Kenworth T800 · model year

2006 Kenworth T800

4 NHTSA complaints, and 13 recall campaigns listed for this cohort. 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
4
Recalls
13

The verdict

The 2006 Kenworth T800 posts above-average complaint volume among its own model-year siblings.

25th pctile
complaint volume, own model years
13
recall campaigns

The 2006KenworthT800 carries 4 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 3 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 2006 T800 is electrical system with 3 filings, followed by service brakes, hydraulic (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause. This cohort has 13 NHTSA recall campaigns listed below. Enter a VIN in NHTSA's official recall lookup to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

NHTSA currently has 3 investigation files overlapping the 2006 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.

4
Complaints
0
Crashes
3
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
2006 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

4 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
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM3
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC1

Recalls (13)

06V46100030/11/2006

TRAILER HITCHES:FIFTH WHEEL ASSEMBLY

ON CERTAIN TRUCKS, AN RA529 KING PIN RELEASE AIR VALVE WAS MANUFACTURED WITH THE INTERNAL SPOOL INSTALLED BACKWARDS. THIS RESULTS IN THE AIR OPTION OF THE KING PIN RELEASE SYSTEM BEING INOPERABLE. TO CORRECT THIS SITUATION, THE VEHICLE'S AIR LINES WERE REVERSED RATHER THAN REPLACING THE VALVE.

09V23900030/06/2009

SERVICE BRAKES, AIR

KENWORTH IS RECALLING 3,423 MY 2004-2009 T2000, T800,T600, W900 AND T660 VEHICLES. INCREASED BRAKE EXCITATION IN A CERTAIN VEHICLE CONFIGURATION WHICH INCLUDES BENDIX DRUM BRAKES, WIDE BASE LOW PROFILE SINGLE TIRES, AND AN AG400 OR AG460 REAR SUSPENSION, DUE TO ITS UNIQUE BRAKE CLOCKING AND CAM TUB

05V54300029/11/2005

STEERING

ON CERTAIN TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH THE BENDIX ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESP) SYSTEM, THE SYSTEM USES MULTIPLE SENSORS AND AN ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT (ECU) TO CONTROL VEHICLE UNDER STEER, OVER-STEER, AND ROLLOVER SITUATIONS. THE SYSTEM RELIES ON VEHICLE SENSORS TO BE FUNCTIONING AND ALIGNED PROPERL

07V27900028/06/2007

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ON CERTAIN TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH CATERPILLAR C11, C13 OR C15 ENGINES, THE OIL FILL CAP CAN BECOME DISLODGED DUE TO CAP DAMAGE OR IMPROPER INSTALLATION AND BECOME LODGED IN THE U-JOINT OF THE STEERING DRIVELINE AND STEERING GEAR.

07V26900026/06/2007

TRAILER HITCHES

ON CERTAIN TRUCKS, THE REMOVABLE TOW HITCH ,WHEN USED TO TOW OR LIFT A VEHICLE, CAN FAIL DUE TO DEFECTIVE MATERIAL IN THE TOW HITCH.

08V48500024/09/2008

SUSPENSION

PACCAR IS RECALLING 130 MY 2004-2009 T2000, T800, T600, W900 AND T660 KENWORTH TRUCKS BUILT WITH AN AG400 REAR SUSPENSION, LONG STROKE BRAKE CHAMBERS, AND WIDE BASE TIRES (SUPER SINGLES). THESE VEHICLES MAY DEVELOP AN INCREASE IN LATERAL AND VERTICAL AXLE MOVEMENT. THIS MOVEMENT MAY CAUSE PART OR

08V48700023/09/2008

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL

PACCAR IS RECALLING 4,883 MY 2006-2009 KENWORTH T600, T660, T800, W900, T2000 AND MY 2008-2009 PETERBILT 365, 367, 379, 384, 386, 387, 388 AND 389 TRUCKS. INADEQUATE STIFFNESS OF THE DIESEL PARTICULATE FILTER (DPF) BRACKET COULD RESULT IN SEPARATION OF THE DPF FROM THE CHASSIS.

