Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 5 2021 348 vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 1 person 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 2021 Peterbilt 348 failed the safety check 0.00% of the time — 100% less often than the average 2021 passenger car (0.95%). Median odometer at inspection: 51,235 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Recalls in Canada
2 Transport Canada recalls for the 2021 Peterbilt 348.
| 2021323 26 May 2021 | Fuel System Issue: On certain trucks, the fuel rail assembly could develop a leak. Note: This recall only affects trucks equipped with a Cummins L9 or ISX12 diesel engi… |
| 2020399 27 Aug 2020 | Suspension Issue: On certain trucks, the lift axle pivot bolts may be too short and may not be properly tightened. As a result, the bolts could come loose or break. If t… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Peterbilt and Kenworth vehicles, equipped with Bendix EC80 Advanced Electronic Control Units (ECU). Please see the recall report for a complete list of models. Electrical noise and low signal to the power line carrier may cause the ECU to incorrectly process commands or stop functioning.
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Peterbilt 337, 348, 365, 367, 520, 567, Kenworth T270, T370, T440, T470, T800 and T880 vehicles. The sealing washer may not seat correctly in the pilot bore holes, allowing the high pressure fuel rail assembly to leak.
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2021 Peterbilt 348 and 579 vehicles. The spring brake chamber may have been assembled with incorrect springs that were out of specification, which may cause the pressure plate to shift.
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Peterbilt 348, 365, 367, 389, 520, 567 and Kenworth T800, T880, W900, W990 vehicles equipped with Watson and Chalin steerable lift axle suspension systems (model SL2065). The axles may have lower rear pivot bolts that are not long enough to sufficiently engage the locking feature of the corresponding nuts.
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 Peterbilt told its dealers about the 2021 Peterbilt 348: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11010926 | Info Only Unnecessary starter replacements can result from customer complaints regarding engine starting issues. A new Starter Troubleshooting Guide has been created to provide a comprehensive list of starting system checks, which should reduce unnecessary starter replacements and associated warranty claims. Engine starting system warranty claims now require a completed Starter Checklist, a Battery Pack Midtronics Report, and a Cable Drop Midtronics Report. Claims filed without these documents may be denied. |
| 11005516 | Fix As Fail The height control valve (HCV) rod on vehicles with low air leaf suspensions is prone to toggling over center during rough road conditions. With full suspension articulation, HCV bracket flexes and toggles over center the HCV linkage, which results in either deflated airbags or makes them unable to inflate. Fix-as-fail start date is 07/30/2024. |
| 10251175 | Peterbilt has determined that certain model year 2021, pre-production chassis are eligible to have specific parts updated to production level. |
| 10225578 | Info Only - PACCAR is introducing Over-the-Air (OTA) software updates for engine MY17 and newer chassis equipped with Cummins X15, X12, ISX12, ISX12N, L9N, PX-7, and PX-9 engines The technology will leverage the existing Remote Diagnostic cs hardware to deliver secure software updates remotely. This will reduce downtime and save on maintenance costs for eligible vehicles. |
| 10222269 | Fix-As-Fail On certain chassis with Low Air Leaf Suspension or Low-Low Air Leaf Suspension, the Height Control Valve (HCV) arm may be rubbing on other components when the bend in the arm is facing outboard. Flipping the bend in the HCV arm inboard prevents the rub. |
| 10219235 | The service information for Bendix Air Dryer maintenance is being updated to include new procedures. |
| 10214856 | Info Only - Chassis equipped with a flush mounted battery box between the frame rails, and containing 3 batteries, may experience battery movement on the side where the single battery resides. This bulletin contains a procedure to fabricate a bracket to hold this battery in place. |
| 10209699 | Fix-As-Fail A hill start assist (HSA) valve plumbing revision eliminates ice buildup in the HSA valve exhaust in cold weather. |
| 10208758 | Due to major data carriers phasing out 3G networks, chassis currently utilizing first generation Peoplenet Mobile Gateway (PMG001) will experience severe 3G service degradation as early as January of 2022. Chassis currently utilizing 3G antennas as a primary antenna may experience this degradation. |
| 10206093 | Non-Safety Campaign Certain model 337 and 348 medium duty chassis were built with the ABS module installed incorrectly |
| 10206087 | Information Only: An improved procedure has been developed for servicing the fuel filter on model 348 chassis equipped with a PX-9 and 11 5/8 frame rails. |
| 10206066 | Information Only: Due to differences between the PACCAR MX-11 or MX-13 2021A and 2021B engines, technicians must be able to identify which of these engines are in a chassis. |
| 10201965 | Fix-As-Fail Due to undersupply issues, only a limited supply of Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) sensors are available. As a temporary solution, after PACCAR confirms a DEF sensor is not available, a temporary software update will allow a vehicle to continue operation with a failed DEF sensor by disabling the DEF sensor diagnostics. |
| 10201956 | Information Only - Rear axle Quarter Fenders with less than two inches of clearance between the top of the quarter fender and the bottom of the trailer/equipment are susceptible to damage. The lack of clearance could result in cracked/broken quarter fenders or complete separation if undetected or un-remedied. |
| 10198809 | Safety Recall Cummins Fuel Rail Leak NHTSA ID: 21V391 / TC: 2021-323, Cummins Recall: C2423.Cummins PX9 and ISX12 fuel rails may leak around a sealing washer, potentially resulting in fuel leaks.Undetected prolonged diesel fuel spray in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire. |
| 10194784 | Information Only - Power steering reservoir cap may separate during removal when it is pulled upward instead of twisted. |
| 10188550 | Information Only Windshield washer pumps have a high No Trouble Found rate. Washer pumps may fail to spray due to a clogged filter. |
| 10186168 | SmartNav 2.0 Hardware retrofit for quality validation and vehicle validation units. |
| 10182219 | Fix as Fail: Peterbilt has introduced an improved mounting bracket for low mount air tanks for vehicles built between January 01, 2017 and July 06, 2020. Torsional vibration may stress the currently-installed brackets and cause them to fail near the bottom of the frame rail. |
| 10180809 | Safety Recall: Peterbilt has decided that a condition could exist in certain model 348, 365, 367, 389, 520, and 567 vehicles built between 11/19/2019 and 4/09/2020. Vehicles equipped with Watson & Chalin SL2065 lift axles may have lower rear pivot bolts that are not long enough to sufficiently engage the locking feature of the corresponding nuts. In some cases, this condition may cause a loss of clamp load of the pivot joint (arm to axle). Extended use of the lift axle in this condition can result in foreign object debris on the roadway, increasing the risk of a crash and/or injury. |
| 10179370 | Fix as Fail: Peterbilt has determined that certain model 348, 365, 367, 382, 384, 386, 388, 389, 567, 579, and 587 trucks, built between 4/13/2010 and 3/16/2020 and equipped with a flush mounted battery box, utilized rubber washers that could rub through and cause the aluminum box mounting tabs to rub directly on the steel frame brackets. This could result in cracked battery box mounting angles. Resolution is to add the reinforcement bracket(s) to affected vehicles. |
| 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. |
| 10177019 | Fix as Fail: For all conventional models, except 387/587, equipped with Side-of-Cab (SOC) exhaust and built from 03/6/2006 to 1/20/2020, the clamps that secure the SOC exhaust stacks may not be tightened properly. This may allow the exhaust stack to rotate and contact the cab or sleeper. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)