Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2005 Kenworth W900, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Fuel system, diesel1
- Unknown or other1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 24 2005 W900 vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 1 person died inside them, and 3 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 2005 Kenworth W900 failed the safety check 0.66% of the time — 71% less often than the average 2005 passenger car (2.30%). Median odometer at inspection: 222,698 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Recalls in Canada
11 Transport Canada recalls for the 2005 Kenworth W900.
| 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 … |
| 2009145 20 May 2009 | Brakes On certain vehicles, the caliper mounting fasteners attaching the air disc brake caliper assembly to the torque plate may have received insufficient tightening … |
| 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… |
| 2008072 29 Feb 2008 | Brakes On certain vehicles, the slack adjuster may develop a fatigue crack and fail. This would render the slack adjuster inoperative, and reduce braking effectivenes… |
| 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… |
| 2005158 20 May 2005 | Suspension On certain vehicles, the rear suspension sway bar could fail causing the rear axle to come loose. As a result, the driver may experience a loss of vehicle cont… |
| 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 … |
| 2004432 10 Dec 2004 | Electrical On certain vehicles, the terminals on the Power Feed Harness P92-1993 were not properly crimped. The defect could lead to intermittent power loss affecting the… |
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 140 MY 2005, 2007-2009 T800, W900, AND T660 TRUCKS. THE CALIPER MOUNTING FASTENERS ATTACHING THE AIR DISC BRAKE CALIPER ASSEMBLY TO THE TORQUE PLATE MAY HAVE RECEIVED INSUFFICIENT TORQUE DURING THE INSTALLATION PROCESS. THE INSUFFICIENT TORQUE MAY ALLOW THE AIR DISC BRAKE CALIPER ASSEMBLY TO BECOME LOOSE AND POSSIBLY SEPARATE FROM THE VEHICLE.
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.
PACCAR IS RECALLING 130 MY 2005-2007 KENWORTH C500, T800, W900, AND PETERBILT MODELS 357 AND 379 TRACTOR TRAILERS EQUIPPED WITH FABCO SLACK ADJUSTERS ON SISU AXLES. THE SLACK ADJUSTERS MAY FAIL AS A RESULT OF A FATIGUE CRACK RENDERING THE SLACK ADJUSTER INOPERATIVE. THIS COULD REDUCE BRAKING EFFECTIVENESS.
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 TRUCKS AND TRACTORS EQUIPPED WITH AIRGLIDE HIGH-ARTICULATION REAR SUSPENSIONS, THE C65-1006 SWAY BAR USED IN THIS REAR SUSPENSION MAY EXPERIENCE A REDUCTION IN FATIGUE LIFE DUE TO EITHER A MANUFACTURING PROCESS OR A HIGH INDUCED STRESS DURING AN EXTREME SUSPENSION ARTICULATION EVENT.
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.
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 2005 Kenworth W900: 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 |
| 10027666 | KENWORTH CHASSIS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: SEE DOCUMENT SEARCH BUTTON FOR OWNER LETTER. CLEAN GAS INDUCTION (CGI) GASKET CAMPAIGN. CSC LETTER WAS RECEIVED. CHASSIS MODELS AFFECTED T2000, T660,T800 AND W900. MODEL YEARS 2005-08 *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 |
| 10025757 | KENWORTH SERVICE CAMPAIGN: SEE DOCUMENT SEARCH BUTTON FOR OWNER LETTER. KENWORTH (PACCAR CO): CLEAN GAS INDUCTION (CGI) FLEX PIPE INSPECTIONS. CHASSIS WITH CATERPILLAR 2007 EMISSIONS COMPLIANT ENGINES, C9, C13 OR C15, SHOULD HAVE THE CGI FLEX PIPE INSPECTED FOR DAMAGE. MODEL YEARS UNKNOWN. *PE UPDATED 1/15/09. MODEL T2000, T660, T800 AND W900; YEARS 2005-2008. *PE UPDATED 1/27/09. CSC LETTER WAS RECEIVED. *8PE |
| 10020359 | W900L HOOD RIB CRACKS. KENWORTH. *TT |
| 10020301 | STAINLESS STEEL MIRROR BRACKET - MIRROR ADJUSTMENT ANGLE CORRECTION. CUSTOMERS HAVE COMPLAINED THAT THEY CANNOT ADJUST THEIR MIRROR(S) TO THE DESIRED POSITION, EVEN AFTER ADJUSTING THE MIRROR HEAD TO THE END OF THE BRACKET SLOT(S). *TT |
| 10020257 | SEVERE SERVICE HOOD SUPPORT MISADJUSTMENT. THE TUBULAR BRACKET IN THE SEVERE SERVICE HOOD SUPPORT SYSTEM MAY CRACK OR BREAK IN THE WELD AT THE HOOD SUPPORT PAD ATTACHMENT IF THE SUPPORT PADS ARE ADJUSTED TOO HIGH ON THE TUBULAR BRACKET. *TT |
| 10017693 | NEW INTERIOR DIAGNOSTIC TIPS. THE KENWORTH NEW CAB INTERIOR INTRODUCED IN 2005 HAS MANY PERFORMANCE FEATURES THAT ARE DIFFERENT. KENWORTH. *TT |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)