The Peterbilt 362 spans 1981–2023 with 19 recorded NHTSA recalls and a 4.5/5 ForCar reliability score. It delivers competitive fuel economy and NHTSA-rated safety.
How we score: NHTSA crash-test safety (40%), recall frequency across all years (25%) and the share of owner complaints involving a crash, fire or injury (35%). Based on NHTSA & EPA data — not user reviews.
Overview
The Peterbilt 362 is one of the most popular vehicles in its class, produced from 1981 to 2023 across multiple generations.
How to read a Peterbilt 362 VIN — every digit explained
Every Peterbilt 362 carries a unique 17-character VIN stamped at the factory. Each position is a code — together they spell out where, when and how your car was built. Here's exactly what every digit means.
- WMI (1–3) — country & manufacturer. Tells you it's a Peterbilt and the country it was built in (real Peterbilt codes below).
- VDS (4–8) — model, body style, engine, trim & restraints. The 8th digit is the engine code.
- Check digit (9) — a math check that proves the VIN is genuine.
- Model year (10) — the year it was built (e.g. R = 2024, S = 2025).
- Plant (11) — which factory assembled this 362.
- Serial (12–17) — the unique sequential production number.
- USA1XP
- Canada2XP
- Mexico3WP
Digits 4–17 — the engine code (8th), model-year letter (10th) and plant — follow the universal SAE standard, identical on every car. For the full year-code table (2001–2026), country codes and where the VIN is stamped on your 362, see the complete guide to reading a VIN.
How many recalls does the Peterbilt 362 have?
The Peterbilt 362 has 19 recorded NHTSA recalls across 1981–2023. Pick a year below to see its recalls — then verify open recalls against your specific VIN.
2003 Peterbilt 362 recalls 1
Steering:linkages:knuckle:spindle:arm
What's wrong. On certain trucks equipped with dana spicer integral knuckle and steer arm assemblies, the steer axle assemblies may have a longitudinal crack in the steer arm.
Risk. If the crack should propagate over time, the ball could become loose resulting in a loss of steering, which could result in a crash.
Fix. Dealers will inspect and replace the knuckle and steer arm assemblies. Owner notification began january 5, 2004. Owners should contact kenworth at 1-425-828-5440 or peterbilt at 1-940-591-4201.
2001 Peterbilt 362 recalls 2
Service Brakes, Air:supply:check Valve
What's wrong. On certain heavy duty trucks equipped with meritor wabco pneumatic anitlock brake system (abs) valve packages, the assembly bolts on these valve packages were not tightened correctly.
Risk. Bolts torqued below specification will not reliably prevent air leakage at the affected abs valve package interface joints once the component begins normal vehicle operation. If air leaks develop at any of the abs valve package interface joints, brake system pressure reductions could occur during braking or normal operation with units equipped with the traction control option, potentially extending stopping distances, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.
Fix. Dealers will tighten the fasteners to the proper specification. Owner notification began february 15, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact kenworth at 1-425-828-5440 or peterbilt at 1-940-591-4201.
Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
What's wrong. Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks. A change in the internal linkage of certain cab doors has created a possible binding condition.
Risk. If the linkage binds, full engagement of the door latch may not occur, allowing the door to open inadvertently.
Fix. Dealers will modify the door linkage to correct the potential of binding. Owner notification began june 22, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact peterbilt at 1-940-591-4000.
2000 Peterbilt 362 recalls 3
Steering:linkages:tie Rod Assembly
What's wrong. Heavy duty trucks equipped with trw tie rod ends on certain arvinmeritor and dana axles. Peterbilt will recall 1,434 vehicles equipped with arvinmeritor axles manufactured from december 11, 1999, to may 14, 2000, and from july 22 to september 30, 2000. Kenworth will recall 859 vehicles equipped with arvinmeritor vehicles manufactured from december 11, 1999, to may 23, 2000, and from july 27, 2000, to september 30, 2000 and kennworth will recall an additional 4,151 vehicles equipped with dana axles and manufactured from june 23 to december 6, 1999, and from may 23 to september 30, 2000. The tie rod and drag link ball stud ends contain bearings that are below the specified case depth and/or hardness.
Risk. This can lead to premature wear with possible separation of the ball stud from the socket, increasing the risk of loss of control of the vehicle.
Fix. Dealers will remove and replace all affected tie rods and drag links with different designed ends. Owner notification began july 15, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact peterbilt at 1-940-591-4201 or kenworth at 1-425-828-5440.
Steering:linkages:tie Rod Assembly
What's wrong. Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with trw tie rod ends on certain meritor axles. The tie rod and drag link ball stud ends contain bearings that are below the specified case depth and/or hardness.
Risk. This can lead to premature wear with possible separation of the ball stud from the socket, increasing the risk of loss of control of the vehicle.
Fix. Dealers will remove and replace all affected tie rods and drag links with different designed ends. Owner notification began october 24, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact peterbilt at 1-940-591-4000 or kenworth at 1-425-828-5000.
Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
What's wrong. Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks. A change in the internal linkage of certain cab doors has created a possible binding condition.
Risk. If the linkage binds, full engagement of the door latch may not occur, allowing the door to open inadvertently.
Fix. Dealers will modify the door linkage to correct the potential of binding. Owner notification began june 22, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact peterbilt at 1-940-591-4000.
1999 Peterbilt 362 recalls 4
Steering:linkages:tie Rod Assembly
What's wrong. Heavy duty trucks equipped with trw tie rod ends on certain arvinmeritor and dana axles. Peterbilt will recall 1,434 vehicles equipped with arvinmeritor axles manufactured from december 11, 1999, to may 14, 2000, and from july 22 to september 30, 2000. Kenworth will recall 859 vehicles equipped with arvinmeritor vehicles manufactured from december 11, 1999, to may 23, 2000, and from july 27, 2000, to september 30, 2000 and kennworth will recall an additional 4,151 vehicles equipped with dana axles and manufactured from june 23 to december 6, 1999, and from may 23 to september 30, 2000. The tie rod and drag link ball stud ends contain bearings that are below the specified case depth and/or hardness.
Risk. This can lead to premature wear with possible separation of the ball stud from the socket, increasing the risk of loss of control of the vehicle.
Fix. Dealers will remove and replace all affected tie rods and drag links with different designed ends. Owner notification began july 15, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact peterbilt at 1-940-591-4201 or kenworth at 1-425-828-5440.
Steering:linkages:tie Rod Assembly
What's wrong. Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with tie rod assemblies manufactured by trw. The suspect tie rods contain 24-dl model ball sockets. Certain of the tie rod ball-socket bearings have a below-specification case depth and/or hardness, which can lead to premature wear of the socket.
Risk. If this condition occurs, the driver can lose partial control of the right front wheel, possibly resulting in a crash.
Fix. Dealers will replace the defective ball sockets and/or drag links. Owner notification began on april 10, 2001, to kenworth owners and on april 25, 2001, to peterbilt owners. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact kenworth at 1-425-828-5000, peterbilt at 1-940-591-4000 or trw customer service at 1-866-280-3287.
Steering:linkages:tie Rod Assembly
What's wrong. Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with trw tie rod ends on certain meritor axles. The tie rod and drag link ball stud ends contain bearings that are below the specified case depth and/or hardness.
Risk. This can lead to premature wear with possible separation of the ball stud from the socket, increasing the risk of loss of control of the vehicle.
Fix. Dealers will remove and replace all affected tie rods and drag links with different designed ends. Owner notification began october 24, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact peterbilt at 1-940-591-4000 or kenworth at 1-425-828-5000.
Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
What's wrong. Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks. A change in the internal linkage of certain cab doors has created a possible binding condition.
Risk. If the linkage binds, full engagement of the door latch may not occur, allowing the door to open inadvertently.
Fix. Dealers will modify the door linkage to correct the potential of binding. Owner notification began june 22, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact peterbilt at 1-940-591-4000.
1988 Peterbilt 362 recalls 1
Vehicle Speed Control
What's wrong. Due to an incorrect cab support leg, throttle rod when separated, could cause throttle linkage to lock in the full throttle position.
Risk. If throttle locked in full throttle position while thetruck is moving, loss of vehicle control could result in an accident.
Fix. Install a restrictor plate to the cab leg.
1983 Peterbilt 362 recalls 1
Seat Belts:front:anchorage
What's wrong. Single thickness tether safety belts can break under the stresses created during a vehicle crash. The safety belts do not comply with fmvss 207 and 210.
