North carolina public school bus located in mecklenburg county was in route with six children and a driver when the driver smelled smoke and saw the smoke coming from the area below the steering column. The driver stopped the bus in a safe area and immediately started evacuation procedures and successfully unloaded the children to a safe place. Within approximately 5 to 7 minutes after evacuation fire was seen in the passenger compartment and proceeded to spread through out the instrument panel area and then to the rear of the bus body. The bus was totally destroyed by the fire. Independent investigation was conducted with preliminary indication that fire originated in the engine compartment near the rear of engine where wiring harness is routed around metallic heater shutoff valve. There appears to have been an electrical short where the intake heater wire chaffed through the wire housing and convoluted tubing from rubbing the heater valve creating a short to the heater valve which is speculated to have started the fire. The fire then breached the fire wall through the engine access cover located in the center of the instrument panel where the smoke was seen by the driver. Multiple buses in the north carolina fleet of the same year range have been inspected and similar wire chaffing has been discovered, however at this point no additional fires have occurred. The north carolina state fleet is currently being inspected by the local agencies operating the buses to hopefully prevent further chaffing until an actual fire origination is confirmed. Updated 02/27/12 *bf the likely cause of the fire was the rubbing of the intake heater wire against the metallic heater shut off valve. Overtime, the tubing was destroyed and the wire covering was rubbed through its core, possibly causing a short and subsequent fire. Updated 03/21/12
The worst 1998 Freightliner FS-65 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Electrical1
- Engine1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Electrical1
- Engine1
Recalls 4
Fuel system, diesel
- What is wrong
- Certain 1998-2003 my freightliner fs-65 school bus chassis and mb-45, mb-55, and xb shuttle bus chassis, and thomas built bus: mvp-er and mvp-ef school bus and non-school bus models equipped with cummins isb diesel engines and equipped with federal-mogal 12 and 24 volt fuel lift pumps. The fuel pump could fail to transfer fuel appropriately creating an engine stall condition.
- Risk
- Should the engine stall while the vehicle is in use, a possible vehicle crash could occur.
- Remedy
- Cummins will notify the customers of freightliner and thomas built and replace the fuel lift pump free of charge. Owners may contact cummins at 1-800-diesels.
Recall number 05V205000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- On certain school buses chassis equipped with caterpillar engines and hydraulic brakes. A braided ground strap for the starter may rub on a steel chassis brake line potentially causing a fluid leak.
- Risk
- A brake fluid leak can reduce braking effectiveness and increase the stopping distance, which could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the brake line and replace it, if necessary. The braided ground strap will be replaced with an insulated cable. The recall began on august 10, 2004. Owners may contact freightliner at 1‑800‑547‑0712.
Recall number 04V343000 · Recall details
Vehicle speed control
- What is wrong
- On certain school bus chassis with cummins isb engines with mechanical throttle, the throttle cable can vibrate excessively and break near the end fitting that attaches to the engine linkage.
- Risk
- This can result in a loss of throttle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will remove and replace the throttle cable with a new design. Owner notification began on february 17, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact freightliner at 1‑800‑547‑0712.
Recall number 02V248000 · Recall details
Service brakes, air: antilock
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks and school bus chassis built with bendix air ABS with an ec-17 1030r electronic control unit (ecu), there have been reports of unwanted ABS activation at low speeds caused by 1) chafed ABS wheel speed sensor wires on rotating parts or 2) a damaged component at the wheel end that generates a certain type of erratic sensor signal.
- Risk
- This condition could cause the ABS ecu to exhaust the air at the air brake modulators for one or more of the wheels. This could result in extended braking distances and a possible crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the ABS ecu.
Recall number 00V232002 · Recall details
What 1998 Freightliner FS-65 owners say
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Questions about the 1998 Freightliner FS-65
Is the 1998 Freightliner FS-65 reliable?
Owners have filed 1 complaint about the 1998 Freightliner FS-65, fewer than a typical FS-65 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1998 Freightliner FS-65?
Electrical system, with 1 complaint. Next is engine (1).
How many recalls does the 1998 Freightliner FS-65 have?
4 recalls, covering fuel system, diesel, service brakes, hydraulic and vehicle speed control.
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