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NHTSA Owner Complaints

2018 Peterbilt 579

6 owner-reported issues

Owner-reported data
Total complaints
6
Crash reports
0
Fire reports
2
Open recalls
4

What this means

6 NHTSA complaints filed on 2018 Peterbilt 579. Light sample — pattern recognition is limited but specific complaints may still be useful. The dominant complaint patterns are: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (33%), STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES (17%), ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE (17%). These three categories cover 67% of all reports — typical signal that there are 2-3 known systemic issues on this make/model/year, not random faults.

Top reported issues
  • #1ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    2 (33%)
  • #2STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES
    1 (17%)
  • #3ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE
    1 (17%)
  • #4SERVICE BRAKES,FIRERELATED
    1 (17%)
  • #5STEERING,SUSPENSION
    1 (17%)
Recent complaint examples
SERVICE BRAKES,FIRERELATED0000-00-00

See attached document for complaint.…

Fire
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE0000-00-00

This vehicle about 6-8 weeks ago started throwing codes for all systems above (over 100 codes). This issue affected all systems of the vehicle including but not limited to the speed and braking of the vehicle, plus the fuel system and adaptive driving systems. We took it to the d…

STEERING,SUSPENSION0000-00-00

Front axle begins popping and making metal to metal noises when hitting bumps and or turning. We took it to the shop and they found the nuts to the U-bolts that hold the leaf springs to the front axle had begun backing off and were out of torque spec. Upon receiving the truck bac…

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM0000-00-00

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 PETERBILT 579. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE DRIVER WAS DRIVING, THE REAR BRAKES AND TURN SIGNALS FAILED TO FUNCTION. THE NEXT DAY THE RUNNING LIGHTS ON THE DRIVERS SIDE FAILED, THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE TURN SIGNAL AND BRAKE ALSO FAILED TO FUNCTIO…

Fire
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES0000-00-00

BENDIX WINGMAN COLLISION MITIGATION SYSTEM, THIS SYSTEM AS AM TRYING TO BRAKE THE VEHICLE DETERMINED THAT THE VEHICLE IN FRONT WAS CLOSER THAN IT REALLY WAS AND LOCKED THE BRAKES AND STEERING, AT SUCH TIME THE DRIVER LOOSES CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY, THIS WAS THE FOURTH T…

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM0000-00-00

THE MAIN ELECTRICAL HARNESS COMING OUT OF THE MAIN COMPUTER AND RUNNING THE ENTIRE SPAN UNDERNEATH THE CAB HAD LITTLE TO NO PROTECTIVE SHEATHING/CORD WRAP/ALUMINUM WRAP PROTECTING THE WIRES. THE HARNESS IS ROUTED THROUGH A U-BOLT TYPE FLANGE AS WELL AS HANGS NEAR SEVERAL METAL PA…

Related

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these Peterbilt 579 2018 complaints verified by NHTSA?
NHTSA collects complaints from owners but does NOT verify each one. The complaints below are unfiltered owner reports — useful for spotting patterns, but a single complaint doesn't prove a defect. Pay attention to: (1) volume of complaints on the same component, (2) consistency of described symptoms, and (3) whether NHTSA has opened a formal investigation or issued a recall on the same component. If a component appears in 5+% of complaints, that's usually a real pattern worth taking seriously.
Should I avoid buying a 2018 Peterbilt 579 based on these complaints?
It depends on the components reported. 6 complaints across roughly tens of thousands of trucks of this model year is a light signal. Compare against other model years of the same truck — if 2022 has 3x more complaints than 2020 or 2024, that specific year has issues. Also check whether the most-reported component is something you can preventively address (e.g., DEF system issues can be mitigated with quality fluid + dealer software updates).
Have any of these complaints led to recalls on the 2018 Peterbilt 579?
Yes — 4 NHTSA recalls have been issued for this make/model/year. Owner complaints are one of the inputs NHTSA uses to identify potential safety defects — when a pattern shows up in complaints, an investigation can open, and if a defect is confirmed, a recall is issued. See the recall page for this vehicle for details.
How do I file my own complaint about a Peterbilt truck?
Visit NHTSA.gov/file-complaint. You'll need: your VIN, the date of incident, description of what happened, and component affected (drivetrain, brakes, etc.). Filing takes ~10 minutes and adds your data point to the public record. This is the input that triggers NHTSA investigations. For commercial trucks, fleet operators reporting issues at scale (10+ similar reports) often accelerate NHTSA's review timeline.
What's the most expensive complaint pattern on the 2018 Peterbilt 579?
Based on the complaint data: the top reported issue is 'ELECTRICAL SYSTEM' with 2 reports. Depending on the specific failure mode, this can range from a few hundred dollars (sensor replacement) to several thousand (transmission rebuild, DPF replacement, engine work). The complaint pattern alone won't tell you cost — check the symptoms described for hints about the actual root cause. Most commercial-truck complaints describe symptoms ($1,500–$5,000 repair range is typical), not catastrophic failures.

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