2018 Kenworth T680 problems, complaints & recalls
Updated from NHTSA data · How we count
Owners have filed 7 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Kenworth T680, most often about brakes. There are 15 recalls for this model year.
- Complaints
- 7
- Recalls
- 15
- Crashes
- 1
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Median mileage
- 412,068 mi at time of problem
Key facts
- Brakes is the most-reported problem area, named in 2 of 7 complaints (29%).
- Transmission & Drivetrain (2) and driver assistance & safety tech (2) follow.
- Half of the complaints that list mileage happened before 412,068 mi.
- Owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries.
- The 2018 Kenworth T680 has 15 recalls on file.
- NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation covering this vehicle.
- It ranks 4th of 11 Kenworth T680 model years by our severity-weighted complaint score (1st = worst).
2018 Kenworth T680 problems by category
- Brakes2 complaints
- Transmission & Drivetrain2 complaints
- Driver Assistance & Safety Tech2 complaints
- Electrical System1 complaints
- Seats & Seat Belts1 complaints
- Engine1 complaints
- Wheels & Tires · 1 crash1 complaints
- Other / Unknown1 complaints
- Visibility & Wipers1 complaints
A complaint can mention more than one problem area, so categories add up to more than the total.
Most-reported components
| Component (as filed with NHTSA) | Complaints |
|---|---|
| Service brakes | 2 |
| Power train | 2 |
| Forward collision avoidance: adaptive cruise control | 1 |
| Forward collision avoidance: automatic emergency braking | 1 |
| Seat belts | 1 |
| Seats | 1 |
| Tires | 1 |
| Unknown or other | 1 |
When problems happen (mileage)
2018 Kenworth T680 recalls (15)
- SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:SUPPLY:RESERVOIR/TANK
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2009-2021 Kenworth C500, 2012-2021 Kenworth T440, 2009-2015 Kenworth T660, 2015-2024 Kenworth T680, 2009-2024 Kenworth T800, 2009-2020 Kenworth T370, 2014-2023 Kenworth T880, 2011-2016 Kenworth T470, 2023 Kenworth T480, and 2009-2019 Kenworth W900 vehicles. The air tanks have an insufficient volume of air for the brake system. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 121, "Air Brake Systems."
Risk: Insufficient air volume can reduce braking performance and increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will install the correct volume air tanks, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 12, 2024. Additional owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2025. Owners may contact PACCAR customer service at 1-425-828-5888. PACCAR's number for this recall is 24KWD.
- STEERING:CRITICAL FASTENERS
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Kenworth T270, T370, T440, T470, T660, T680, T880, T800, W900, W990; and 2018-2020 Peterbilt 330, 337, 348, 365, 367, 389, 520, 567, and 579 vehicles. The Dana D-Series axle steer arm fasteners that attach the steering arm to the steering knuckle may fail.
Risk: Fastener failure can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace and torque the steer arm fasteners, at no charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 8, 2022. Owners may contact Kenworth customer service at 1-425-828-5888 and Peterbilt customer service at 1-940-591-4220. PACCAR's numbers for this recall are 22 PBB and 22 KWB.
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Peterbilt 567, 579, 2021-2022 Peterbilt 536, 2017-2021 Kenworth T880, 2016-2022 Kenworth T680, 2018-2020 Kenworth T440, 2020 Kenworth T270, and 2021 Kenworth T280 vehicles. The methane detection system will not function if the system loses power.
Risk: The operator may be unaware of a system malfunction or the presence of excessive methane levels, increasing the risk of injury or fire.
Remedy: Dealers will re-wire the warning alarm, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 1, 2022. Owners may contact Peterbilt customer service at 1-940-591-4220, and Kenworth customer service at 1-425-828-5888. PACCAR's numbers for this recall are 21KWH and 21PBN.
- SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2016-2021 Kenworth T680 trucks equipped with a 2.1m Cab and WABCO 6S/6M ABS brake system with drum brakes. The brake systems were manufactured with a standard rear-brake ABS modulator valve instead of a quick release valve, which may exceed the intended service-brake release timing. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 121, "Air Brake Systems."
Risk: Longer than expected service-brake release timing may lengthen vehicle stopping distance, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: PACCAR will notify owners, and dealers will replace the standard rear-brake, ABS modulator valve with a quick release valve, free of charge. The recall began November 30, 2020. Owners may contact PACCAR customer service at 1-425-828-5888. PACCAR's number for this recall is 20KWD.
- ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) · SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:ABS WARNING LIGHT
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2008-2019 Peterbilt 330, 335, 337, 340, 348, 365, 367, 384, 386, 387, 388, 389, 567, 579 and 587 vehicles and 2008-2020 Kenworth T170, T270, T370, T660, T680, T800, T880, and W900 vehicles equipped with NAMUX Software. In the event that the Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) loses battery and/or ignition power to the controller, the dash warning light for the ABS may not illuminate to warn the driver of the loss of ABS. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 121, "Air Brake Systems," and 136, "Electronic Stability Control System on Heavy Vehicles."