05V57000022/12/2005

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ON CERTAIN TRACTORS EQUIPPED WITH CATERPILLAR DIESEL ENGINES, THE VARIABLE VALVE ACTUATION OIL LINE MAY WEAR AGAINST THE SHARP EDGE OF THE CYLINDER HEAD IF NOT POSITIONED CORRECTLY.

07V10700016/03/2007

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

ON CERTAIN TRUCKS, THE WIRING, PARTS, OR TRANSMISSION PROGRAMMING REQUIRED FOR THE AUTO NEUTRAL FEATURE TO FUNCTION AS DESIGNED WERE EITHER NOT INSTALLED, CONNECTED, OR PROGRAMMED PROPERLY.

06V39100013/10/2006

POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE

ON CERTAIN TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH CHALMERS REAR SUSPENSIONS, THE ADJUSTABLE TORQUE ROD END CASTINGS MAY BE BRITTLE. A BRITTLE ROD END CASTING MAY FRACTURE WITHOUT WARNING, CAUSING THE VEHICLES' REAR AXLES TO BECOME MISALIGNED.

07V09000009/03/2007

SERVICE BRAKES, AIR

CERTAIN TRUCKS FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE BRAKE TIMING REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 121, "AIR BRAKE SYSTEMS." THE BRAKE VALVE WAS MOVED TO THE OPPOSITE RAIL, INCREASING THE LENGTH OF THE AIR LINE, WHICH IN TURN INCREASED THE WHEELBASE REQUIRING A DUAL RELAY VALV

08V09900004/03/2008

SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:SLACK ADJUSTERS

PACCAR IS RECALLING 130 MY 2005-2007 KENWORTH C500, T800, W900, AND PETERBILT MODELS 357 AND 379 TRACTOR TRAILERS EQUIPPED WITH FABCO SLACK ADJUSTERS ON SISU AXLES. THE SLACK ADJUSTERS MAY FAIL AS A RESULT OF A FATIGUE CRACK RENDERING THE SLACK ADJUSTER INOPERATIVE. THIS COULD REDUCE BRAKING EFFEC

07V46700002/10/2007

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL

ON CERTAIN EMERGENCY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH CUMMINS ISL CM850 DIESEL ENGINES, THE CONNECTING RODS WHICH TRANSFER ENERGY FROM THE PISTON TO THE CRANKSHAFT ARE DEFECTIVE AND CAN RESULT IN SEIZURE OF THE PISTON PIN. A PISTON PIN SEIZURE CAN RESULT IN A MISSION-DISABLING ENGINE FAILURE.

Recent Complaints

20110919SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 KENWORTH T800. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKES WOULD NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY UNLESS EXCESSIVE PRESSURE WAS APPLIED TO THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP WHERE THE TECHNICIANS STATED THAT ALL OF THE BRAKES WERE PERFORMING BELOW SPECIFICATIONS. THE BRAKES WERE REPAIRED. THE FAILURE SINCE RECURRED REPEATEDLY ON AN INTERMITTENT BASIS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE REPAIR SHOP NUMEROUS TIMES TO BE REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNAVAILABLE.

20100830FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM

BOOSTER CABLE ROUTING AND CABLE MOUNTING ON 2002 KENWORTH FOUND TO BE CAUSE OF FIRE. *TR

20100830FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM

BOOSTER CABLE ROUTING AND CABLE MOUNTING ON 2002 KENWORTH FOUND TO BE CAUSE OF FIRE. *TR

20100830FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM

BOOSTER CABLE ROUTING AND CABLE MOUNTING ON 2006 KENWORTH FOUND TO BE CAUSE OF FIRE. *TR

Compare 2006KenworthT800 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Vehicle Safety Guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2006 Kenworth T800 have?
The 2006 Kenworth T800 has 4 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 3 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2006 Kenworth T800?
Yes, the 2006 Kenworth T800 has 13 recall(s). The most common affected component is TRAILER HITCHES:FIFTH WHEEL ASSEMBLY. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2006 Kenworth T800?
The most-complained component for the 2006 Kenworth T800 is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC.
Is the 2006 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 2006 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.