Tl*the contact's company owns a 1997 international 3800. During pm service, the contact noticed that the vehicle's frame was cracked and rusted. The crack occurred where the cab mounts to the frame and was visible when the hood was lifted. The failure mileage, VIN, engine size, and purchase date were unknown. The current mileage was 123,000. Updated 08/28/07.
The worst 1997 International Harvester 3800 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Body3
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Body3
Recalls 3
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc
- What is wrong
- On certain school and transit buses built with bosch zero offset pin slide (zops) hydraulic disc brakes, the zops hydraulic disc brakes may experience calipers sticking in the applied position, which can result in excessive or abnormal heat generation at one or more of the brakes.
- Risk
- The combination of the following factors may collectively result in an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety: potential fire at a wheel end, high incident rates of stuck calipers, and evacuation and containment concerns relating to multiple passengers.
- Remedy
- International will notify its customers and repair the buses free of charge. The recall began october 29, 2004.
Recall number 03V062000 · Recall details
Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: school buses equipped with the international i6 electronic engine and an extra thick bus body floor. The accelerator pedal to floor clearance is approximately 1.2 inches with a standard bus body floor. However, some customers ordered an additional 3/4 inch thick floor and extra thick floor mats to serve as insulation in cold climates. When this extra flooring is used, the bottom edge of the accelerator pedal, when depressed, can come in contact with the floor.
- Risk
- Should the accelerator pedal contact the floor, the pedal could get caught and not return to the idle position increasing the risk of a vehicle accident.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the flooring on these buses to insure there is a minimum of 1/4 inch clearance. On buses with less than 1/4 inch clearance, the dealer will remove the pedal and cut off the bottom of the pad to obtain the proper clearance.
Recall number 96V239000 · Recall details
Suspension: rear
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: school buses and heavy duty trucks equipped with rear axle assemblies produced by dana spicer. Certain rear axle assemblies were improperly heat treated which could allow pinion breakage at the pinion threads.
- Risk
- Cracks can initiate and result in separation of the threaded end of the pinion resulting in separation of the yoke and drive line from the rear axle increasing the risk of a vehicle accident.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the rear axle carrier/pinion assembly.
Recall number 96V240000 · Recall details
See all 3 recalls for the 1997 International Harvester 3800
Defect investigations
Overheating front and rear brakes
This investigation focused on international medium duty trucksand school bus chassis weighing up to 33,000 pounds, equipped with hydraulic brakes and built with the bosch zero offset pin slide (zops)brake system calipers.international used the zops calipers from april 1997 through june 2002.odi was concerned about reports of the brake calipers sticking in the applied position, resulting in excessive heat.as the investigation progressed, odi became aware of wheel end fires, some of which occurred on school buses.during the investigation odi obtained warranty data which was sorted and analyzed by vrtc test engineers and odi to gain an understanding of the magnitude of the problem.after a thorough warranty data analysis, related testing and document reviews, odi met with international, shared the data analysis and shortly afterwards, international agreed to a safety recall.further details are included on pages 2 - 4.
EA02034
Technical service bulletins for the 1997 International Harvester 3800 1
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
What 1997 International Harvester 3800 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl*the contact's company owns a 1997 international 3800. When the vehicle was inspected, the contact noticed that the vehicle's frame was cracked and rusted. The crack occurred where the cab mounts to the frame and was visible when the hood was lifted. The failure mileage, VIN, engine size, and purchase date were unknown. The current mileage was 145,000.
Driver's foot well area gets very hot (overheated) in the floor area, and makes it very unbearable for the driver to operate the bus. Has a 466 e engine. Has 34 school buses in this series.
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Questions about the 1997 International Harvester 3800
Is the 1997 International Harvester 3800 reliable?
Owners have filed 3 complaints about the 1997 International Harvester 3800, close to a typical 3800 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1997 International Harvester 3800?
Body and structure, with 3 complaints.
How many recalls does the 1997 International Harvester 3800 have?
3 recalls, covering service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control and suspension.
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