Risk: If the driver unknowingly operates the vehicle without the ABS functioning, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
Remedy: PACCAR will notify owners, and dealers will update the NAMUX software within the cab control module, free of charge. PACCAR issued owners an interim notification on June 4, 2020. The recall began May 26, 2020. Owners may contact Kenworth customer service at 1-425-828-5888 or Peterbilt customer service at 1-940-591-4220. PACCAR's number for this recall is 20pbc AND 20KWB.
- PARKING BRAKE
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2018-2020 T680 and T880 tandem axle vehicles equipped with a parking brake on a single axle and certain models of automated manual transmissions. During cold temperatures, the signal from the park brake pressure switch to the transmission controller may be delayed possibly resulting in the vehicle moving unexpectedly.
Risk: Unexpected vehicle movement may increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy: PACCAR will notify owners and dealers will replace the park brake pressure switch, free of charge. PACCAR issued owners and interim notification on June 3, 2019. The recall began August 6, 2019. Owners may contact PACCAR customer service at 1-918-259-3258. PACCAR's number for this recall is 19KWB.
- POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Peterbilt 337, 348, 365, 367, 389, 567, 579 and 587 trucks and 2018-2019 Kenworth C500, T270, T370, T440, T660, T680, T800, T880 and W900 trucks equipped with automated manual transmissions. An internal component in the clutch assembly may fail, possibly resulting in unintended vehicle movement.
Risk: Unintended movement of a vehicle can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: PACCAR will notify owners, and dealers will update the transmission control module, free of charge. The recall began February 23, 2019. Owners may contact PACCAR customer service at 1-940-591-4220. PACCAR's numbers for this recall are 18PBE and 18KWH.
- SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2018 Kenworth T680 and T880, and Peterbilt 567 and 579 trucks. The seat belt buckle assemblies on these vehicles may have been glued and not sewn during manufacturing, possibly causing the assembly to come apart under load, such as in the event of a crash.
Risk: If the seat belt buckle assembly separates, it can prevent the occupant from being properly restrained in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: PACCAR will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seat belt buckle assemblies that were not sewn, free of charge. PACCAR issued owners an interim notification on February 4, 2019. The recall began February 28, 2019. Owners may contact PACCAR customer service at 1-918-259-3258. PACCAR's numbers for this recall is 18KWG, and 18PBD.
- EXTERIOR LIGHTING
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Kenworth T680 and T880 and Peterbilt 579 trucks, greater than 30 feet long and equipped with side extender mounted intermediate marker lamp/turn signals that do not include a reflex reflector. Since both intermediate side marker lamps and reflex reflectors are required, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk: Missing reflex reflectors can reduce the vehicle's visibility to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: PACCAR will notify owners and dealers will install reflex reflective tape, free of charge. The recall began January 15, 2019. Owners may contact PACCAR customer service at 1-918-259-3258. PACCAR's number for this recall is 18KWF, and 18PBC.
- ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Kenworth C500, T600, T660, T680, T800, T880 and W900 trucks, as well as Peterbilt 367, 386, 389, 567, 579 and 587 trucks, equipped with Cummins ISX15 or X15 diesel engines. In certain driving conditions, such as on a long down-hill grade, the fuel line may burst if the fuel pump cooling circuit screen becomes restricted.
Risk: If the fuel line bursts, fuel may leak onto the road resulting in a roadway hazard for other motorists. The engine may also stall without warning, resulting in the vehicle's inability to restart, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Cummins will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect fuel pump cooling circuit screen, free of charge. The recall began November 21, 2018. Owners may contact PACCAR customer service at 1-940-591-4220. PACCAR's number for this recall is 18E081.
- ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) · SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:ABS WARNING LIGHT
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Peterbilt 567 and 579 trucks and 2015-2018 Kenworth T660, T680, T800, T880 and W900 trucks. In the event that the Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) loses battery and/or ignition power to the controller, the dash warning light for the ABS may not illuminate to warn the driver of the loss of ABS. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 121, "Air Brake Systems," and 136, "Electronic Stability Control System on Heavy Vehicles."
Risk: If the driver unknowingly operates the vehicle without the ABS functioning, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
Remedy: PACCAR will notify owners, and dealers will update the NAMUX software within the cab control module, free of charge. PACCAR issued owners an interim notification on July 30, 2018. Owners may contact Peterbilt customer service at 1-918-259-3258 or Kenworth customer service at 1-425-828-5000.
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL · POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Kenworth T680 and T880 trucks, and Peterbilt 567 and 579 trucks, all equipped with an automated Eaton UltraShift Plus or Eaton Advantage Transmission with right hand stalk shifter. The display that indicates which transmission gear the driver selected may display incorrectly. The display can indicate 'N' when the shifter is set into 'D' or 'R', and the as a result, the truck will not move. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence/Starter Interlock/Transmission Braking Effect," and number 101, "Control and Displays."
Risk: A truck that does not move as expected can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: PACCAR will notify owners, and dealers will install a transmission software update, free of charge. The recall began on March 9, 2018. Owners may contact Kenworth customer service at 1-425-828-5000 or Peterbilt customer service at 1-940-591-4220. PACCAR's numbers for this recall is 18KWA and 118-A.
- POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2018 Peterbilt 567, 579, Kenworth T680, and T880 trucks, equipped with certain Eaton Endurant and PACCAR AMT transmissions. The transmission control module (TCM) may allow the engine to crank briefly even if the transmission shifter is not in neutral. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence/Starter Interlock/Transmission Braking Effect."
Risk: If the transmission is not in neutral when the engine begins running, there may be unintended vehicle movement, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: PACCAR will notify owners, and dealers will update the TCM software, free of charge. The recall began February 6, 2018. Owners may contact Peterbilt customer service at 1-940-591-4000, or Kenworth customer service at 1-425-828-5000. PACCAR's numbers for this recall are 1217F and 1717KWF.
- FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Peterbilt 367, 389, 567, 579 and 587 trucks, and 2018 Kenworth C500, T680, T800, T880 and W900 trucks equipped with Cummins ISX 15L engines. These engines have a fuel pump whose drive gear could possibly slip on its drive shaft, causing a fuel pump function loss, resulting in an engine stall.
Risk: An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Cummins will notify the vehicle purchaser, and Cummins dealers will replace the fuel pumps, free of charge. The recall began July 1, 2017. Owners may contact Cummins customer service at 1-800-286-6467 or PACCAR customer service at 1-425-468-7400. PACCAR's number for this recall is C1909.
- FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Kenworth K370, T680, T880 and 2017-2018 Peterbilt 567 and 579 trucks. The plastic fuel tee fittings on these trucks may leak fuel.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Kenworth and Peterbilt will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect fuel tees, free of charge. The recall began on April 13, 2017. Owners may contact Kenworth customer service at 1-425-828-5000 and Peterbilt customer service at 1-940-591-4000. PACCAR's numbers for this recall is 17KWA and 217-A.
NHTSA defect investigations
- PE21018Opened Jul 16, 2021Closed Oct 10, 2025
Haldex Brake Chamber Failures
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation (PE21018) based on eleven Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ). These VOQs included seven wheel-end fires on various Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks.Several of the VOQs were submitted by a maintenance facility stating that the fires were due to power spring fractures within brake chambers manufactured by Haldex Commercial Vehicle Systems (Haldex). According to the reports, the fractured spring punctured the brake chamber diaphragm, resulting in a partial loss of compressed air to the park brakes, causing the brakes to dra…
Recent 2018 Kenworth T680 complaints
Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
- Filed Apr 25, 2023OKElectrical SystemEngineTransmission & Drivetrain
We bought this truck with 401, 000 miles on it. So far we have had to replace the rear ends twice. the whole DPF system, the check engine light still on since the day we bought the truck. We have had 5 NOS sensors put into the truck, 6 input and output sensors put into the truck. This truck has been defective since the day of purchase. We keep having the same error code of p3770 come up evetime we take to shop. The error code has been looked at so many times that even the…
NHTSA complaint #11518882 · source - Filed Jul 21, 2022FLBrakes
The air dryer bracket part number G11-6218 was craked and because of that it wasn't secured to the frame. The air dryer was hanging on the airline with the piece of the broken bracket. It is not secured. That is extremely unsafe because it could brake airlines and trucks would lose its brakes.
NHTSA complaint #11475046 · source - Filed Jun 15, 2021VASeats & Seat BeltsVisibility & Wipers
Seat belt frame cover was cracked and seat belt would not retract. The other side was broken as well with casing coming off. I was in the middle of backing for a delivery and the driver seat retract would not stay in place and the seat kept folding forward causing me to not be able to back the truck. I was told this is due to obese drivers causing the seat to break. Also during the time of my brake issue where are the brakes locked up and on several other occasions the air…
NHTSA complaint #11420956 · source - Filed Jun 15, 2021VABrakesDriver Assistance & Safety TechOther / Unknown
I started the truck after not driving for 1 day and a heavy rain storm the day prior. I attempted to drive bobtail when the brakes locked up. The traction control light came on then went back off. Then the adaptive cruise control notification came on. The regon came on then went back off. A speedometer sign with an exclamation mark came up and would not go away. After attempting to go down the road the brakes continued to lock up, would not release and caused the rear…
NHTSA complaint #11420954 · source - Filed May 4, 2021393,000 miAADriver Assistance & Safety Tech
Automatic emergency braking is an absolute danger to the motoring public and needs to be eliminated immediately. I am sick and tired of engineer's who don't know their ass from a hole in the ground designing bullshit that doesn't work. Far too many false radar returns and unwanted hard stops to be of any use. I do not own this vehicle but if i did the first thing i would do right after i pull the fuse for the lane departure warning would be to isolate and bypass aeb. This…
NHTSA complaint #11415137 · source - Filed Nov 1, 2020431,137 miSDTransmission & Drivetrain
Unit had clutch failure failed to disengage under 18e-102, per federal guidlines it falls under the clutch range of au1704192065 and falls under eatons original campaign release but they revised it to where it does not cover this one becuase now they changed the range to au1711 thru au1804 but we are seeing a lot of failure below au1711, why does eatons document not match the federal documents? And why are we seeing these clutch failures on trucks that were revised and said…
NHTSA complaint #11372492 · source
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Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 10, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology