Vehicle recall 79V179000 · August 1, 1979
Kenworth C500 and W900
Some of the involved vehicles do not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 121, "air brake systems".
Source: NHTSA data as of September 22, 2026. Last refreshed Sep 23, 2026, 2:43 AM UTC.
- Summary
- Some of the involved vehicles do not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 121, "air brake systems". The air reservoir capacity is below that allowed by the standard.
- Remedy
- Dealer will either replace the existing tank with a larger tank or add a second tank, without charge to owner.
- Notes
- Vehicle description: trucks.system: service brakes; air supply reservoir.consequences of defect: under certain driving conditions which may requirerepeated brake applications, air supply could be depleted and braking actionlost. A vehicle accident could result.
Recall details
- NHTSA campaign
- 79V179000
- Reported to NHTSA
- August 1, 1979
- Filed by
- PACCAR, INCORPORATED
- Owner notification
- November 6, 1979
- Vehicles potentially affected
- 2,000
- Initiated by
- NHTSA’s Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance
- Components
- Service brakes, air › Supply › Reservoir/tank
Vehicles covered
As listed by NHTSA. A recall usually covers only some vehicles of each model and year, often a production date range.
- Kenworth C500 (1975-1978): 1978, 1977, 1976, 1975
- Kenworth W900 (1975-1978): 1978, 1977, 1976, 1975
Has your Kenworth been repaired?
Recalls here come from NHTSA’s records for the model and year. Not every vehicle of a model is included in every recall, and this site can’t see whether a repair has been done. Only a VIN lookup can tell you that.
NHTSA’s VIN search doesn’t show recalls that were already repaired, recalls more than 15 years old, or some small manufacturers’ recalls. A Kenworth dealer can also check your VIN. Recall repairs are free.