I know of at least one Kenworth semi truck that has accumulated over four million miles, but this Virginia farm truck proves that even companies with a stellar reputation for reliability occasionally mess things up. According to a report from local news station WWBT, this 2026 Kenworth T280 has been in the shop nearly 50 times since it was purchased in August by Douglas Coleman Farms for $247,357.
Members of the family who owns the farm told WWBT that the truck broke down within their first week of ownership, and spent nearly all of November and December in the shop for issues ranging from gauges that don’t work and a transmission that won’t shift, to electrical issues and even a fire. The family told reporters that they’ve lost $30,000 to $40,000 from the truck being out of service so frequently over the past nine months.
Virginia’s lemon law applies to new vehicles that have required three separate repairs for the same issue, or that have been out of service for at least 30 days in a calendar year. Lemon-law claims must also be made within 18 months of purchase. But John Gayle, a lawyer consulted by WWBT who previously rewrote Virginia’s lemon law, said the Kenworth may not qualify because the law doesn’t cover all vehicles.
“The lemon law is written to cover primary vehicles primarily used for personal, family, or household use,” Gayle said, adding that vehicles over a certain weight are not covered.
The text of the law, officially known as the Motor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement Act, doesn’t include a specific breakdown for weight or class. But in the “Definitions” section, it does state that a “consumer” is someone who purchases or leases a vehicle “used in substantial part for personal, family, or household purposes,” echoing the language used by Gayle in the interview. I’m not a lawyer, but the T280 is a Class 6 medium-duty truck, in this case being used primarily for farm work, so it seems like it would be difficult to clear that hurdle in court.
Because a dealer hasn’t been able to fix the problems, the Coleman family can likely go after Kenworth for failing to meet its warranty obligations, Gayle said. The company told WWBT said it would work to diagnose and address all warranty-related issues, and that discussions of replacement trucks are handled privately with customers. WWBT reports that Kenworth offered to buy the truck back from the Coleman family, but it allegedly rescinded the offer after learning they had contacted a lawyer before appearing on local news.
Hopefully, the situation gets resolved soon. It’s bad enough having a truck out of action when you know what’s wrong with it—let alone having to deal with multiple unexplained problems.