Carpenter: recalls by model and year
NHTSA lists 18 vehicle recall campaigns for Carpenter. The register has 5 model lines of the make, model years 1973 to 1998. NHTSA has 38 complaints on file for these model lines. NHTSA also lists 1 child seat, tire or equipment campaign for the make. The equipment pages show it. By vehicle recall campaigns, Carpenter is number 194 of 644 makes on the register. Vehicle recall campaigns for Carpenter: none in 2024 and none in 2025. For all makes, the count fell by 6.2%, from 950 in 2024 to 891 in 2025.
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Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on . Complaint file through . Recall file through .
Model lines
5 model lines, in the order of the number of complaints.
| Model line | Model years | Campaigns | Complaints | Complaints for each model year | Component with the most mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| School Bus | 13 | 5 | 34 | 2.6 | Vehicle Speed Control |
| Cadet | 9 | 8 | 2 | 0.2 | Equipment Adaptive/Mobility |
| Classic | 8 | 9 | 1 | 0.1 | Structure |
| Counselor | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0.1 | Structure |
| Classmate | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0.0 |
This table compares the model lines of Carpenter only. The NHTSA files have no sales figures. A model line with more vehicles on the road gets more complaints. This site does not rate one make against another.
Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.
Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.
Newest recall campaigns
The newest 5 of 18.
00V207000Received . 3,205 units.
Seats
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: school buses. Additional reinforcement bars were installed while performing a previous seat recall (98v-238). These bars were installed into the protection zone on the back of the seats.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
In the event of a vehicle crash, the seat occupant may not be properly protected and personal injury could occur.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Carpenter has gone out of business. Dealers were to remove the additional steel reinforcement.
Report filed by CARPENTER INDUSTRIES, INC.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: . The campaign has 8 make, model and year entries.
00V015000Received . 3,633 units.
Structure / Frame and Members
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: school bus with side emergency doors. The body side posts for the emergency door can crack.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
The emergency door may not latch properly, increasing the risk of personal injury to an occupant.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Carpenter has gone out of business. Owners were to be provided with free parts, repair instructions, and reimbursed for the labor involved.
Report filed by CARPENTER INDUSTRIES, INC.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: . The campaign has 15 make, model and year entries.
98V262000Received . 35 units.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Brake Fluid Low Warning / Lamp
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: school buses built on a spartan chassis and equipped with hydraulic brakes. The brake warning light is not properly labeled and could function improperly. This does not meet the requirements of FMVSS no. 105, "hydraulic brake systems." this recall supersedes 98v-017 conducted in january 1998. The repair did not correct the noncompliance.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
A brake system malfunction can occur and the warning system would not warn the driver of a brake system problem.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Owners will be provided with a repair kit and instructions to repair their vehicle. If an owner so desires, a carpenter dealer can perform the remedy for them.
Report filed by CARPENTER INDUSTRIES, INC.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: . The campaign has 4 make, model and year entries.
98V238000Received . 3,255 units.
Seats
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: school buses. The back panel of the passenger seats was not adequately welded.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
In the event of a vehicle crash, the seat occupant may not be properly protected and personal injury could occur.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Carpenter will provide owners with detailed inspection instructions and provide them with the necessary parts to repair these seats.
Report filed by CARPENTER INDUSTRIES, INC.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: . The campaign has 9 make, model and year entries.
97V077000Received . 4,037 units.
Visibility / Windshield
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: school buses. Side emergency push-out windows may not open properly due to interference with exterior bow cap. Emergency door(s) may not have required operating instructions located adjacent to interior door handle. This does not meet the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 217, "bus window retention and release."
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Exit windows may not open properly during an emergency.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Owners will be provided with modification instructions or if they so desire, can contact an authorized dealer for assistance.
Report filed by CARPENTER INDUSTRIES, INC.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: . The campaign has 6 make, model and year entries.
The list shows the newest 5 of 18 campaigns.
Counts by year
Components in the complaints
A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.
| Component | Per 1,000 | Mentions |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Speed Control | 393.4 | 24 |
| Structure | 245.9 | 15 |
| Seats | 131.1 | 8 |
| Suspension | 65.6 | 4 |
| Visibility | 49.2 | 3 |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 32.8 | 2 |
| Equipment Adaptive/Mobility | 16.4 | 1 |
| Power Train | 16.4 | 1 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 16.4 | 1 |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 16.4 | 1 |
Official channels
- NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
- NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
Cite this page
Recall Register. Carpenter: recalls by model and year. https://recallregister.com/make/carpenter/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through .
Sources
- Source
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
- Licence
- US government work, public domain
- Recall file through
- 3 Nov 2026
- Complaint file through
- 5 Nov 2026
- Investigations that name the make
- 6
- Units in the campaigns
- 50,560
Manufacturers in the recall file: CARPENTER INDUSTRIES, INC.; CARPENTER BDY WRKS, INC..
The make name is the name in the NHTSA files. The units of a campaign that names 2 makes are in the figure of each make. How the register is made. Report an error.
Questions
- Which Carpenter model line has the most recall campaigns?
- The Classic: 9 campaigns for 8 model years. A line with more model years has more campaigns.
- Which Carpenter model line has the most complaints?
- The School Bus: 34 complaints for 13 model years. A line with more vehicles on the road gets more complaints.
- Which components do the complaints about Carpenter vehicles name?
- Vehicle Speed Control: 393.4 per 1,000 component mentions. Structure: 245.9 per 1,000 component mentions. Seats: 131.1 per 1,000 component mentions.
- How many units are in the recall campaigns for Carpenter?
- 50,560 units in 18 campaigns. The units of a campaign that names 2 makes are in the figure of each make.