KENWORTH W900L · model year

1997 KENWORTH W900L

2 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1997KENWORTHW900L carries 2 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.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1997 W900L is structure with 1 filings, followed by tires (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 3 investigation files overlapping the 1997 W900L. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

2
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

2 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
STRUCTURE1
TIRES1

Recent Complaints

20010907STRUCTURE

FRAME EXTENSION FOR VEHICLE BROKE SIX TIMES IN FOUR YEARS WHERE STEERING BOX WAS ATTACHED TO FRAME. DEALERSHIP HAS REPAIRED THIS ON EACH INCIDENT, FAILING TO EFFECTIVELY REMEDY THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / ATTACHMENTS. *CONSUMER IS AWARE OF OTHER VEHICLES OF SAME MAKE / MODEL / YEAR EXPERIENCING SAME PROBLEM.*AK

20010907TIRES

FRAME EXTENSION FOR VEHICLE BROKE SIX TIMES IN FOUR YEARS WHERE STEERING BOX WAS ATTACHED TO FRAME. DEALERSHIP HAS REPAIRED THIS ON EACH INCIDENT, FAILING TO EFFECTIVELY REMEDY THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / ATTACHMENTS. *CONSUMER IS AWARE OF OTHER VEHICLES OF SAME MAKE / MODEL / YEAR EXPERIENCING SAME PROBLEM.*AK

Compare 1997KENWORTHW900L to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1997 KENWORTH W900L have?
The 1997 KENWORTH W900L has 2 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1997 KENWORTH W900L?
The most-complained component for the 1997 KENWORTH W900L is STRUCTURE with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include TIRES.
Is the 1997 KENWORTH W900L 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.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. 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.