Risk. Broken safety belts do not provide adequate protectionfor seat occupants in the event of a vehicle crash.
Fix. Replace single thickness tether safety belts with double thickness tether belts.
1982 Peterbilt 362 recalls 3
Structure:frame And Members
What's wrong. Some of the involved vehicles may develop cracks in the front extension of the frame rail due to discrepancies involving the location of a weld stud. In this condition, the frame extension could separate.
Fix. Dealer will inspect existing frame extentions and, if necessary, replace them at no cost to owner.
Equipment:electrical
What's wrong. A possibility exists that if the cigarette lighter is depressed, engaging the heating element, lighter may not automatically "pop out" or disengage. As a result, the heating element may continue to heat to higher than normal temperatures.
Fix. Dealer will inspect and, if necessary, replace the lighter without charge.
Seat Belts:front:anchorage
What's wrong. Single thickness tether safety belts can break under the stresses created during a vehicle crash. The safety belts do not comply with fmvss 207 and 210.
Risk. Broken safety belts do not provide adequate protectionfor seat occupants in the event of a vehicle crash.
Fix. Replace single thickness tether safety belts with double thickness tether belts.
1981 Peterbilt 362 recalls 4
Visibility:windshield
What's wrong. Some vehicles may have been manufactured with a windshield mask having too large an opening which was not angled correctly. The top of the windshield could come out of the rubber molding, allowing the windshield glass to shift back approximately one inch.
Fix. All involved vehicles will have the mask reformed and a bracket will be added to ensure the retention of the windshield.
Structure:frame And Members
What's wrong. Some of the involved vehicles may develop cracks in the front extension of the frame rail due to discrepancies involving the location of a weld stud. In this condition, the frame extension could separate.
Fix. Dealer will inspect existing frame extentions and, if necessary, replace them at no cost to owner.
Equipment:electrical
What's wrong. A possibility exists that if the cigarette lighter is depressed, engaging the heating element, lighter may not automatically "pop out" or disengage. As a result, the heating element may continue to heat to higher than normal temperatures.
Fix. Dealer will inspect and, if necessary, replace the lighter without charge.
Seat Belts:front:anchorage
What's wrong. Single thickness tether safety belts can break under the stresses created during a vehicle crash. The safety belts do not comply with fmvss 207 and 210.
Risk. Broken safety belts do not provide adequate protectionfor seat occupants in the event of a vehicle crash.
Fix. Replace single thickness tether safety belts with double thickness tether belts.
Best and worst years for the Peterbilt 362
We're still compiling NHTSA owner-complaint history for the Peterbilt 362 — best- and worst-year trends will appear here once that data is in.
What are the most common Peterbilt 362 problems?
We're still compiling NHTSA owner-complaint data for the Peterbilt 362 — the most-reported problems will appear here once that data is in.
Source: NHTSA owner complaints, all model years. Bar = share of total complaints. Full reports searchable on NHTSA.gov.
Peterbilt 362 specifications & dimensions
The 2023 Peterbilt 362. Full dimensions below — engine, horsepower and trim decode from your VIN. For the original factory build — MSRP, trim and standard equipment — rebuild the Peterbilt 362 window sticker.
| Specs cache warming… |
Source: NHTSA vPIC / Transport Canada vehicle specifications. Metric values converted to imperial; generation ranges approximate.
Peterbilt 362 cargo space, seating & interior room
How much the 362 holds — passengers and cargo. Seating, cargo and interior dimensions vary by trim and seat configuration — decode your VIN for the exact build.
Exact seating capacity, third-row availability, legroom and headroom decode from your VIN or vary by trim — the original factory equipment & options list shows what each trim included.
Passenger & cargo volume from EPA fueleconomy.gov (largest configuration). Seats, legroom and headroom from NHTSA vPIC on VIN decode.
Peterbilt 362 tire size, oil type & owner specs
The fitment owners look up most — tires, wheels, oil and batteries. Exact wheel and tire sizes decode from your VIN or the driver's door-jamb placard; the universal items are listed below.
Exact tire, wheel, oil grade, capacity and battery group are added per trim and model year — decode your VIN above for the factory fitment. Universal items shown as-is.
