Total Complaints
2 filings
PETERBILT 387 · model year
2009 PETERBILT 387
2 NHTSA complaints, and 9 active recalls for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2009PETERBILT387 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 2009 387 is steering with 1 filings, followed by engine (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. This model year has 9 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.
NHTSA currently has 3 investigation files overlapping the 2009 387. 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
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
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| STEERING | 1 |
| ENGINE | 1 |
Recalls (9)
11V20300024/03/2011
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
PACCAR IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2007-2011 KENWORTH C500, T2000, T600, AND T660, AS WELL AS MODEL YEAR 2009-2011 PETERBILT 387 AND 388 TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH CATERPILLAR C15 ENGINE AND MANUFACTURED FROM MAY 11, 2006, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 17, 2010. DEGRADATION OF A COMBUSTION TUBE WELD CAN CAUSE
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.
11V12700023/02/2011
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
PACCAR IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008-2012 KENWORTH T2000, T660, T700, T800, AND W900, AS WELL AS MODEL YEAR 2009-2012 PETERBILT 365, 367, 384, 386, 387, 388, 389, AND 587 TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH PACCAR MX ENGINES. THE OIL MODULE CENTRIFUGAL SPINNER FILTER CAP IN THE PACCAR MX ENGINE MAY BECOME
09V01900016/01/2009
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL
PACCAR IS RECALLING 1098 KENWORTH MY 2008 T800, W900, MY 2008-2009 T2000 AND PETERBILT MY 2007-2009 379 AND 387 TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH C15 CATERPILLAR DIESEL ENGINES. THE AFTERTREATMENT REGENERATION DEVICE (ARD) MAY DEVELOP A HOLE AND HEAT AND FLAME MAY ESCAPE DURING A REGENERATION OF THE DIESEL PART
09V25800008/07/2009
STEERING:COLUMN
PACCAR IS RECALLING 2,096 MY 2009 KENWORTH AND PETERBILT VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH TRW STEERING SHAFTS. MISLOCATION OF A CIRCUMFERENTIAL WELD MAY ALLOW THE SPLINED TUBE AND NON-SPLINED TUBE TO ROTATE RELATIVE TO ONE ANOTHER DURING A LOW SPEED, HIGH TORQUE TURN, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A SEPARATION OF TH
08V06500007/02/2008
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
PACCAR IS RECALLING 6,169 MY 2008 KENWORTH T300, T660, T800, T2000, W900 AND C500 VEHICLES AND MY 2008-2009 PETERBILT MODELS 365, 367, 384, 387, 388, 389 AND 389 KITS. CERTAIN DOOR LATCH ASSEMBLIES ON THESE VEHICLES FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 20
20V19900006/04/2020
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain 2008-2019 Peterbilt 330, 335, 337, 340, 348, 365, 367, 384, 386, 387, 388, 389, 567, 579 and 587 vehicles and 2008-2020 Kenworth T170, T270, T370, T660, T680, T800, T880, and W900 vehicles equipped with NAMUX Software. In the event that the Anti-lo
15V13200006/03/2015
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
PACCAR Incorporated (PACCAR) is recalling certain model year 2006-2016 Peterbilt 587, 579, 567, 389, 388, 387, 385, 382, 379, 378, 367, 365 and 357 trucks manufactured July 25, 2005, to February 26, 2016. The affected vehicles may be equipped with Tire and Rim Certification Labels that list a tire
10V30800002/07/2010
STEERING:COLUMN
PACCAR IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008-2010 TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH TRW STEERING SHAFTS. THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL WELD AROUND THE STEERING SHAFT TUBE THAT WELDS THE SPLINED TUBE TO THE NON-SPLINED TUBE MAY BE MISLOCATED. MISLOCATION OF THE CIRCUMFERENTIAL WELD MAY ALLOW THE SPLINED TUBE AND NON-SPLIN
Recent Complaints
20150611ENGINE
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 PETERBILT CONVENTIONAL 387. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DPS FILTER FAILED TO WORK AND THAT THE SYSTEM WAS RUNNING HOT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC WHO CLEANED THE FILTER, UPDATED THE SOFTWARE TO THE DPF, AND REPROGRAMMED THE DPS SOFTWARE BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED WITH THE SYSTEM INDICATING THAT IT WAS RUNNING HOT. THE VEHICLE WAS TO BE TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER FOR FURTHER INSPECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 11V203000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE SEVERAL TIMES AND PROVIDED NO REMEDY. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 400,000.
Mileage: 400,000
20080913STEERING
STEERING LINKAGE IS A CRITICAL FAILURE IN THE PETERBILT 387. I HAVE A 2009 MODEL, AND ONLY 4 MONTHS OLD, IT NOW MAKES SCARY POPPING AND CREAKING NOISE. FROM MY UNDERSTANDING FROM OTHER DRIVERS OF THE SAME MODEL VEHICLE, STEERING SEIZES TO THE RIGHT OR LEFT MAKING IT HARD TO BREAK IT LOOSE. MY OPINION IS THAT PACCAR NEEDS TO MODIFY AND IMPROVE THE STEERING COMPONENTS. FOR ME, THE POPPING AND CREAKING NOISE GETS LOUDER AND LOUDER EVERY DAY. I'M THINKING ITS THE MATERIAL USED THAT'S A COMPLETE FAIL. PETERBILT ISN'T WILLING TO HONOR THEIR MISTAKE ON MY TRUCK, TELLING ME THIS IS NORMAL. PLEASE DO LOOK INTO THIS COMPONENT. PEOPLES LIVES ARE AT RISK WHEN IT COMES TO AN 80,000LB ROAD HAZARD. THANKS. *TR
Mileage: 47,000
Compare 2009PETERBILT387 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2009 PETERBILT 387 have?▼
The 2009 PETERBILT 387 has 2 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2009 PETERBILT 387?▼
Yes, the 2009 PETERBILT 387 has 9 recall(s). The most common affected component is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2009 PETERBILT 387?▼
The most-complained component for the 2009 PETERBILT 387 is STEERING with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE.
Is the 2009 PETERBILT 387 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.