Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2004 Kenworth T800, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Electrical system1
- Vehicle speed control1
- Unknown or other1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 1 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 6 2004 T800 vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 2 people died inside them, and 1 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2004 Kenworth T800 failed the safety check 0.55% of the time — 75% less often than the average 2004 passenger car (2.21%). Median odometer at inspection: 240,550 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Recalls in Canada
11 Transport Canada recalls for the 2004 Kenworth T800.
| 2009314 29 Oct 2009 | Brakes Certain vehicles may suffer cracking of various brake assembly components (i.e. brake cam tube mounting flanges, brake air chamber bracket, brake air chamber, b… |
| 2009247 19 Aug 2009 | Engine On certain vehicles equipped with a Caterpillar C15 engine, the Variable Valve Actuation (VVA) oil line may wear against the P-clip retaining the oil line. An … |
| 2008358 1 Oct 2008 | Suspension Certain vehicle configuration which includes an AG400 rear suspension, long stroke brake chambers, and wide base tires may develop an increase in lateral and ve… |
| 2007112 10 Apr 2007 | Powertrain On certain trucks, the wiring, parts, or transmission programming required for the auto neutral feature to function as designed were either not installed, conne… |
| 2005402 22 Dec 2005 | Engine On certain vehicles equipped with a Caterpillar engine, the Variable Valve Actuation oil line (VVA line) used on 6 cylinder, 15L turbocharged and air-to-air aft… |
| 2005127 29 Apr 2005 | Suspension On certain vehicles, the rear suspension transverse beam castings were not made to specifications. If a casting were to break when the vehicle is in motion, pa… |
| 2005069 24 Mar 2005 | Heater And Defroster On certain vehicles, burner tubes in the Webasto DBW 2010 Scholastic coolant heater may begin deteriorating at an accelerated rate and could fail. Burner tube … |
| 2004379 25 Oct 2004 | Structure On certain vehicles, the huck bolts used in the cab sub-assembly involving the door aperture and rear cab pillar was not properly installed. Under extreme load… |
| 2004332 14 Sept 2004 | Powertrain On certain vehicles, the U-joint fasteners at the output yoke of the transmission were not properly torqued during assembly. If the U-joints were to become loo… |
| 2004260 21 Jul 2004 | Electrical On certain vehicles, a potential chaffing point may exist between a heat shield on the engine and the wiring for the alternator. The interference is only prese… |
| 2004247 15 Jul 2004 | Label Certain vehicles do not comply with the requirements of CMVSS 120. The vehicle tire pressure was omitted from the certification label. Correction: Dealers wi… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
KENWORTH IS RECALLING 3,423 MY 2004-2009 T2000, T800,T600, W900 AND T660 VEHICLES. INCREASED BRAKE EXCITATION IN A CERTAIN VEHICLE CONFIGURATION WHICH INCLUDES BENDIX DRUM BRAKES, WIDE BASE LOW PROFILE SINGLE TIRES, AND AN AG400 OR AG460 REAR SUSPENSION, DUE TO ITS UNIQUE BRAKE CLOCKING AND CAM TUBE LENGTH, CAN CAUSE FATIGUE AND CRACKING TO BRAKE ASSEMBLY COMPONENTS.
PACCAR IS RECALLING 130 MY 2004-2009 T2000, T800, T600, W900 AND T660 KENWORTH TRUCKS BUILT WITH AN AG400 REAR SUSPENSION, LONG STROKE BRAKE CHAMBERS, AND WIDE BASE TIRES (SUPER SINGLES). THESE VEHICLES MAY DEVELOP AN INCREASE IN LATERAL AND VERTICAL AXLE MOVEMENT. THIS MOVEMENT MAY CAUSE PART OR PARTS OF THE BRAKE ASSEMBLY (BRAKE CAM TUBE SUPPORT, BRAKE CHAMBER BRACKET, BRAKE CHAMBER, BRAKE SPIDER) TO DEVELOP FATIGUE CRACKS, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN THE FAILURE OF THE PART OR PARTS WITHIN THE BRAKE ASSEMBLY.
ON CERTAIN TRUCKS, THE WIRING, PARTS, OR TRANSMISSION PROGRAMMING REQUIRED FOR THE AUTO NEUTRAL FEATURE TO FUNCTION AS DESIGNED WERE EITHER NOT INSTALLED, CONNECTED, OR PROGRAMMED PROPERLY.
ON CERTAIN TRACTORS EQUIPPED WITH CATERPILLAR DIESEL ENGINES, THE VARIABLE VALVE ACTUATION OIL LINE MAY WEAR AGAINST THE SHARP EDGE OF THE CYLINDER HEAD IF NOT POSITIONED CORRECTLY.
ON CERTAIN HEAVY DUTY CLASS 8 TRUCKS, THE SUSPENSION HAS TRANSVERSE BEAM CASTINGS THAT MAY FRACTURE UNDER NORMAL LOADS. IF A CASTING BREAKS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS TRAVELING ON A ROADWAY THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR PIECES OF THE CASTING TO BECOME PROJECTILES AND THE SUSPENSION'S TRANSVERSE BEAM MAY DROP DOWN LOW ENOUGH TO CONTACT THE ROAD SURFACE.
ON CERTAIN TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH WEBASTO HEATERS, THE BURNER TUBES ARE MADE OF MATERIAL THAT DOES NOT MEET SPECIFICATIONS AND COULD FAIL PREMATURELY.
ON CERTAIN TRUCKS, THE POWER FEED HARNESS P92-1993 TERMINALS WERE NOT PROPERLY CRIMPED.
ON CERTAIN TRUCKS, SOME OF THE HUCK BOLTS ON THE CAB MAY NOT HAVE BEEN PROPERLY INSTALLED.
ON CERTAIN TRUCKS BUILT WITH THE OPTIONAL DANA SPL DRIVELINE, THE U-JOINT FASTENERS AT THE OUTPUT YOKE OF THE TRANSMISSION WERE NOT PROPERLY TIGHTENED.
ON CERTAIN TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH A COMBINATION OF CATERPILLAR C11/C13 ENGINES AND AN OPTIONAL LEECE NEVILLE BRUSHLESS ALTERNATOR, A CHAFFING POINT MAY EXIST BETWEEN A HEAT SHIELD ON THE ENGINE AND THE WIRING FOR THE ALTERNATOR.
CERTAIN TRUCKS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 120, 'TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES OTHER THAN PASSENGER CARS.' THE TIRE PRESSURE WAS OMITTED FROM THE VEHICLE'S CERTIFICATION LABEL.
CERTAIN TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH EATON FULLER ULTRASONIC TRANSMISSIONS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 102, "TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER SEQUENCE, STARTER INTERLOCK AND TRANSMISSION BRAKING EFFECT." THE CAB TRANSMISSION HARNESS COULD HAVE BEEN INCORRECTLY WIRED DURING PRODUCTION INSTALLATION.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Kenworth told its dealers about the 2004 Kenworth T800: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 10188550 | Information Only Windshield washer pumps have a high No Trouble Found rate. Washer pumps may fail to spray due to a clogged filter. |
| 10177021 | Information Only: This bulletin provides dealers with a battery warranty quick reference guide to ensure the appropriate tests for battery warranty are performed in order to prevent battery warranty claims filed with incorrect or incomplete information. |
| 10173212 | Information Only Vehicles may have the connector seals on the wheel speed sensor incorrectly installed, which may lead to water intrusion and corrosion in some vehicles. |
| 10173205 | Information Only: Proper jump-starting voltage will eliminate high voltage related issues and equipment damage. |
| 10170199 | This SKU is a Climate Control Module. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect alignment pins and knobs. The alignment pins may be weak which cause them to break and knob material may be weak which could cause them to break. Breaking of the alignment pins or knob could prevent adjustment of the climate control system. |
| 10168703 | Information Only: This bulletin provides guidance for repairing an air-conditioning system after internal failure of the A/C compressor. |
| 10056911 | KENWORTH: SOME TRUCKS FAILED TO MEET COMPANY STANDARDS FOR AIR VOLUME LIFT AXLE AND THE COMPANY WILL INCREASE AIR VOLUME FOR WORTHWHILE IMPROVEMENT TO EXCEED GOVERNMENT FMVSS 121. MODEL T800, W900. *PE |
| 10045240 | KENWORTH: OIL COLLECTION AT CAC INTAKE PIPE IS CAUSED BY AN IMBALANCE IN TURBOCHARGER PRESSURES. MODELS T660, T800, T700, AND W900. *PE |
| 10040181 | PACCAR: ENGINEERING STANDARDS HAVE CHANGED AND THERE ARE NOW ENGINES WITH HEAT TREATED BOLTS. *RM |
| 10040180 | PACCAR: A SOFTWARE UPDATE IS CAUSING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON. *RM |
| 10032567 | KENWORTH TRUCK SERVICE CAMPAIGN: SEE DOCUMENT SEARCH BUTTON FOR OWNER LETTER. METTON HOOD REPAIR CAMPAIGN. HOOD REINFORCEMENT CHANNEL CRACKING DUE TO UNIQUE, HARSH SERVICE CONDITIONS. NOTE: CODE 02107 IS NOT AN INSTRUCTION FOR DEALERS TO INITIATE INSPECTIONS OR UNDERTAKE REPAIRS, UNLESS THERE IS A CUSTOMER COMPLAINT. OPEN CAMPAIGN CODE 02107 IN SIR SIMPLY ESTABLISHES ELIGIBILITY FOR WARRANTY. CSC LETTER WAS REC'D. *PE |
| 10028327 | KENWORTH TRUCK: AIR INTAKE FOR PRE-2007 ISM ENGINE IN T800 SHORT HOOD CHASSIS. PREMATURE ENGINE WEAR DUE TO DIRT INGESTION INVOLVING THE 2002-07 T800 SHORT HOOD (SH) MODEL WITH CUMMINS ISM ENGINE. *PE |
| 10027664 | KENWORTH TRUCKS: THE INLET PIPE CONNECTIONS FOR ISX ENGINES. THE KENWORTH AIR INLET PIPE TO THE ISX TURBO MAY BECOME DETACHED. CHASSIS AFFECTED T2000, T800, AND W900. MODEL YEARS UNKNOWN. *PE |
| 10027646 | KENWORTH TRUCKS: REDUCED ENGINE POWER FROM FUEL STARVATION. ANY MODEL KENWORTH EQUIPPED WITH THE 2007 EMISSIONS COMPLIANT ISX ENGINE AND OPTIONAL DAVCO 382 FUEL FILTER, BUILT PRIOR TO 8/11/08, *PE |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)