What MPG does the Peterbilt 362 get?
MPG cache warming… reload in a moment.
What engines does the Peterbilt 362 have? Power & range
Powertrain data warming… reload in a moment.
How much does a Peterbilt 362 cost to own?
A Peterbilt 362 holds its value well. A typical example keeps roughly 56% of its value after five years — losing about 44% to depreciation. Check what a used 362 is worth today or browse current used-market prices before you buy or sell. Fuel, maintenance and insurance add to the total cost to own.
| Age | Value retained | Est. resale value | Lost to depreciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 84% | $25,200 | −$4,800 |
| Year 2 | 76% | $22,800 | −$7,200 |
| Year 3 | 68% | $20,400 | −$9,600 |
| Year 4 | 61% | $18,300 | −$11,700 |
| Year 5 | 56% | $16,800 | −$13,200 |
What goes into the five-year cost to own:
- Depreciation — the biggest cost: this 362 loses about 44% of its value over five years. See the full depreciation curve by age.
- Fuel — based on EPA economy at roughly 15,000 miles a year.
- Maintenance & repairs — routine service, tires and wear items as the 362 ages.
- Insurance — varies by driver, state and trim; get a quote for your exact figure.
Resale & depreciation are ForCar estimates from typical segment value-retention curves — not a live market quote. Fuel from EPA fueleconomy.gov at ~15k mi/yr.
Is the Peterbilt 362 safe?
NHTSA crash-test ratings aren't published for the 362 yet — see the top-rated safest cars instead.
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How many miles does a Peterbilt 362 last?
A well-maintained Peterbilt 362 typically lasts 250,000–300,000+ miles. It's exceptionally durable — with routine maintenance many owners report 250k+ on the original powertrain. Its ForCar Reliability Score is 4.5/5.
Check your Peterbilt 362’s VIN — history, recalls & specs
Title records, open recalls, build details and paint code — straight from the VIN. Free.
Check this 362’s VIN free →All Peterbilt 362 model years
A year-by-year snapshot of the Peterbilt 362 — recalls, best EPA fuel economy and NHTSA safety. Tap a year for full details.
| Year | Recalls | Best MPG | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 2022 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 2021 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 2020 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 2019 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 2018 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 2017 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 2016 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 2015 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 2014 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 2013 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 2012 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 2011 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 2010 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 2009 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 2008 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 2007 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 2006 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 2005 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 2004 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 2003 362 | 1 recall | — | — |
| 2002 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 2001 362 | 2 recalls | — | — |
| 2000 362 | 3 recalls | — | — |
| 1999 362 | 4 recalls | — | — |
| 1998 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 1997 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 1996 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 1995 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 1994 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 1993 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 1992 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 1991 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 1990 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 1989 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 1988 362 | 1 recall | — | — |
| 1987 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 1986 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 1985 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 1984 362 | 0 | — | — |
| 1983 362 | 1 recall | — | — |
| 1982 362 | 3 recalls | — | — |
| 1981 362 | 4 recalls | — | — |
Recalls = NHTSA campaigns that year · MPG = best EPA combined · Safety = NHTSA overall stars (tested years).
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the 362?
We're still compiling NHTSA owner-complaint history for the Peterbilt 362.
How many recalls does the 362 have?
19 recorded NHTSA recalls across 1981–2023. Always check open recalls by your VIN.
How many miles does a 362 last?
A well-maintained 362 typically reaches 200,000–300,000 miles with regular maintenance.
Is the 362 reliable?
Our ForCar Reliability Score for the 362 is 4.5/5, based on NHTSA safety, recall history and complaint severity.
What's the Peterbilt 362 warranty?
New Peterbilt models carry a 3 years / 36,000 miles basic (bumper-to-bumper) warranty and a 5 years / 60,000 miles powertrain warranty. Coverage can vary by model year and market — confirm with a Peterbilt dealer.
Where is the Peterbilt 362 made?
The assembly plant is encoded in the VIN — the 11th character. Decode your 362's VIN above to see exactly where it was built; Peterbilt may build it at more than one plant depending on the year.
How much ground clearance does the 362 have?
Ground clearance varies by trim and drivetrain — AWD/4WD versions often sit higher. Decode your VIN or check the specific trim for the exact figure.