RoadVitals

2025 Peterbilt 535

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

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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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.
3
Latest Jun 26, 2025
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.
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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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Overview

Our database contains no NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2025 Peterbilt 535. 3 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 12 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.

Safety recalls

3 campaigns cover this model year

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
25V436000

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE

Jun 26, 2025
56,260 units potentially affected
The defect: PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2024-2026 Kenworth T480, T680, T880, W990, Peterbilt 520, 536, 537, 548, 567, 579, 589, 2025 Kenworth T180, Peterbilt 535, 2025-2026 Kenworth T280, T380 and L770 vehicles. The tail brake light, upper and lower beam headlights, reverse light, and turn signal may not illuminate as intended. In addition, the lift axles, if lowered, may revert to a raised position, or oscillate up and down when the signal warning lights are activated. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices and Associated Equipment."
The risk: Delayed and unsteady headlights can result in insufficient illumination of the road, decreasing the driver's visibility and increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, an unexpected position change of the lift axles may increase the risk of injury.
The remedy: Dealers will update the VCU software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed August 19, 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 number for this recall is 25PACF.
PACCAR IncorporatedManufacturer number 25PACFView on NHTSA.gov
25V041000

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL; EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HAZARD FLASHING WARNING LIGHTS:SWITCH; EXTERIOR LIGHTING:LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE

Jan 29, 2025
5,378 units potentially affected
The defect: PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2025 Kenworth T180, Peterbilt 535, 567, 2025-2026 Kenworth T280, 2023-2026 Kenworth T380, 2024-2026 Kenworth T480, 2024-2026 Peterbilt 536, 537, and 548 trucks. The exterior lighting switch may fail, resulting in the hazard lights and the instrument display back-light brightness adjustment not functioning. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 101, "Control and Displays" and 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices and Associated Equipment."
The risk: Inoperative hazard lights cannot alert other drivers as intended. In addition, the inability to adjust the brightness on the instrument panel display can make it difficult to see critical safety information or distract the driver. Both scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will update the vehicle cab controller unit (VECU) software, free of charge. Owners are advised that a non-responsive switch can be temporarily reset by a key cycle. Owner notification letters were mailed March 26, 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 25KWB and 25PBB.
PACCAR IncorporatedManufacturer number 25KWB 25PBBView on NHTSA.gov
24V044000

STEERING

Jan 25, 2024
45,887 units potentially affected
The defect: PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Kenworth T280, T380, T480, T680, T880, L770, W990, and 2024-2025 Peterbilt 389, 520, 535, 536, 537, 548, 567, 579, 589 trucks. The steering gear assemblies may have been assembled incorrectly with fewer recirculating balls than are required, which may result in a loss of steering control.
The risk: A loss of steering control increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the steering gears as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 20, 2024. Owners may contact Peterbilt customer service at 1-940-591-4220 and/or Kenworth customer service at 1-425-828-5888. PACCAR's numbers for this recall are 24PBC and 24KWC.
PACCAR IncorporatedManufacturer number 24PBC and 24KWCView on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

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

No owner complaints recorded for this model year

Either none have been filed with NHTSA, or this vehicle is too new for reports to have accumulated.

Manufacturer communications

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

43-080

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

"KW: A new recommended repair has been added to verify the software level and close the campaign in SIR.The repair procedure has been updated with additional note boxes for clear instructions. PB: The repair procedure has been updated with additional note boxes for clear instructions."

02-177

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Troubleshooting procedures for 2.1m cab power windows are now available.

25PACF

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Parts and procedures are now available for all affected chassis equipped with Vehicle Electronic Control Unit (VECU) part number Q21-1157-013-011 / Q21-1157-013-013 / Q21-1157-002-002 / Q21-1157-004-004 / Q21-1157-006-006 / Q21-1157-009-009. See attached Parts Matrix for required parts per chassis.

25KWB/25PBB

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; EXTERIOR LIGHTING

A new Recommended Repair has been added. It must be used if safety recall 25PACF is performed prior to or at the same time as this repair since the 25PACF remedy also satisfies this safety recall.

25PACF

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Procedures are now available for Phase 1 chassis equipped with Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) and Vehicle Electronic Control Unit (VECU) part number Q21-1157-013-011 / Q21-1157-013-013. Parts and procedures for Phase 2 chassis will be available at a later date. This bulletin will be updated at that time. Please refer to the condition section for more details. Certain Ethernet Multiplexed Architecture (EMUX) chassis fail to conform to Federal and Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS/CMVSS) No. 108. Delayed or unsteady illumination of the vehicle’s stop lamps, reverse lamps, turn signal lamps and inadvertent change in headlamp illumination or lift axle position may"

43-080 PB

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

As of 03/25/2025, this campaign has resumed. Software updates are now available to complete this campaign.

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 535 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2025Viewing030—
2024040—
2023040—
2022020—
2021010—

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.