Kenworth Electrical System: 12V/24V/48V Battery

Kenworth is recalling about 828 vehicles over a problem with the electrical system. If the potting compound is exposed to heat and conducts electricity, there is an increased risk of a vehicle fire and personal injury.

Campaign
14V014000
Manufacturer
PACCAR Incorporated
Reported
24 January 2014
Vehicles
828
Built between
Nov 2011 – Jan 2014
Models
3
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
NHTSA investigation
Owners notified
31 March 2014
Repaired
72%
Unrepaired
227

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between November 2011 and January 2014. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2012-2014 Kenworth K300Built November 2011 to January 2014
  • 2012-2014 Peterbilt 210Built December 2011 to January 2014
  • 2012-2014 Peterbilt Model 220Built December 2011 to January 2014

Repair progress

227 of 828 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q2 2015.

72% repaired — 597 of 828 reported

Owners not reachable
4

Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.

What the defect is

PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2012 through 2014 model year Kenworth K300 and Peterbilt 210 and 220 chassis equipped with Sure Power-brand battery equalizers or DC-DC converters containing a particular epoxy sealing, aka 'potting', compound. The specific potting compound used in the subject products for electrical insulation was found to be capable of conducting electricity after being exposed to heat.

What could happen

If the potting compound is exposed to heat and conducts electricity, there is an increased risk of a vehicle fire and personal injury.

What gets fixed

PACCAR will notify owners, and dealers will replace the defective component with a new battery equalizer or DC-DC converter, free of charge. The recall began on March 31, 2014.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtNovember 2011 to January 2014
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA24 January 2014
  3. Owners notified31 March 2014
  4. Latest repair reportQ2 2015 — 72% repaired

Your rights

A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.

That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 24 January 2014.

To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.

Manufacturer contact

Customers may contact PACCAR at 1-425-468-7400. Kenworth's number for this recall is 14KWD. Peterbilt's number for this recall is 1213J.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
14KWD/1213J
Recalling manufacturer
PACCAR Incorporated
Recall initiated by
ODI

Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Additional notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Check your own vehicle

This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.

A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.

Same component

Same brand