The defect
Paccar Incorporated (Paccar) is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Peterbilt 579 and 587 trucks manufactured February 14, 2011, to December 5, 2012 and 2011 Kenworth T700 trucks manufactured September 21, 2010, to October 1, 2010. The affected trucks are equipped with Fontaine Ultra LT Fifth Wheel connectors, which, due to cumulative damage to the fifth wheel and its locking mechanism, have a locking mechanism that may fail to operate or to properly engage.
The risk
If the fifth wheel and locking mechanism are sufficiently damaged, the locking mechanism may fail to operate as intended and the trailer may unexpectedly detach from the tractor, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
PACCAR will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fifth wheel with an Ultra NT model fifth wheel, free of charge. The recall began on December 7, 2015. Owners may contact Kenworth customer service at 1-425-828-5000 or Peterbilt customer service at 1-940-591-4000. Paccar's numbers for this recall are 15KWP (Kenworth) and 1015M (Peterbilt).
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by ODI
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Kenworth T700 | 2011 |
| Peterbilt 579 | 2012, 2013 |
| Peterbilt 587 | 2012, 2013 |
Components: EQUIPMENT
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenworth T700 | 2011 | 1 | 7 |
| Peterbilt 579 | 2012 | 0 | 6 |
| Peterbilt 579 | 2013 | 1 | 13 |
| Peterbilt 587 | 2012 | 3 | 8 |
| Peterbilt 587 | 2013 | 2 | 9 |
Other equipment recalls in 2015
142 of the 863 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2015 concerned the equipment; PACCAR Incorporated filed 154 campaigns in all.
| 15V890000 31 Dec 2015 | Compass Conversions, LLC |
| 15V880000 28 Dec 2015 | Tiffin Motorhomes, Inc. |
| 15V877000 23 Dec 2015 | Entegra Coach |
| 15V875000 23 Dec 2015 | Forest River, Inc. |
| 15V872000 23 Dec 2015 | Allied Recreation Group, Inc. |
| 15V860000 22 Dec 2015 | Forest River, Inc. |
| 15V856000 21 Dec 2015 | Starcraft RV |
| 15V857000 21 Dec 2015 | McNeilus Truck & Manufacturing, Inc. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2015