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2000 problems

FaultScore report

2000 Kenworth W900 problems

Owners have filed 12 complaints about the 2000 Kenworth W900 with NHTSA between 2000 and 2007. The largest single group is the suspension.

Read the complaints What breaks Worst years for the Kenworth W900 All 2000 cars

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Not graded

Too few complaints, or too short a model run, to compare fairly.

How this is worked out

The numbers

Complaints

Crashes reported

Fires reported

Injuries reported

How 2000 compares with every other Kenworth W900

Click any bar to open that year's report.

1 1 1 1 4 6 12 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 1 3 1

83 94 95 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 21 22 24

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks on a 2000 Kenworth W900

Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.

Suspension 4 33.3%

Median failure at 108,000 miles

Body & Structure 2 16.7%

Other & Unspecified 1 8.3%

Brakes 1 8.3%

Steering 1 8.3%

Electrical System 1 8.3%

Transmission & Drivetrain 1 8.3%

Engine & Cooling 1 8.3%

When owners complained

A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single owner can see from inside their own car.

Sep 2000 peak 7 Jul 2007

Recalls on the 2000 Kenworth W900

A complaint is one owner's allegation. A recall is the point at which the manufacturer or a regulator agreed the defect is real and dangerous enough to fix for free — however old the car is.

Canada — Transport Canada

Canada runs its own recall programme, and its campaigns do not always mirror the American ones.

Recall 2001217 27 Aug 2001 509 units in Canada

Steering

Certain 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. 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. Correcton: Dealers will remove and replace all affected tie rods and drag links with different designed ends.

Recall 2001138 31 May 2001 16 units in Canada

Suspension

Certain heavy duty trucks equipped with Meritor FG941 steer axles. The Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) was determined incorrectly and over-stated on the vehicle certification label. Correction: Vehicles will be remedied either by assigning the proper weight rating or, if possible, by changing the necessary components to meet the currently assigned weight rating.

Recall 2001104 16 May 2001 369 units in Canada

Suspension

On certain vehicles, the rear suspension is regularly subjected to extreme articulation, resulting in flexing of the joint. Failure of the lower sway arm attaching bolts could result with possible loss of vehicle control. Correction: Dealers will replace the lower sway arm brackets.

Recall 2001030 8 Feb 2001 1,965 units in Canada

Electrical

On certain vehicles, the main cab power and battery leads were attached incorrectly to the same side of the 135A circuit breaker when this circuit breaker was mounted in the optional firewall location rather than in the standard battery box location. This condition resulted on the main cab power circuit being unprotected. If a wiring short occurred anywhere along the cab power circuit, the available battery power could arc and cause a possible fire. Correction: Vehicles will be inspected and wiring corrected as required.

Recalls cover specific build ranges, so check your own vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or, in Canada, Transport Canada.

The most recent complaints

In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.

Filed 16 Jul 2007 at 108,000 miles Mound, MN

SUSPENSION:FRONT

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 KENWORTH W900. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRAME RAIL FAILED ON THREE OCCASIONS. THE DEALER REPLACED THEM EACH TIME. THE FRAME RAIL CRACKED AND CUT THE POWER STEERING HOSE. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WHEN THE CONTACT NOTICED AN OIL LEAK. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 211,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 108,000.

NHTSA complaint #10196429 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Filed 5 May 2003 Shelby, NC

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

CONSUMER STATES THAT HE IS HAVING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH HIS BIG RIG. HE STATES THAT HE CAN BE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND THE LIGHTS CUT OFF, THEN LATER ON THEY COME BACK ON. HE STATES THAT HE HAS HAD THIS TRUCK IN THE SHOP 60 PLUS TIMES, AND NO ONE CAN FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. HE STATES HE HAS HAD THE MOTOR REBUILT TWICE, REPLACED THE HEADS, REPLACE GASKET ETC AT LEASE TWICE, AND NO ONE CAN FIND THE PROBLEM.

NHTSA complaint #10018179 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Filed 24 Sep 2002 Greer, SC

STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR

KENWORTH HAS A REPUTATION OF PUTTING A CUSTUMER OFF UNTILL WARRANTY IS OUT. ALL OF THESE PROBLEMS WHERE TO BE ADDRESSED. AND THERE ARE MORE. HARD TO EXPLAIN IN SHORT WORDS. I DO HAVE DOCUMENTATION IN THE FORM OF MAINT. FILES WITH DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNTS OF ALL PROBLEMS , NONE OF WHICH HAVE BEEN ACCURATLY REPAIRED. I'V BEEN INTO VARIOUS SHOPS CONCERNING RR SUSPENSION, RIDE HEIGHT PRB. HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE ISSUE. THIS EFFECTS EVERY ASSPECT OF DRIVEABILITY, AT FIRST WAS THOUGTH TO BE ALLIGNMENT BUT THEN STARTED TO NOTICE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THE TWO WHEN CONTROL VALVES STARTED LEAKING DOWN, AFTER 15 OR SO TRIPS TO SHOP , I BEGAN TO LEARN ALL I COULD ABOUT IT. AND AFTER 50 OR SO TIMES ADJUSTING MYSELF HAVE FOUND NO REAL SOLLUTION. THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM EVER SINCE THE TRUCK WAS NEW AND IS ON THE TOP OF MY LIST BECAUSE NOT ONLY DOES THIS CREAT A MECHANICAL FALURE NIGHTMARE BUT IS DIRECTLY LINKED TO CERTAIN SAFTEY ISSUES BECAUSE TRK IS NOT VERY CONTROLABLE. AND HAVE HAD SEVERAL ACCIDENTS DUE TO VEHICLE HANDLING AND , I COULD TALK IN GREAT LENTHS ABOUTIT . ALSO THE OTHER ITEMS ARE VERY SIMILAR WHEN IT COMES TO SAFE OPPORATION. PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR FURTHER EXPLANATIONS AND DOCUMENTATION.