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2021 Peterbilt 389 Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
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Latest Nov 12, 2025
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
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Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
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What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2021 Peterbilt 389, 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

  • Electrical1100.0%

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

Electrical

Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2021 Peterbilt 389. The contact stated that while attempting to restart the vehicle after running out of diesel, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The contact stated that while restarting the vehicle, the fuel filters needed to be refilled with diesel. The contact stated that whenever a trailer was serviced, the date and mileage were written on the filters. The contact stated that the mileage was significantly higher as written on the filter than what was written on the sales contract and shown on the odometer. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 411,000, and while refilling the fuel filters, the mileage was 671,000.

NHTSA ID 11698892 · filed Nov 12, 2025

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

Data on this page last refreshed .