Tl*the contact owns a 2003 kenworth t600. While driving 60mph in light rain, snow and heavy wind weather conditions. The strong wind pushed the vehicle over onto the driver side, begin sliding down a hill and crashed into a ditch. The contacts head hit the steering wheels and was cut by broken glass. The contact was forced to kick the passenger front window out to escape from vehicle. A police report was filed and the contact was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. During the crash, none of the air bags deployed. The contact is aware of the safety risk when air bags do not deploy. The current mileage was 76,241 and the failure mileage was 76,241.
The worst 2003 Kenworth T600 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Airbags1
- Brakes1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Airbags1
- Brakes1
Recalls 5
Electrical system: wiring
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- This could cause the neutral start feature of the transmission to disable allowing the vehicle to start in gear increasing the potential for a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will repair the connections in the wiring harness if necessary. Owner notification began on may 7, 2004. Owners should contact kenworth at 1‑425‑828‑5440.
Recall number 04V174000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring: fuses and circuit breakers
- What is wrong
- On certain heavy duty trucks, the main cab wiring harness was incorrectly connected to the 50 amp circuit breaker instead of the 135 amp breaker.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the vehicles and the wiring will be corrected if necessary. Owner notification began september 16, 2003. Owners should contact kenworth at 1‑425‑828‑5440.
Recall number 03V285000 · Recall details
Unknown or other
- What is wrong
- On certain heavy duty trucks equipped with vertical tail pipes, the frame access grabhandle is mounted too high.
- Risk
- This condition could cause a person to slip and/or fall and could lead to personal injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the grabhandle location and if determined to be mounted too high, the handle will be relocated to the proper height. Owner notification began july 29, 2003. Owners should contact kenworth at 1‑425‑828‑5440.
Recall number 03V234000 · Recall details
Trailer hitches: fifth wheel assembly
- What is wrong
- On certain trucks equipped with jost international jsk 37u series fifth wheels, a fatigue crack can develop in the bracket pin weld under certain loading conditions.
- Risk
- If left undetected or corrected it could lead to the separation of the fifth wheel top plate from its mounting structure, possibly resulting in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the bracket pins and repair instructions free of charge. Peterbilt's owner notification began june 20, 2003. Kenworth's owner notification began june 12, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact peterbilt at 940‑591‑4201 or kenworth 425‑828‑5440.
Recall number 03V168000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting
- What is wrong
- Certain trucks equipped with trailer connections fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standards (fmvss) no. 121, "air brake systems," and no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." the supplier removed a rubber grommet from the trailer light line connector. The vehicles are experiencing corrosion at the 7-way trailer connection. This causes intermittent flashing/flickering of the trailer lights.
- Risk
- This could cause an electrical short and/or possible fire hazard.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install the missing grommet on all affected chassis. If a connector is found defective, it will be replaced with a new connector. Owner notification is began on march 14, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact kenworth at 1‑425‑828‑5440.
Recall number 03V045000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2003 Kenworth T600 7
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Kenworth: Dealers should check the chassis list and SIR weekly for VIN changes
- Information Only – Windshield washer pumps have a high No Trouble Found rate
- This SKU is a Climate Control Module
- Information Only:
- Information Only: Proper jump-starting voltage will eliminate high voltage related issues and equipment...
- Information Only:
- Kenworth trucks: reduced engine power from fuel starvation
What 2003 Kenworth T600 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Failure of jake brakes on 2003 kenworth t-600. The jake brakes on my kenworth failed to come on. I directed it to the kenworth dealership in carlisle, pa. Who after many hours of diagnosising determined that the jake brakes had failed because a wire had come loose at the back of the am/fm radio!!!! The brakes can fail because of a loose wire @ the am/fm radio. God help the poor soul in front of the truck coming down a 6% grade relying on his jakes to slow him down which fail because of a loose wire behind the radio. Nut!
Compare the 2003 Kenworth T600
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Questions about the 2003 Kenworth T600
Is the 2003 Kenworth T600 reliable?
Owners have filed 2 complaints about the 2003 Kenworth T600, 2.0 times a typical T600 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2003 Kenworth T600?
Airbags, with 1 complaint. Next is brakes (1).
How many recalls does the 2003 Kenworth T600 have?
5 recalls, covering electrical system, unknown or other and trailer hitches.
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