Carpenter Structure: Body

Carpenter is recalling about 3,382 vehicles over a problem with the structure. When a passenger's clothing becomes caught in the handrail and the bus driver closes the door and puts the vehicle in motion, the individual is subject to being dragged by the bus.

Campaign
96V097000
Manufacturer
CARPENTER INDUSTRIES, INC.
Reported
7 June 1996
Vehicles
3,382
Built between
May 1990 – May 1996
Models
4
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
NHTSA investigation
Owners notified
7 August 1996
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between May 1990 and May 1996. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1990-1996 Carpenter CadetBuilt May 1990 to May 1996
  • 1990-1996 Carpenter ClassicBuilt May 1990 to May 1996
  • 1990-1996 Carpenter ClassmateBuilt May 1990 to May 1996
  • 1990-1996 Carpenter CounselorBuilt May 1990 to May 1996

What the defect is

Vehicle description: school buses. Passenger's clothing can unknowingly become caught in the handrails at bus doors when exiting the bus.

What could happen

When a passenger's clothing becomes caught in the handrail and the bus driver closes the door and puts the vehicle in motion, the individual is subject to being dragged by the bus. This can result in serious injury or death.

What gets fixed

CARPENTER IS SENDING CORRECTIVE PARTS TO OWNERS ALONG WITH INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtMay 1990 to May 1996
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA7 June 1996
  3. Owners notified7 August 1996

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 7 June 1996.

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 INDUSTRIES, INC.
Recall initiated by
ODI

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

Owner notification:owner notification began august 7, 1996.NOTE:OWNERS who do not receive the corrective parts and installation instructions free of charge within a reasonable time should contact crown coach at 1-317-965-4000.ALSO contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-800-424-9393.

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.

Same component

Same brand