RoadVitals

2020 Western Star 4700 Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints 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.
2
Latest Nov 10, 2025
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
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
1
Reports on file since Jan 31, 2025

What this page shows

Our database holds 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2020 Western Star 4700. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

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

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–2 of 2

BrakesDriver assistance
Filed Nov 10, 2025
1 death reported

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? - Automated emergency breaking ABS Forward collision warning, potentially others. Unsure if the vehicle is available for inspection due to insurance claim. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Collision mitigation system error. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Police and Insurance representative. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Yes, vehicle was sent to a certified manufacturer maintenance partner for active MIL/check engine lamp. Documentation of services performed describes a situation related to a fault code specifically regarding the collision mitigation system that the technicians were unable to diagnose with the tools available. Vehicle was released without any further modifications. The receipt with written detail is attached to this form.

NHTSA ID
11698636
Incident
Sep 26, 2025
ElectricalEngineSteering
Filed Jan 31, 2025

Western Star utilizes relay in master power distribution, they call PNDB. When this device is faulty it interrupts the power to engine causing truck engine to shut down. This shut down has happened with the truck fully loaded (71,000 LBS) traveling at 60 mph a couple of times. With no engine power you lose power steering. This is a very dangerous condition that I have discovered is more common than it should be. Talk to any Western Star service department. The Service Department knew exactly what the problem was and related to me this is common.

NHTSA ID
11639895
Incident
Nov 5, 2024

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.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .