U.S. public vehicle records

Carpenter SCHOOL BUS problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

23 owner complaints analyzed

5 distinct recall campaigns

Not available median reported failure mileage

Scope: 1977 to 1997 model years. Data updated: 2026-10-01 (October 1, 2026). 0 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.

This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Vehicle Speed Control is the most frequently named component, appearing in 8 of 23 complaints (34.8%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Braking behavior	1	4.3%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Vehicle Speed Control

Vehicle Speed Control:Cables

Seats:Front Assembly:Recliner

Structure:Body:Door

Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal

Visibility:Windshield

Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System

Power Train:Axle Assembly

Component breakdown data
Category	Count
Vehicle Speed Control	8
Vehicle Speed Control:Cables	8
Seats:Front Assembly:Recliner	7
Structure:Body:Door	2
Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal	2
Visibility:Windshield	2
Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System	1
Power Train:Axle Assembly	1

Vehicle Speed Control: 8; Vehicle Speed Control:Cables: 8; Seats:Front Assembly:Recliner: 7; Structure:Body:Door: 2; Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal: 2; Visibility:Windshield: 2; Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System: 1; Power Train:Axle Assembly: 1

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0

No usable failure mileage is recorded. 23 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

1995

1996

1998

1999

2000

2003

1995: 1; 1996: 2; 1998: 7; 1999: 8; 2000: 4; 2003: 1

Pattern summary

Vehicle Speed Control leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 855686 · 2000-01-28 (January 28, 2000)

THERE IS NOT ENOUGH WEIGHT ON THE FRONT AXLE, SO THAT WHEN BRAKES ARE LIGHTLY APPLIED, THE FRONT WHEELS AUTOMATICALLY LOCK UP, ESPECIALLY IN WET WEATHER CONDITIONS. MANUFACTUER HAS NOT SEEN VEHICLE. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 855686 at NHTSA ↗

Compare model years

Recalls by model year

All campaigns in the snapshot affecting each model year, including recalls announced years later.

From yearThrough year

Recall campaigns

Shared campaigns appear once in each affected model year.

1981

1982

1983

1987

1988

1989

1994

1995

1996

1997

1981: 2; 1982: 2; 1983: 1; 1987: 2; 1988: 1; 1989: 0; 1994: 0; 1995: 0; 1996: 0; 1997: 0

First model yearSecond model year

Year-by-year records

Carpenter SCHOOL BUS model-year comparison
Model year	Complaints	Recalls	Change in recalls
1977	0	1	Not available
1981	0	2	Not available
1982	0	2	0
1983	0	1	-1
1987	0	2	Not available
1988	0	1	-1
1989	1	0	-1
1994	4	0	Not available
1995	2	0	0
1996	4	0	0
1997	12	0	0

Explore the data

Vehicle analysis explorer

Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.

Data completeness

23 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.

0.0%Usable mileage0 / 23 records

82.6%Valid incident date19 / 23 records

100.0%Valid filing date23 / 23 records

82.6%Ordered incident and filing dates19 / 23 records

Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.

Problems by model year

Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.

