RoadVitals

2022 Peterbilt 389

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

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.
4
Latest Aug 25, 2026
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
7
Latest Dec 9, 2024
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
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.
0

Overview

Our database contains 4 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2022 Peterbilt 389, most frequently naming the brakes, driver assistance and electrical categories. 7 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 65 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Brakes116.7%
  • Driver assistance116.7%
  • Electrical116.7%
  • Steering116.7%
  • Suspension116.7%
  • Tires & wheels116.7%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

7 campaigns cover this model year

View all 7

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
24V915000

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE; SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE

Dec 9, 2024
220,764 units potentially affected
The defect: PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Peterbilt and Kenworth vehicles, equipped with Bendix EC80 Advanced Electronic Control Units (ECU). Please see the recall report for a complete list of models. Electrical noise and low signal to the power line carrier may cause the ECU to incorrectly process commands or stop functioning.
The risk: Safety systems that depend on the ECU (Automatic Traction Control, ABS, Electronic Stability Control, Active Cruise Control, and Collison Mitigation System) may not function properly or at all, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will reprogram the ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 3, 2025. Owners may contact Kenworth's customer service at 1-425-828-5888 and Peterbilt's customer service at 1-940-591-4220. PACCAR's numbers for this recall are 24KWL and 24PBL.
PACCAR IncorporatedManufacturer number 24KWL 24PBLView on NHTSA.gov
24V190000

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT

Mar 20, 2024
70,509 units potentially affected
The defect: PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Peterbilt 365, 367, 389, 535, 536, 537, 548, 567, 579, and 2021-2025 Kenworth T180, T280, T380, T480, T680, T880 and W990 trucks. The right-hand gear shifter stalk connectors may have been improperly crimped, resulting in a loss of communication.
The risk: A loss of communication between the gear shifter and the transmission may result in the vehicle becoming disabled after coming to a stop, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the gear shifter assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed December 15, 2025, then phased after that. Owners may contact Kenworth customer service at 1-425-828-5888 or Peterbilt customer service at 1-940-591-4220. PACCAR's numbers for this recall are 24PBE and 24KWE.
PACCAR IncorporatedManufacturer number 24PBE/24KWEView on NHTSA.gov
22V779000

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

Oct 17, 2022
74,730 units potentially affected
The defect: PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Kenworth T680, T880, W990, and Peterbilt 365, 367, 389, 567, and 579 vehicles. The digital display may freeze and not display critical safety information. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 101, "Control and Displays" and 102, "Trans Shift Lever Seq/Starter Interlock/Trans Braking Effect."
The risk: The loss of display information, such as vehicle speed and warning lights, can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will update the software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 16, 2022. Owners may contact Kenworth's customer service at 1-425-828-5888 and Peterbilt's customer service at 1-940-591-4220. PACCAR's numbers for this recall are 22KWK and 22PBK.
PACCAR IncorporatedManufacturer number 22KWK and 22PBKView on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Brakes
Filed Aug 25, 2026

OEM pressed-on cast iron/stamped rings fail prematurely due to regional rust jacking, disabling the vehicle's ABS. Explicitly mention that the current design creates a systemic safety risk in cold-weather states and that a recall mandating corrosion-resistant materials (like stainless steel) is required. This cost thousands of dollars to repair and only lasts 2-3 years. Almost everyone I know with these trucks have experienced this problem. Peterbilt is highly aware of the situation, but they refuse rectify it because it only affects cold weather states.

NHTSA ID
11759348
Incident
Sep 22, 2025
Tires & wheels
Filed Sep 30, 2025

The contact owns a 2022 Peterbilt 389 equipped with Goodyear Tires, Tire Line: Marathon LHS, Tire Size: 11R22.5, DOT Number: 1MY3TTYBW0324. The tires had been replaced prior to the failure. While driving, the driver's side front tires had a blowout. The local dealer was contacted, where it was diagnosed that the tread had separated. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and declined the claim. The manufacturer stated that the tires were either underinflated or overinflated. The tires were sent for X-ray. The contact stated that the vehicle carried propane fuel, and the air pressure was set at 110. The tire failure mileage was 37,000. The vehicle failure mileage was approximately 439 087.

NHTSA ID
11690581
Incident
Jul 1, 2025
Mileage
439,087 mi
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Apr 6, 2023

Digital dash/display and the whole cluster freezes while driving. The recall 22v-779 update was done on the truck 4 weeks ago and it still have the same issue.

NHTSA ID
11515741
Incident
Apr 6, 2023
SteeringSuspension
Filed Mar 15, 2023

Whenever the truck goes over mildly rough road the steering wheel shakes and the tires follow the ruts of the road . When this happens steering wheel jerks out of hand and have to be overcorrected to keep in lane . With the shaking of steering wheel the steering wheel itself came loose one time and was repaired by peterbilt by applying locktite to the bolt.truck have been to peterbilt dealership 4 time and the problem still persists. According to them its normal for a class 8 truck to do this. This is a big safety issue as the truck can loose control really easily Truck was brought brand new and the issue showed up at 10,000 miles. I have video of the issue that i can share which was recorded after peterbilt failed to repair it 4 times and called it a normal steering of a class 8 truck.

NHTSA ID
11512083
Incident
Mar 20, 2022

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

E343

ENGINE

An exhaust manifold slip joint seal kit is now available for EPA 2017-2024 PACCAR MX-13 engines.

43-088

ENGINE

The procedure has been updated to include additional steps for verifying the software level on the vehicle electronic control unit (VECU2) and digital display (DD). Steps have also been added to the PACCAR Common Rail Injection 2 (PCI2) software verification.

24KWL/PBL

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

The verbiage in the Introduction section has been updated.

E316

ENGINE

235 chassis have been removed from the chassis list and unflagged in PRWS due to expiration of applicable warranty coverage. 5 chassis have been added to the chassis list. The total chassis population is now 15,637.

43-088

ENGINE

This optional software update is now available for chassis equipped with EMY 2021B-2023 PACCAR MX-11 and MX-13 engines. This update provides customers with additional time to service their trucks before a DEF-related derate occurs. The software is being offered to customers in alignment with recently updated regulatory agency guidance.

E316

ENGINE

The Condition, Chassis Affected, Service Action, Warranty, and Procedure sections have been updated to include the latest prognostics bulletin verbiage.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Peterbilt 389 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2025020—
2024250—
2023060—
2022Viewing470—
2021160—
2020050—
2019362—
2018062—
2017172—
2016081—
20157101—
2014170—
2013080—
2012190—
2011070—
2010070—
20090121—
20083122—
2007051—
2006020—
2005010—
2004010—

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.