Instrument panel.
The worst 1999 International Harvester 3800 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Brakes6
- Electrical3
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Brakes6
- Electrical3
Recalls 2
Service brakes, air: antilock: wheel speed sensor
- What is wrong
- On certain school buses and truck model vehicles manufactured between february 28, 1999, through april 5, 2004, the anti-lock brake system electronic control unit (ecu) may misinterpret a corrupt wheel speed signal.
- Risk
- The corrupt wheel speed signals may improperly activate the ABS, instead of deactivating the ABS. This may result in the driver experiencing a hard pedal feel and a decrease in deceleration at the end of the stop, resulting in extended stopping distances which could cause a vehicle crash, possibly resulting in property damage, personal injury, or death.
- Remedy
- International will notify its customers and inspect and repair the affected vehicles free of charge. The recall began august 1, 2004. 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 international customer service at 1‑800‑327‑4236.
Recall number 04V269000 · Recall details
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
See all 2 recalls for the 1999 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
What 1999 International Harvester 3800 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Instrument panel.
The bus gauges fail intermittently. The cause has yet to be determined. Please provide additional information. *ph consumer owns three of the same vehicles and all experienced the same defect. Failure occurs while moving or at a stop. Sometimes it would occur 7 times in a day then nothing for a few more days. There's no pattern. The speedometer head, and speed sensor has been changed and cleaned but to no avail.
Problems with front brakes overheating, rotors are warped. Excessive drag on front brakes, ABS sensor damaged due to heat. Replaced rotors, caliper, and pads on front axle. Over $800.00 in repairs. *mr *cb
During an inspection the technician found signs of excessive heating of calipers and wear of pads. *mr
The rear brakes overheated while driving. The driver reported the problem to a mechanic who checked the rear brakes and found them to be ok; no drag. The mechanic test drove and rechecked the bus but still found no brake drag. *mr *cb
Intermittent light on dash, indicating anti - lock brake system is not functioning.
Intermittent light on dash, indicating anti - lock brake system is not functioning.
Intermittent light on dash indicating anti - lock brake system not functioning.
Compare the 1999 International Harvester 3800
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Questions about the 1999 International Harvester 3800
Is the 1999 International Harvester 3800 reliable?
Owners have filed 9 complaints about the 1999 International Harvester 3800, 3.0 times a typical 3800 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1999 International Harvester 3800?
Brakes, with 6 complaints. Next is electrical (3).
How many recalls does the 1999 International Harvester 3800 have?
2 recalls, covering service brakes, air and service brakes, hydraulic.
Was there a recall on the 1999 International Harvester 3800 brakes?
Yes, 2 recalls: 04V269000, 03V062000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
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