Menu

Carpenter School BusYears to avoid, problems & recalls

NHTSA has 23 owner complaints and 5 safety recalls on record for the Carpenter School Bus.

Years to avoidNoneBased on weighted complaintsBest years—Fewest complaints for their ageOwner complaints23Top: Vehicle speed controlSafety recalls51977–1997 model years

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports. Updated daily. How we score years.

Best & worst years

Carpenter School Bus years to avoid

Complaints by model year, colored by the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the School Bus median. Tap a year for its full report.

'77'81'82'83'87'88'89'94'95'96'97
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
1997Not rated–/10012 complaints · 0 recalls1996Not rated–/1004 complaints · 0 recalls1995Not rated–/1002 complaints · 0 recalls1994Not rated–/1004 complaints · 0 recalls1989Not rated–/1001 complaint · 0 recalls1988Not rated–/1000 complaints · 1 recall1987Not rated–/1000 complaints · 2 recalls1983Not rated–/1000 complaints · 1 recall1982Not rated–/1000 complaints · 2 recalls1981Not rated–/1000 complaints · 2 recalls1977Not rated–/1000 complaints · 1 recall
Complaints by system

Most common Carpenter School Bus problems

All model years combined: 23 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Vehicle speed control80
Seats70
Structure40
Visibility30
Service brakes, hydraulic10
Power train10
Engine and engine cooling10
5 recalls

Carpenter School Bus recalls

Newest first. The ring shows the share of affected vehicles repaired, from the manufacturer's latest report to NHTSA.

–Body: door88V-169 · 1987–1988 · Oct 20, 1988 · 745 vehicles–Structure: body87V-114 · 1987 · Jul 23, 1987 · 874 vehicles–Structure: frame and members83V-038 · 1981–1983 · Apr 6, 1983 · 186 vehicles–Structure: frame and members83V-004 · 1981–1982 · Jan 21, 1983 · 19 vehicles–Structure: body80V-008 · 1977 · Feb 11, 1980 · 693 vehicles
6 investigations

NHTSA investigations of the School Bus

  1. INADEQUATE WELDING QUALITY CONTROL SEATSEA98020 · 1996–1997 · closed Dec 3, 1998
    Led to recall 98V-238
  2. CRACKING OF ROOF SUPPORT STRUCTUREPE98036 · 1995–1998 · closed Dec 16, 1998
    No recall
  3. INADEQUATE WELDING PASSENGER SEATPE98027 · 1996–1997 · closed Aug 31, 1998
    No recall
  4. UNDERHOOD FUEL LEAKAGE AND FIRESPE98019 · 1993–1996 · closed Sep 21, 1998
    No recall
  5. MISSING SIDE-WINDOW STOPSPE97030 · 1996 · closed Sep 30, 1997
    No recall
  6. HANDRAILSPE93034 · 1985–1993 · closed May 12, 1993
    Led to recall 93V-032