2022 KENWORTH T680 Complaints

I drive a 2022 Kenworth T680 equipped with a Bendix collision mitigation / automatic emergency braking system. On multiple occasions, the system has applied the service brakes hard with no real obstacle in front of the truck, creating a serious rear-end collision risk for vehicles behind me. The events typically occur in rain, fog, or under overpasses and signs at highway speeds with cruise control engaged. The truck suddenly brakes without warning or driver input, dropping speed rapidly in the travel lane while traffic is following. I have documented dates, locations, weather, and traffic conditions for these incidents. In each case, there was no stopped or slowing vehicle in my lane that justified automatic emergency braking. This appears to be a “false positive” AEB activation similar to those NHTSA is already investigating on other Class 8 tractors, where the system misidentifies harmless objects or roadway features and commands an unnecessary stop. These false activations put me and other motorists at risk of a rear-end crash. The dealer has indicated they are limited in how much they can disable the system for liability reasons, so I am submitting this as a safety defect report and requesting that NHTSA investigate this behavior on Kenworth T680 trucks with this collision mitigation system.

The contact owns a 2022 Kenworth T680. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the Engine Control Module (ECM) or the Engine Control Unit (ECU), started to lose power, eventually displaying a black screen. When attempting to drive and accelerate up to 50 MPH, the vehicle suddenly lost power. The contact stated that a timer displayed a countdown from one hour, and once the timer reached 0 minutes, the vehicle automatically shut off. The contact would coast to the side of the road and wait before restarting the vehicle to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the ECM/ECU and oxygen sensors both failed and needed to be replaced. The ECM/ECU was repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 450.