Two Paccar recalls in one day: nearly 27,000 Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks over a Cummins fuel hose, plus 310 new sleepers over bunk restraints

Two separate Paccar recalls landed on the same day: nearly 27,000 Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks are being recalled because a remote fuel filter hose on their Cummins L9 engines can separate from its fitting, according to Land Line Media on Oct. 28, and about 310 brand-new Kenworth and Peterbilt sleepers face a second recall over bunk restraints that may not hold in a crash, according to Overdrive on Oct. 28. Neither recall reports an injury. Both end the same way for owners: a free dealer fix and a notification letter in December.

The larger recall is the latest branch of a Cummins engine campaign that has been spreading across truck brands for two months. In September, Cummins issued an equipment recall for L9 engines whose remote fuel filter hose can separate from the fitting, potentially causing a fuel leak and an engine stall. More than 39,000 L9 engines are subject to the Cummins recall, although the manufacturer estimates only 3% actually have a defective hose. Daimler Truck North America soon after recalled a few thousand Freightliner trucks and chassis equipped with the engines, and with Paccar's action the two truck makers now account for about three-quarters of all the L9 engines being recalled. The remaining manufacturers that bought the engines build buses, cranes, fire trucks, motorhomes and refuse and utility trucks — a reminder that one supplier's hose reaches far beyond the highway.

The Paccar population is medium-duty iron, the trucks that run delivery, utility, municipal and regional work. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documents cited by Land Line, the recalled models are the Kenworth T270 (model years 2022-23), T280 (2022-27), T370 (2022-23), T380 (2023-27) and T480 (2023-27), and the Peterbilt 548 (2022-27), 536 (2023-27), 537 (2023-27) and 567 (2025). Paccar estimates, like Cummins, that only 3% of the recall population is actually affected by the defect. Owners may be able to detect the problem before a failure: affected trucks may smell of diesel or show signs of a leak, and a low fuel pressure warning may come on. There have been no reports of warranty claims or injuries related to the defect. Paccar will replace the fuel hoses at no cost, notification letters are expected to be sent to owners on Dec. 20, and questions go to Peterbilt customer service at 940-591-4220 or Kenworth at 425-828-5888 with recall number 26PACJ; NHTSA's number for the recall is 26V700.

The second recall is smaller, newer and about the sleeper rather than the engine. Paccar is recalling approximately 310 Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks because the belt restraint webbing for the sleeper bunk was not secured properly during manufacturing, and a restraint that is not secured can fail to adequately restrain a vehicle occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury, according to NHTSA documents reported by Overdrive. The affected trucks are all model year 2027: the Peterbilt 567, 579 and 589, and the Kenworth T680, T880, W900 and W990 — the newest sleepers on the lot, including the trucks team drivers are just now moving into. Dealers will inspect and replace the bunk restraints as necessary, free of charge, and owner notification letters are expected to be mailed Dec. 13. Owners can contact Kenworth customer service at 425-828-5888 and Peterbilt customer service at 940-591-4220 with recall number 26PACH; NHTSA's recall number is 26V-674.

Taken together, the two recalls describe the two ends of a truck's life with its driver. The fuel hose is a working defect in trucks already earning their keep: a separated hose means leaked diesel and an engine that can stall, in medium-duty trucks that spend their days in city traffic, at loading docks and on job sites where a stall is never convenient and a fuel leak is never minor. The tell is sensory and free to check — diesel you can smell around a truck that should not smell, a wet fitting, a low fuel pressure warning — and it belongs on the pre-trip for any L9-powered Kenworth or Peterbilt until the hose has been replaced. The bunk restraint is a defect in a system nobody uses until the worst moment: a teammate asleep in the bunk is trusting that webbing with his life at highway speed, and 310 new trucks left the factory with that trust misplaced.

The practical takeaway is to run your VIN rather than guess from the model badge. For the fuel hose recall, the population spans nine Kenworth and Peterbilt models across model years 2022 through 2027, letters arrive around Dec. 20, and Paccar's fix is a free hose replacement — but the 3% estimate cuts both ways, because it means most trucks will check out fine while the affected minority carries a leak-and-stall defect its driver may smell before any letter arrives. For the bunk recall, the population is only about 310 trucks, all 2027s, with letters expected Dec. 13. If your truck is on either list, call the numbers above — Kenworth at 425-828-5888, Peterbilt at 940-591-4220 — and get the inspection scheduled before the December letters become a January line at the dealer.