Recently one of my tractors equipped with a catepillar engine had a major engine failure which caused my driver to make an emergency stop along a freeway in colorado. I was informed the crankshaft had broken. By mistake a notice sent by caterpillar named "confidential" was left on a counter which I happened to pick up and read. It stated trucks with this particular engine starting with a certain serial no. And ending with another serial no. Had this type of engine failure, broken crankshaft, would be handled according to the mileage on that truck. It also stated no repair was to be administered until the crankshaft failed. The number of engines involved according to the serial no. Was approximately 20,000. After reading their bulletin it was apparent to me caterpillar knew they had a flaw in these crank shafts and instead of recalling and replacing these crankshafts they would prefer to take a chance and replace, according to the mileage at failure, the failed componet. At issue here is the time and place this engine failure takes place. In our situation it was on a major freeway with heavy traffic. Luckily the driver was able to coast to the shoulder and stop. Can you imagine what would have happened if this failure occured on a major incline or downhill grade on a two lane road. The result may have been catastrophic. How many other of these engines have failed and what were the circumstances ? Where did it happen and was there an issue with traffic safety, I personnally don't know. We are not talking about a car breakng down here but an 80,000 pound semi. If a manufacturer knows a major componet of an engine used in such a safety sensitive regiment, transportation on our highways, with traffic being heavier than it's ever been, is faulty and needs to be replaced shouldn't they take action to remedy that problem before an accident occurs or is it worth the gamble ? Thank you for your consideration in this matter. L.j. Larkin pres. Transtech n.w. Inc.
The worst 1999 Kenworth T800 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Suspension2
- Engine1
- Transmission1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Suspension2
- Engine1
- Transmission1
Recalls 12
Suspension: front: hub
- What is wrong
- On certain trucks equipped with truck hub units manufactured by skf exclusively for use on arvinmeritor's ff98x series non-drive steer axles, the hub unit bearings can wear prematurely.
- Risk
- Seizure of the bearings can cause wheel separation or wheel end fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace all front axle hubs. Notification began july 16, 2003. The manufacturer has advised us that parts will not be available until september 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy with a reasonable time should contact peterbilt at 940‑591‑4201 or kenworth 425‑828‑5440.
Recall number 03V125000 · Recall details
Service brakes, air
- What is wrong
- Certain trucks equipped with meritor p 18x7 brakes with 36" brake chambers fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) no. 121, "air brake systems." these trucks were manufactured with a combined air reservoir volume less than 12 times the combined volume of all service brake chambers.
- Risk
- This does not meet the requirements of the standard.
- Remedy
- Dealers will add an additional tank or change one of the existing air tanks to a larger size. Owner notification began on may 5, 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 03V126000 · Recall details
Steering: linkages: tie rod assembly
- What is wrong
- Heavy duty trucks equipped with trw tie rod ends on certain arvinmeritor and dana axles. Peterbilt will recall 1,434 vehicles equipped with arvinmeritor axles manufactured from december 11, 1999, to may 14, 2000, and from july 22 to september 30, 2000. Kenworth will recall 859 vehicles equipped with arvinmeritor vehicles manufactured from december 11, 1999, to may 23, 2000, and from july 27, 2000, to september 30, 2000 and kennworth will recall an additional 4,151 vehicles equipped with dana axles and manufactured from june 23 to december 6, 1999, and from may 23 to september 30, 2000. The tie rod and drag link ball stud ends contain bearings that are below the specified case depth and/or hardness.
- Risk
- This can lead to premature wear with possible separation of the ball stud from the socket, increasing the risk of loss of control of the vehicle.
- Remedy
- Dealers will remove and replace all affected tie rods and drag links with different designed ends. Owner notification began july 15, 2002. 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 1‑940‑591‑4201 or kenworth at 1‑425‑828‑5440.
Recall number 02V037003 · Recall details
Suspension: rear
- What is wrong
- On certain heavy duty trucks equipped with replacement dana spicer tandem drive axle models ds463 and ds521, installed on vehicles from may 1, 2001 through february 1, 2002, an undersized attachment weld may fracture without warning.
- Risk
- The loss of this attachment to the vehicle chassis can adversely affect vehicle handling or driver control.
- Remedy
- Dana is conducting the owner notification and remedy for this campaign. The dealers will remove the suspect bracket, inspect the axle housing, and reweld the bracket to the axle housing. 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 dana at 616‑567‑1088 or kenworth at 425‑828‑5440.
Recall number 02V061001 · Recall details
Steering: linkages: tie rod assembly
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with trw tie rod ends on certain meritor axles. The tie rod and drag link ball stud ends contain bearings that are below the specified case depth and/or hardness.
- Risk
- This can lead to premature wear with possible separation of the ball stud from the socket, increasing the risk of loss of control of the vehicle.
- Remedy
- Dealers will remove and replace all affected tie rods and drag links with different designed ends. Owner notification began october 24, 2001. 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 1‑940‑591‑4000 or kenworth at 1‑425‑828‑5000.
