1998 Peterbilt 379 Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 3about this part
- Share
- 50%of 6 total for the year
- Median mileage
- —not reported
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 3 complaints about the electrical system of the 1998 Peterbilt 379, 50% of the 6 complaints for this model year. 3 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“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. …”
NHTSA complaint #762038, filed 2002-05“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”
NHTSA complaint #560686, filed 2001-04Related recalls
- 99V181001Jul 9, 1999Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with caterpillar engines and eaton autoshift transmissions. The engines can stall because of software problems.Covers: Peterbilt 379 1998–1999, Kenworth W900 1998–1999, T800 1998–1999 +5 more
Related service bulletins
- 10177021Jun 8, 2020Information Only: This bulletin provides dealers with a battery warranty quick reference guide to ensure the appropriate tests for battery warranty are performed in order to…
- 10162392Jun 10, 2019Information Only - Quick Reference Guide for Electric harness damage repairs.
- 10154733Jan 4, 2019Information: Bendix ACOM Software version 6.16.5.0 for diagnostics may introduce an unrecoverable error. Notice to dealers to replace this version with older software version…
- 10143649Jul 23, 2018Information - Recommended Practices for Updating ESA Software
Electrical system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 1 | 17% |
| 1998 | 3 | 50% |
Other parts of the 1998 Peterbilt 379
← All problems reported for the 1998 Peterbilt 379
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology