BELLEVUE, Wash. – PACCAR has indicated to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) it would recall certain model-year 2021-2024 heavy-duty trucks which might have an issue with their brake pedals that could lead to a driver’s inability to operate the service brakes.
The 8,008 trucks covered by this recall are: 2021-24 Kenworth T280; 2021-24 Kenworth T380; 2021-24 Kenworth T480; 2021-24 Peterbilt Model 536; 2021-24 Peterbilt Model 537, and 2021-24 Peterbilt Model 548 trucks. All were produced between July 2020 and January 2023 when the production condition was corrected (commencing with trucks built after January 17th).
According to NHTSA Part 573 Safety Recall Report 23V-087, “The pedal plunger that connects the brake pedal to the brake valve, may become disconnected or jammed, while the pedal is fully depressed and released extremely rapidly (side slip foot brake release).”
This safety risk this may cause, according to NHTSA, is, “The plunger becoming disconnected or jammed in the supplier brake pedal assembly may result in the driver being unable to apply the service brakes, which may increase the risk of a crash.”
The report described the cause of the issue “Adjustment of the gap between the travel limit stop and the brake pedal may be excessive, allowing the plunger to become disconnected or jammed,” but did not indicate a specific remedy has been designed or implemented.
Dealers are scheduled to receive notification of the recall by March 15th, while owners are scheduled to be notified by April 16th.
