAUSE "THE OLD STYLE FUEL PUMP IT HAS CERAMIC PLUNGERS WHICH EVENTUALLY BRAKE OFF AND GET INTO THE OIL SYSTEM AS WELL AS THE TAPPETS WHICH WERE SOFTER IN MATERIAL BUT THEN LATER UPDATED TO DIAMOND COATED IF THE OLD STYLE WAS NOT REPLACED THIS COULD CAUSE SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO ENGINE EVENTUALLY CAUSING TO HAVE THE WHOLE ENGINE REPLACED." TRIED TO GET CUMMINS TSB 541180 WITHOUT SUCCESS FROM SELLER, CUMMINS OR [XXX] W/OUT SUCCESS. STILL HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE TRUCK EVEN AFTER PUTTING IN A CUMMINS RECON ENGINE. WE HAVE SPENT OVER $80K AT LEAST IN REPAIRS SINCE PURCHASING THE TRUCK IN NOVEMBER 2017. PLEASE AT YOUR EARLIEST CONVENIENCE TELL US IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS ON THIS TRUCK OR ITS PARTS AND PROVIDE US WITH CUMMINS TSB 5411180. ALL PROBLEMS HAVE OCCURRED WHILE THE TRUCK IS IN MOTION ON HIGHWAY. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
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 .