Farm Asserts New $240,000 Kenworth Has Spent Nearly 50 Times in the Repair Shop

      WWBT

      The latest in car news and reviews without the fluff.

      Subscribe to our free daily newsletter for the most important stories delivered to your inbox every weekday.

      I’m aware of at least one Kenworth semi-truck that has surpassed four million miles, but this Virginia farm vehicle demonstrates that even reliable companies can encounter issues. According to a report from local news station WWBT, a 2026 Kenworth T280 has been in the repair shop nearly 50 times since Douglas Coleman Farms purchased it in August for $247,357.

      Family members of the farm's owners shared with WWBT that the truck broke down within its first week of use and spent most of November and December undergoing repairs for numerous issues, including malfunctioning gauges, a transmission that fails to shift, electrical problems, and even a fire. The family estimates they've lost between $30,000 and $40,000 due to the truck being frequently out of service over the past nine months.

      Virginia’s lemon law applies to new vehicles that have undergone three separate repairs for the same defect or have been out of service for a total of at least 30 days within a calendar year. Claims must be filed within 18 months of the purchase date. However, John Gayle, a lawyer consulted by WWBT who helped revise Virginia’s lemon law, mentioned that the Kenworth may not qualify, as the law does not encompass all vehicles.

      “The lemon law is designed to address primary vehicles mainly used for personal, family, or household purposes,” Gayle explained, noting that vehicles over a certain weight are excluded.

      The law, formally known as the Motor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement Act, does not provide a specific weight or class breakdown. However, in the “Definitions” section, it defines a “consumer” as someone who purchases or leases a vehicle “used substantially for personal, family, or household purposes," mirroring Gayle's statements during the interview. While I’m not a lawyer, the T280 is classified as a Class 6 medium-duty truck, and since it is primarily utilized for agricultural tasks, it appears challenging to meet the criteria in court.

      Due to the dealer's inability to resolve the issues, the Coleman family might pursue Kenworth for not fulfilling its warranty obligations, Gayle suggested. Kenworth informed WWBT that it would work on diagnosing and resolving all warranty-related concerns, and that discussions regarding replacement trucks are typically private with customers. WWBT indicated that Kenworth initially offered to buy back the truck from the Coleman family but reportedly withdrew the offer after they reached out to a lawyer before going on local news.

      Hopefully, this situation finds a resolution soon. It’s frustrating enough to have a truck out of commission when the issues are known—dealing with multiple unknown problems makes it even more challenging.