Paccar recalls some Peterbilt, Kenworth trucks for lighting issue

Due to an issue in the affected vehicles’ vehicle controller software, their lights might not illuminate as expected.

July 16, 2025

2 min read

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PACCAR has issued a recall for several Kenworth and Peterbilt vehicles regarding an issue with the vehicle’s exterior lighting. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 56,575 vehicles may be impacted.

More specifically, the recall (No. 25V436000) impacts certain 2023-2026 Kenworth T380, T680, T880, Peterbilt 520, 548, 567, 579, 2024-2026 Kenworth T480, W990, Peterbilt 536, 537, 589, 2025 Kenworth T180, Peterbilt 535, 2025-2026 Kenworth T280 and L770 vehicles. In these vehicles, the tail brake light, upper and lower beam headlights, reverse light, and turn signal may not illuminate as intended. Also, the lift axles, if lowered, may revert to a raised position, or oscillate up and down when the signal warning lights are activated, according to the report. These issues are due to an incorrectly configured time counter in the vehicle controller software, which can cause some messages from the vehicle ECU to the chassis module to not be sent at the right frequency.

PACCAR first opened an investigation into the issue on May 2, 2025. Through the rest of May and most of June, the company held testing at the PACCAR Technical Center to recreate the lighting issue, collect more technical details, hold safety committee meetings, and ultimately agree to hold the recall. As of June 17, 2025, PACCAR had received 201 warranty claims and 25 reports on 191 trucks in the field that could be related to the issue.

To resolve the issue, dealers will update the VCU software for free, but PACCAR has not yet offered a schedule for recall notification.