Recall number 01V140006 · Recall details
Equipment: other: labels
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with meritor fg941 steer axles. The gross axle weight rating (gawr) was determined incorrectly and over-stated on the vehicle certification label. With the incorrect gawr listed, these labels do not meet the certification requirements of part 567, "requirements for manufacturers of motor vehicles." vehicles will be remedied either by assigning the proper weight rating or, if possible, by changing the necessary components to meet the currently assigned weight rating.
- Risk
- These vehicles would not be in compliance with federal regulations.
- Remedy
- Vehicles will be remedied either by assigning the proper weight rating or, if possible, by changing the necessary components to meet the currently assigned weight rating. Owner notification began june 22, 2001. 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 1‑425‑828‑5000.
Recall number 01V142000 · Recall details
Steering: linkages: tie rod assembly
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with tie rod assemblies manufactured by trw. The suspect tie rods contain 24-dl model ball sockets. Certain of the tie rod ball-socket bearings have a below-specification case depth and/or hardness, which can lead to premature wear of the socket.
- Risk
- If this condition occurs, the driver can lose partial control of the right front wheel, possibly resulting in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the defective ball sockets and/or drag links. Owner notification began on april 10, 2001, to kenworth owners and on april 25, 2001, to peterbilt owners. 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 1‑425‑828‑5000, peterbilt at 1‑940‑591‑4000 or trw customer service at 1‑866‑280‑3287.
Recall number 01V044005 · Recall details
Suspension: front: control arm: lower arm
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: vehicles equipped with 54" rear axle spacing configuration of the airglide 200 suspension with the service application identified as logger, dump truck, or tanker. The rear suspension is regularly subjected to extreme articulation, resulting in flexing of the joint.
- Risk
- Failure of the lower sway arm attaching bolts could result in loss of vehicle control.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the lower sway arm brackets. Owner notification began march 27, 2001. 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 1‑425‑828‑5000.
Recall number 01V051000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring: fuses and circuit breakers
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with an optional firewall-mounted circuit breaker. The main cab power and battery power leads were attached incorrectly. This condition can result in the main cab power being unprotected.
- Risk
- If a wiring short occurred anywhere along the cab power circuit, the available battery power could arc and cause subsequent damage to the vehicle or a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and correct the problem, as needed. Owner notification began february 26, 2001. 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 1‑425‑828‑5000.
Recall number 01V021000 · Recall details
Steering: linkages: tie rod assembly
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with trw tie rod ends on certain meritor axles. The tie rod and drag link ball stud ends contain bearings that are below the specified case depth and/or hardness.
- Risk
- This can lead to premature wear with possible separation of the ball stud from the socket, increasing the risk of loss of control of the vehicle.
- Remedy
- Dealers will remove and replace all affected tie rods and drag links with different designed ends.
Recall number 00V246102 · Recall details
Power train: driveline
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks. The installation of the aluminum steering driveline exceeds the u-joint angles specified by dana, the driveline manufacturer. By exceeding this specification, the u-joint could contact and cause a stress riser in the aluminum drive shaft. This contact could cause in a notch in the aluminum drivement, resulting in a stress riser in the shaft.
- Risk
- This notch could cause premature failure of the steering driveline, resulting in loss of vehicle control and/or vehicle crash without prior warning.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the aluminum driveline with a steel version.
Recall number 99V303000 · Recall details
Electrical system: ignition: module
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with caterpillar engines and eaton autoshift transmissions. The engines can stall because of software problems.
- Risk
- Increased steering effort can occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update these engines with software changes. Caterpillar is conducting the owner notification and remedy of this recall.
Recall number 99V181001 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 1999 Kenworth T800 9
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Information Only – Windshield washer pumps have a high No Trouble Found rate
- Information Only:
- Information Only: Proper jump-starting voltage will eliminate high voltage related issues and equipment...
- Information Only:
- Kenworth: some trucks failed to meet company standards for air volume lift axle and the company will...
- Kenworth: oil collection at cac intake pipe is caused by an imbalance in turbocharger pressures
- Paccar: engineering standards have changed and there are now engines with heat treated bolts
- Paccar: a software update is causing the check engine light to come on
- Kenworth trucks: reduced engine power from fuel starvation
What 1999 Kenworth T800 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Wheel bearings keep failing, steering tires keep getting eaten up, which causes vehicle to pull to right, when this happens brakes would chatter due to a lack of wheel bearings. Drum dropped on brake pads and shoes. Brake shoes would break off.*ak
Recall 99v303/ aluminum driveline. Parts that were needed to perform recall repairs were not available.
Vehicle experiencing ongoing problem with vehicle continually pulling to the right while driving at highway speed. Dealer notified.
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Questions about the 1999 Kenworth T800
Is the 1999 Kenworth T800 reliable?
Owners have filed 4 complaints about the 1999 Kenworth T800, 4.0 times a typical T800 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1999 Kenworth T800?
Suspension, with 2 complaints. Next is engine (1).
How many recalls does the 1999 Kenworth T800 have?
12 recalls, covering suspension, service brakes, air and steering.
Was there a recall on the 1999 Kenworth T800 suspension?
Yes, 3 recalls: 03V125000, 02V061001, 01V051000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
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