Products Liability Law Daily Wrap Up, NHTSA NEWS—MOTOR VEHICLES—Exterior lighting switch failure causes PACCAR to recall over 5K trucks, (Feb 12, 2025)
Organizations Mentioned:PACCAR Inc.
By Joe Cox, J.D.
Dealers will update the vehicle cab controller unit software.
PACCAR Incorporated is recalling about 5,378 2025 Kenworth T180, Peterbilt 535, 567, 2025-2026 Kenworth T280, 2023-2026 Kenworth T380, 2024-2026 Kenworth T480, and 2024-2026 Peterbilt 536, 537, and 548 trucks. In the impacted vehicles, the exterior lighting switch may fail, resulting in the hazard lights and the instrument display back-light brightness adjustment not functioning. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 101, which regards control and displays, and No. 108, which regards lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment. Inoperative hazard lights cannot alert other drivers as intended. In addition, the inability to adjust the brightness on the instrument panel display can make it difficult to see critical safety information or distract the driver. Both scenarios can increase the risk of a crash (NHTSA Recall Notice, No. 25V041, Report receipt date: Jan. 29, 2025).
Remedy. Dealers will update the vehicle cab controller unit (VECU) software, free of charge. Owners are advised that a non-responsive switch can be temporarily reset by a key cycle. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed March 30, 2025.
Contact information. Owners may contact Kenworth's customer service at 1-425-828-5888 and Peterbilt's customer service at 1-940-591-4220. PACCAR's numbers for this recall are 25KWB and 25PBB. 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.nhtsa.gov.
Companies: PACCAR Inc.
ProductRecalls: ProductRecallsNews MotorVehiclesNews RecallNewsStory