The worst 1999 Peterbilt 320 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
Recalls 6
Exterior lighting: tail lights
- What is wrong
- PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 1990-2020 Peterbilt 320 and 520 vehicles built with specific amber rear turn signals. The turn signals may also light up with the stop/tail lights when the brakes are applied. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
- Risk
- Rear Turn signals that illuminate at the same time as the brake lights may create confusion and impair the effectiveness of the brake lights, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- PACCAR will notify owners, and for trucks with rear amber lights, dealers will add a jumper harness between the chassis electrical harness and amber tail lights, free of charge. The recall began August 1, 2019. Owners may contact PACCAR customer service at 1‑940‑591‑4220. PACCAR's number for this recall is 19PBC.
Recall number 19V452000 · 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
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
Electrical system: wiring
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks. These vehicles are equipped with peterbilt's smartgage system containing a reduced function interface module (rfim). This module receives data from various components/systems on the vehicle then sends the information to a microprocessor. A manufacturing defect in the rfim's can allow water to penetrate into the pressure block portion of the module, causing an electrical short in the pressure transducer connector.
- Risk
- This results in an erroneous air pressure reading on the gauge in the dash.
- Remedy
- The rfim date code will be inspected and all rfim's built prior to september 9, 2000 will be replaced. Owner notification began june 13, 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.
Recall number 01V131000 · 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
Service brakes, air: controls, pedals and linkages
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with dual steering. Interference between the cab floor and the brake pedal can occur on the right hand side of the dual steer vehicle.
- Risk
- The brake pedal may not operate as intended and could result in loss of control of the vehicle.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the brake pedal/pad assembly.
Recall number 00V027000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 1999 Peterbilt 320 12
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: This bulletin provides dealers with a battery warranty quick reference guide to ensure...
- Information only: Hendrickson Softek front axle maintenance intervals and requirements.
- Information Only: Proper jump-starting voltage will eliminate high voltage related issues and equipment...
- Information only: Some model 320 and 520 vehicles built before 3/11/2019 may experience loss or loosening...
- Information Only: This bulletin provides guidance for repairing an air-conditioning system after internal...
- Safety Recall: Vehicles fail to confirm with FMVSS/CMVSS No 108 Table 1-a requirements which requires 2...
- Information Only
- Information Only: Proper instructions for closure of power distribution box cover to prevent corrosion.
- Information: Bendix ACOM Software version 6.16.5.0 for diagnostics may introduce an unrecoverable error
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Questions about the 1999 Peterbilt 320
Is the 1999 Peterbilt 320 reliable?
Owners have filed 0 complaints about the 1999 Peterbilt 320.
What is the most common problem with the 1999 Peterbilt 320?
There are not enough complaints to tell.
How many recalls does the 1999 Peterbilt 320 have?
6 recalls, covering exterior lighting, steering and electrical system.
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