PETERBILT 379 · model year

1998 PETERBILT 379

6 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1998PETERBILT379 carries 6 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 4 fires, 1 injury, 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 1998 379 is electrical system:wiring:front underhood with 2 filings, followed by electrical system:wiring:fuses and circuit breakers (1) and service brakes, air:antilock:interconnecting assembly(wiring) (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 1998 379. 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.

6
Complaints
0
Crashes
4
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

6 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 SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS1
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:INTERCONNECTING ASSEMBLY(WIRING)1
SUSPENSION1
SUSPENSION:FRONT1

Recent Complaints

20100223SUSPENSION:FRONT

THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT INVOLVED WITH THIS COMPLAINT. THIS IS REGARDING PETERBILTS RECALL #303-A I HAVE A 1998 379 THAT WAS PURCHASED 10/5/01 SINCE THEN I HAVE REPLACED THE HUB BEARINGS ON THE STEER AXLE ONCE ON THE DRIVERS SIDE AND THREE TIMES ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. AFTER THE THIRD TIME ON THE PASSENGER SIDE I REPLACED EVERYTHING ( SPINDLE,HUB,AND DRUM ) ACCORDING TO PETERBILT MY TRUCK DOES NOT FALL INTO THEIR RECALL. I BELIEVE IT DOES AND IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT BECAUSE AFTER REPLACING THE FOREMENTIONED PARTS IT SEEMS TO HAVE SOLVED THE PROBLEM. *TR

20020521FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD

OUR 1998 PETERBILT 379 CAUGHT FIRE INSIDE USS POSCO STEEL MILL IN PITTSBURG, CALIFORNIA ON THURSDAY 5-16-2002. AFTER LOOKING AT YOUR WEB SITE I FOUND A RECALL THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 00V029000 . NOW OUR TRUCK IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING TOTALED OUT. HOW DO WE FIND OUT IF THIS IS WHAT CAUSED FIRE. ON OUR ESTIMATE DAMAGES WE HAVE LOSS OF THE OF OUR TRUCK, OUR LIVELY HOOD, AND ANY CLAIMS WHICH USS POSCO MAY MAKE, FOR HAVING TO BE SHUT DOWN. MY HUSBAND IS DEFINITELY TRAMATIZED, HE HAS NOT SLEPT WELL SINCE THIS OCCURED AND WHEN HE DOES HE HAS DREAMS OF THE TRUCK GOING UP IN FLAMES. HE HAD JUST BE LOADED AND WAS PULLING FORWARD TO CHAIN DOWN STEEL COILS ON TRAILER, THE TRUCK HAD BEEN SHUT OFF. HE STATRED TRUCK AND PULLED FORWARD ABOUT 200 FEET WHEN HE HEARD SHOUTING, HE STOPPED SUT OFF TRUCK, AND JUMPED OUT AT THIS TIME FLAME WERE ERUPTING FROM UNDER HOOD ON DRIVER'S SIDE AS WELL AS FROM BEHIND DRIVERS SIDE BATTERY BOX AND STEP., AND UNDERNEATH THE FENDERWELL. BY THE TIME AN EXTINGUISHE

20010502FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD

WHILE DRIVING THE FAULTY FUEL LINE ROUTING AND ENGINE WIRING SPARKED CAUSING A FIRE WITHOUT WARNING PRIOR TO RECALL NOTICE 00V-029 (EQUIPPED WITH 1998 CATERPILLAR 3406E ENGINES). NLM

20000503SUSPENSION

I'VE HAD THE TRUCK IN THE SHOP FOUR TIMES TO FIX THE SAME PROBLEM AN IS STILL NOT FIXED.AT THE TIME IT WAS VERY DANGROUS THE PROBLUM IS A LITTLE BIT FIXED BUT , I WENT IN THERE TO BUY A NEW TRUCK AN I GOT A TRUCK THAT LEANS TO RIGHT TIRES GOING BAD I'VE PUT TWO SET'S OF STEARING TIRES ON BEEN IN FRONT END SHOP ABOUT SEVEN TIMES TIRES STILL GOING BAD , AN ALL SORT'S OF OTHER THING'S AS WELL. AN THIS IS A NEW 98.000.00 DOLLAR TRUCK I BOUGHT , AN I CAN'T FIND ANYBODY TO HELP ME. *AK

20000324FireSERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:INTERCONNECTING ASSEMBLY(WIRING)

I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START. WE HAVE BEEN FIGHTING WITH PACCAR FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS NOW. MY HUSBANDS TRUCK, LISTED ON THE INCLUDED FORM, WAS ALMOST BRAND NEW WHEN IT CAUGHT FIRE AND BURNT BEYOND REPAIR. WE HAVE RECENTLY HIRED A LAYWER TO HELP US IN THIS CASE. THAT IS WHY I DON'T WANT YOU TO NOTIFY PETERBILT . OUR INSURANCE COMPANY HIRED A FIRE INVESTIGATOR AND WE WERE TOLD THAT THE FIRE WAS CAUSED BY A FAULTY BRAKE SPRING. WE ARE STILL TRYING TO GET THE REPORT FROM OUR INSURANCE COMPANY. THEY HAVE THE REPORT AND THEY WON'T RELEASE A COPY OF IT TO US. OUR HANDS ARE TIRED AT THIS POINT. PLEASE SEND US ANY INFORMATION YOU HAVE OBTAINED ON ANY SIMILAR FIRES IN PERTERBILTS (OR MERITOR BRAKES). WE ARE DESPERATE TO STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN. MY HUSBAND WAS ALMOST KILLED! HE ALSO ALMOST LOST HIS HAND WHEN THE TRUCK TIRE BLEW FROM THE HEAT AND THE BUMPER FELL ON HIS HAND, SQUISHING IT. PLEASE HELP US! WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET A HOLD OF PACCAR AND/OR PETERBILT FOR ALMOST TWO

19990908FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS

MAIN POWER LINE RUBBED AGAINST THE FUEL LINE, CAUSING AND ELECTRIC STATIC AND SPARKED A FIRE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

Compare 1998PETERBILT379 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1998 PETERBILT 379 have?
The 1998 PETERBILT 379 has 6 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 4 fires, 1 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1998 PETERBILT 379?
The most-complained component for the 1998 PETERBILT 379 is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS and SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK:INTERCONNECTING ASSEMBLY(WIRING).
Is the 1998 PETERBILT 379 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.