From model yearThrough model year

Component complaint heatmap
Component	1983	1987	1988	1989	1994	1995	1996	1997
Vehicle Speed Control	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	4100.0% ODI 549360 DESIGN LOCATION OF THE THROTTLE CABLE IS CAUSING CHAFFING AGAINST THE HOUSEING RESULTING IN THE THROTTLE PEDAL STICKING TO THE FOLLOR. YH Look up ODI 549360 at NHTSA ↗	433.3% ODI 549359 DESIGN LOCATION OF THE THROTTLE CABLE IS CAUSING CHAFFING AGAINST THE HOUSEING RESULTING IN THE THROTTLE PEDAL STICKING TO THE FOLLOR. YH Look up ODI 549359 at NHTSA ↗
Vehicle Speed Control:Cables	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	4100.0% ODI 549360 DESIGN LOCATION OF THE THROTTLE CABLE IS CAUSING CHAFFING AGAINST THE HOUSEING RESULTING IN THE THROTTLE PEDAL STICKING TO THE FOLLOR. YH Look up ODI 549360 at NHTSA ↗	433.3% ODI 549359 DESIGN LOCATION OF THE THROTTLE CABLE IS CAUSING CHAFFING AGAINST THE HOUSEING RESULTING IN THE THROTTLE PEDAL STICKING TO THE FOLLOR. YH Look up ODI 549359 at NHTSA ↗
Seats:Front Assembly:Recliner	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	758.3% ODI 532584 SEAT BACK BREAKS LOOSE AT THE BASE. Look up ODI 532584 at NHTSA ↗
Structure:Body:Door	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	250.0% ODI 500961 HEATER FAILED. TT Look up ODI 500961 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	250.0% ODI 549379 DESIGN LOCATION OF THE THROTTLE CABLE IS CAUSING CHAFFING AGAINST THE HOUSEING RESULTING IN THE THROTTLE PEDAL STICKING TO THE FOLLOR. YH Look up ODI 549379 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Visibility:Windshield	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	250.0% ODI 481100 PASSENGER WINDOW DOES NOT CLOSE DUE TO BAD SEAL DESIGN ON WINDOW FRAMES, ALSO LATCH RIVITS ON EMERGENCY WINDOWS LOOSE, PREVENTING WINDOWS FROM LATCHING. *SKD Look up ODI 481100 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	125.0% ODI 500961 HEATER FAILED. TT Look up ODI 500961 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Power Train:Axle Assembly	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	1100.0% ODI 855686 THERE IS NOT ENOUGH WEIGHT ON THE FRONT AXLE, SO THAT WHEN BRAKES ARE LIGHTLY APPLIED, THE FRONT WHEELS AUTOMATICALLY LOCK UP, ESPECIALLY IN WET WEATHER CONDITIONS. MANUFACTUER HAS NOT SEEN VEHICLE. *AK Look up ODI 855686 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.

Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.

Failure mileage by component

Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.

Component failure mileage distribution
Component	Mileage range (25th–75th percentile)	Median	Usable records	Examples
No usable records for this analysis.

Complaint and recall timeline

Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.

ComponentPeriod

Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.

Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples

Monthly complaint and recall timeline
Month	Campaigns announced	Examples
2024-11	None	No examples available for this selection.
2024-12	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-01	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-02	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-03	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-04	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-05	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-06	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-07	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-08	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-09	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-10	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-11	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-12	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-01	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-02	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-03	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-04	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-05	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-06	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-07	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-08	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-09	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-10 (partial)	None	No examples available for this selection.

Emerging complaint spikes

Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.

This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.

No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.

Equal-age model-year comparison

Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.

Observation windowFirst model yearSecond model year

1996: 0 complaints · 1997: 11 complaints

Equal observation windows
Model year	Through age 0	Through age 1	Through age 2
1996	0	0	0
1997	6	7	11

Date coverage across each selected cohort

Date basis for all complaints in selected model years
Year	Incident dates used	Filing date fallbacks	Excluded dates
1996	4	0	0
1997	10	2	0

Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.

Components reported together

Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.

Component co-occurrence matrix
Component	Vehicle Speed Control	Vehicle Speed Control:Cables	Seats:Front Assembly:Recliner	Structure:Body:Door	Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal	Visibility:Windshield	Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System	Power Train:Axle Assembly
Vehicle Speed Control	—	8 ODI 549360 DESIGN LOCATION OF THE THROTTLE CABLE IS CAUSING CHAFFING AGAINST THE HOUSEING RESULTING IN THE THROTTLE PEDAL STICKING TO THE FOLLOR. YH Look up ODI 549360 at NHTSA ↗ ODI 549365 DESIGN LOCATION OF THE THROTTLE CABLE IS CAUSING CHAFFING AGAINST THE HOUSEING RESULTING IN THE THROTTLE PEDAL STICKING TO THE FOLLOR. YH Look up ODI 549365 at NHTSA ↗ ODI 549379 DESIGN LOCATION OF THE THROTTLE CABLE IS CAUSING CHAFFING AGAINST THE HOUSEING RESULTING IN THE THROTTLE PEDAL STICKING TO THE FOLLOR. YH Look up ODI 549379 at NHTSA ↗	0	0	2 ODI 549379 DESIGN LOCATION OF THE THROTTLE CABLE IS CAUSING CHAFFING AGAINST THE HOUSEING RESULTING IN THE THROTTLE PEDAL STICKING TO THE FOLLOR. YH Look up ODI 549379 at NHTSA ↗ ODI 549380 DESIGN LOCATION OF THE THROTTLE CABLE IS CAUSING CHAFFING AGAINST THE HOUSEING RESULTING IN THE THROTTLE PEDAL STICKING TO THE FOLLOR. YH Look up ODI 549380 at NHTSA ↗	0	0	0
Vehicle Speed Control:Cables	8 ODI 549360 DESIGN LOCATION OF THE THROTTLE CABLE IS CAUSING CHAFFING AGAINST THE HOUSEING RESULTING IN THE THROTTLE PEDAL STICKING TO THE FOLLOR. YH Look up ODI 549360 at NHTSA ↗ ODI 549365 DESIGN LOCATION OF THE THROTTLE CABLE IS CAUSING CHAFFING AGAINST THE HOUSEING RESULTING IN THE THROTTLE PEDAL STICKING TO THE FOLLOR. YH Look up ODI 549365 at NHTSA ↗ ODI 549379 DESIGN LOCATION OF THE THROTTLE CABLE IS CAUSING CHAFFING AGAINST THE HOUSEING RESULTING IN THE THROTTLE PEDAL STICKING TO THE FOLLOR. YH Look up ODI 549379 at NHTSA ↗	—	0	0	2 ODI 549379 DESIGN LOCATION OF THE THROTTLE CABLE IS CAUSING CHAFFING AGAINST THE HOUSEING RESULTING IN THE THROTTLE PEDAL STICKING TO THE FOLLOR. YH Look up ODI 549379 at NHTSA ↗ ODI 549380 DESIGN LOCATION OF THE THROTTLE CABLE IS CAUSING CHAFFING AGAINST THE HOUSEING RESULTING IN THE THROTTLE PEDAL STICKING TO THE FOLLOR. YH Look up ODI 549380 at NHTSA ↗	0	0	0
Seats:Front Assembly:Recliner	0	0	—	0	0	0	0	0
Structure:Body:Door	0	0	0	—	0	0	1 ODI 500961 HEATER FAILED. TT Look up ODI 500961 at NHTSA ↗	0
Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal	2 ODI 549379 DESIGN LOCATION OF THE THROTTLE CABLE IS CAUSING CHAFFING AGAINST THE HOUSEING RESULTING IN THE THROTTLE PEDAL STICKING TO THE FOLLOR. YH Look up ODI 549379 at NHTSA ↗ ODI 549380 DESIGN LOCATION OF THE THROTTLE CABLE IS CAUSING CHAFFING AGAINST THE HOUSEING RESULTING IN THE THROTTLE PEDAL STICKING TO THE FOLLOR. YH Look up ODI 549380 at NHTSA ↗	2 ODI 549379 DESIGN LOCATION OF THE THROTTLE CABLE IS CAUSING CHAFFING AGAINST THE HOUSEING RESULTING IN THE THROTTLE PEDAL STICKING TO THE FOLLOR. YH Look up ODI 549379 at NHTSA ↗ ODI 549380 DESIGN LOCATION OF THE THROTTLE CABLE IS CAUSING CHAFFING AGAINST THE HOUSEING RESULTING IN THE THROTTLE PEDAL STICKING TO THE FOLLOR. YH Look up ODI 549380 at NHTSA ↗	0	0	—	0	0	0
Visibility:Windshield	0	0	0	0	0	—	0	0
Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System	0	0	0	1 ODI 500961 HEATER FAILED. TT Look up ODI 500961 at NHTSA ↗	0	0	—	0
Power Train:Axle Assembly	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	—

Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.

Recurring narrative patterns

Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.

Search patterns

0 patterns with matching reports.

No narratives match the published patterns.