- Vehicles
- 19
- Built between
- May 1981 – Jun 1982
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA compliance test
- Owners notified
- 28 April 1983
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between May 1981 and June 1982. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1981-1982 Carpenter School BUSBuilt May 1981 to June 1982
What the defect is
During manufacture, inconsistencies may have occurred in the welds joining floor sections. Certain welded joints may have weaknesses and may not comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard 221, "school bus body joint strength". Improper welds may allow sections of the floor to separate in a severe collision.
What gets fixed
THE DEALER WILL INSPECT ALL INVOLVED VEHICLES AND ANY NECESSARY CORRECTIVE ACTION WILL BE MADE AT NO COST TO OWNER.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtMay 1981 to June 1982
- Recall reported to NHTSA21 January 1983
- Owners notified28 April 1983
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 21 January 1983.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- CARPENTER BDY WRKS, INC.
- Safety standard
- FMVSS 221
- Recall initiated by
- OVSC
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
Vehicle description: school buses.system: structure; floor section joints.consequences of defect: floor separation during a collision may increase thepotential for occupant ejection and injury. No specific precautionary measuresare recommended by the manufacturer. Joint failure is suspected to occur onlyduring severe collisions.
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.