Kenworth T800 · model year

1997 Kenworth T800

8 NHTSA complaints. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

Complaints
8
Recalls
0

The verdict

The 1997 Kenworth T800 posts above-average complaint volume among its own model-year siblings.

5th pctile
complaint volume, own model years
0
recall campaigns

The 1997KenworthT800 carries 8 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1997 T800 is engine and engine cooling:cooling system with 1 filings, followed by fuel system, diesel (1) and steering (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.

NHTSA currently has 3 investigation files overlapping the 1997 T800. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.

8
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
1997 Kenworth T800

PlainCars' own composite of NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings and rollover-risk assessment, each dimension normalized against the federal scale or the full national model-year corpus. Not an official NHTSA figure, and not a substitute for a specific vehicle's VIN-level recall check.

NHTSA Overall Rating N/A
Not rated
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program overall crash-test rating.
Front Crash N/A
Not rated
Frontal barrier crash-test rating.
Side Crash N/A
Not rated
Side barrier and pole crash-test rating.
Rollover Resistance N/A
Not rated
Static stability factor + dynamic rollover test rating.
Rollover Risk N/A
Not reported
NHTSA single-vehicle rollover probability, dynamic test.

Total Complaints

8 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM1
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL1
STEERING1
TIRES1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER:LPG SYSTEMS:WATER HEATER1
EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER:LPG SYSTEMS:TANK ASSEMBLY1
EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER1

Recent Complaints

20100523ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM

I WORK FOR [XXX]. THEY ARE MAKING ME DRIVE THE TRUCK UNSAFE WITHOUT HAVING ANY MAINTENANCE DONE TO THE TRUCK AND RUNNING OVER THE HOURS FROM 12-20 HOURS A DAY. IF THEY I DON'T TAKE THE LOADS THEY TELL ME TO TAKE OR I AM FIRED AND I CANNOT AFFORD NOT TO WORK. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

20100523FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL

I WORK FOR [XXX]. THEY ARE MAKING ME DRIVE THE TRUCK UNSAFE WITHOUT HAVING ANY MAINTENANCE DONE TO THE TRUCK AND RUNNING OVER THE HOURS FROM 12-20 HOURS A DAY. IF THEY I DON'T TAKE THE LOADS THEY TELL ME TO TAKE OR I AM FIRED AND I CANNOT AFFORD NOT TO WORK. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

20100523STEERING

I WORK FOR [XXX]. THEY ARE MAKING ME DRIVE THE TRUCK UNSAFE WITHOUT HAVING ANY MAINTENANCE DONE TO THE TRUCK AND RUNNING OVER THE HOURS FROM 12-20 HOURS A DAY. IF THEY I DON'T TAKE THE LOADS THEY TELL ME TO TAKE OR I AM FIRED AND I CANNOT AFFORD NOT TO WORK. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

20100523TIRES

I WORK FOR [XXX]. THEY ARE MAKING ME DRIVE THE TRUCK UNSAFE WITHOUT HAVING ANY MAINTENANCE DONE TO THE TRUCK AND RUNNING OVER THE HOURS FROM 12-20 HOURS A DAY. IF THEY I DON'T TAKE THE LOADS THEY TELL ME TO TAKE OR I AM FIRED AND I CANNOT AFFORD NOT TO WORK. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

20100523UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I WORK FOR [XXX]. THEY ARE MAKING ME DRIVE THE TRUCK UNSAFE WITHOUT HAVING ANY MAINTENANCE DONE TO THE TRUCK AND RUNNING OVER THE HOURS FROM 12-20 HOURS A DAY. IF THEY I DON'T TAKE THE LOADS THEY TELL ME TO TAKE OR I AM FIRED AND I CANNOT AFFORD NOT TO WORK. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

20100523EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER:LPG SYSTEMS:WATER HEATER

I WORK FOR [XXX]. THEY ARE MAKING ME DRIVE THE TRUCK UNSAFE WITHOUT HAVING ANY MAINTENANCE DONE TO THE TRUCK AND RUNNING OVER THE HOURS FROM 12-20 HOURS A DAY. IF THEY I DON'T TAKE THE LOADS THEY TELL ME TO TAKE OR I AM FIRED AND I CANNOT AFFORD NOT TO WORK. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

20100523EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER:LPG SYSTEMS:TANK ASSEMBLY

I WORK FOR [XXX]. THEY ARE MAKING ME DRIVE THE TRUCK UNSAFE WITHOUT HAVING ANY MAINTENANCE DONE TO THE TRUCK AND RUNNING OVER THE HOURS FROM 12-20 HOURS A DAY. IF THEY I DON'T TAKE THE LOADS THEY TELL ME TO TAKE OR I AM FIRED AND I CANNOT AFFORD NOT TO WORK. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

20100523EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER

I WORK FOR [XXX]. THEY ARE MAKING ME DRIVE THE TRUCK UNSAFE WITHOUT HAVING ANY MAINTENANCE DONE TO THE TRUCK AND RUNNING OVER THE HOURS FROM 12-20 HOURS A DAY. IF THEY I DON'T TAKE THE LOADS THEY TELL ME TO TAKE OR I AM FIRED AND I CANNOT AFFORD NOT TO WORK. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

Compare 1997KenworthT800 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Vehicle Safety Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1997 Kenworth T800 have?
The 1997 Kenworth T800 has 8 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Kenworth T800?
The most-complained component for the 1997 Kenworth T800 is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL and STEERING.
Is the 1997 Kenworth T800 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.

Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1997 Kenworth T800; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.