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1998 Gillig Phantom
NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for the 1998 Gillig Phantom, covering engine and engine cooling, vehicle speed control and structure, and 0 consumer complaints received since 1995.
No consumer complaints for this model year are in the NHTSA file.
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation has opened 1 investigation naming this model year.
Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA. Recall text is the manufacturer's Part 573 report as filed with NHTSA. Complaint file through 15 May 2019; recall file through 29 Sep 2026.
Recalls by model year:
Recall campaigns
- 04V486000ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OTHER FUEL TYPES:TURBO/SUPERCHARGERReported 7 Oct 2004 · 810 units
Defect, as filed: On certain transit buses equipped with detroit diesel series 40 engines, the turbocharger can fail allowing lubricating oil to spill onto the engine.
Consequence: This can result in a fire in the engine compartment.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the turbocharger to prevent the possibility of an engine compartment fire. Detroit diesel is conducting owner notification and remedy for this campaign. Gillig issued a renotification letter to owners on february 27, 2007. Owners should contact detroit detroit diesel at 313-5923708 or gillig at 510-785-1500.
Filed by GILLIG CORPORATION.
- 04V470000ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:TURBO/SUPERCHARGERReported 24 Sep 2004 · 323 units
Defect, as filed: On certain transit buses manufactured with detroit diesel series 50 engine, the turbocharger compressor wheel can break, resulting in shaft imbalance and lubricating oil passes into the exhaust system.
Consequence: This can result in an engine compartment fire, possibly resulting in personal injuries.
Remedy: Detroit diesel is conducting the owner notification and remedy for this campaign. Dealers will install an exhaust temperature sensor and reprogram the emc calibration. Gillig issued a renotification letter to owners on february 27, 2007. Owners should contact detroit diesel at 313-592-3708 or gillig at 510-785-1500.
Filed by GILLIG CORPORATION.
Defect, as filed: On certain buses equipped with cummins electronic control modules on the c8.3g and l10g engines, the ecm does not have the ability to detect a throttle fail-safe engine shutdown command. This could result in an unanticipated, uncommanded open throttle condition without warning.
Consequence: If this event occurs, the vehicle operator will not have control of the engine speed, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.
Remedy: Cummins will notify the customers and replace the ecm. Owners should contact cummins at 1-800-343-7357 or gillig at 510-785-1500.
Filed by GILLIG CORPORATION.
Defect, as filed: On certain transit buses equipped with adhesively bonded aluminum bus door panels, due to an imperfect bonding of the door panel skin to the panel frame, environmental moisture may infiltrate regions of imperfect bonding and cause separation of the frame and door panel.
Consequence: Under these conditions, if the panel is separating or has separated, a passenger could fall from the bus onto the roadway, possibly resulting in personal injury or death.
Remedy: Vapor will notify customers to have their buses inspected and will install mechanical fasteners to attach the skins to the frame elements free of charge. Owners who do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact vapor corporation at 847-967-8300 or vapor at 1510-785-1500.
Filed by GILLIG CORPORATION.
Defect, as filed: On certain transit buses equipped with vanner 60 series battery equalizers, the equalizer could fail to operate properly and cause malfunction of the battery charging system.
Consequence: Without fusing, the equalizer may melt, burn, or smoke, possibly resulting in a fire or a smoke filled bus, thus necessitating a passenger evacuation of the bus. The failure mode can cause operator distraction, and/or possible personal injury.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the buses for certain equalizers by the date code. 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 gillig at 1-510-785-1500 or vanner at 1-800-227-6937.
Filed by GILLIG CORPORATION.
Defect, as filed: Vehicle description: transit buses equipped with vanner 60 series battery equalizers. The equalizer could fail to operate properly and cause malfunction of the battery charging system.
Consequence: Without fusing, the equalizer may melt, burn, or smoke, possibly resulting in a fire or a smoke filled bus, thus necessitating a passenger evacuation of the bus. The failure mode can cause operator distraction, and/or possible personal injury.
Remedy: Vanner will notify owners to inspect their buses for certain equalizers by the date code. The affected equalizers will be replaced. Vanner is conducting the owner notification for this campaign and was expected to begin during march 2001. 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 vanner at 1-800-227-6937.
Filed by GILLIG CORPORATION.
Each entry links to the NHTSA record. NHTSA states that safety recall repairs are free of charge at an authorised dealer; check a specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Complaints by component
No consumer complaints for this model year are in the NHTSA file.
Investigations
| Action | Type | Subject | Component | Opened | Closed | Recall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PE98059 | Preliminary evaluation | STRUCTURAL FAILURE OF REAR SUSPENSION | structure | 10 Nov 1998 | 17 Mar 1999 | — |
Other Gillig Phantom model years
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints | Units in campaigns |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 NHTSA | 1 | 0 | 66 |
| 1986 NHTSA | 1 | 0 | 379 |
| 1987 | 2 | 0 | 2,408 |
| 1988 NHTSA | 1 | 0 | 379 |
| 1989 | 2 | 0 | 4,635 |
| 1990 | 2 | 0 | 4,635 |
| 1991 | 2 | 0 | 4,635 |
| 1992 | 2 | 0 | 4,635 |
| 1993 | 2 | 0 | 4,846 |
| 1994 | 2 | 0 | 4,846 |
| 1995 NHTSA | 1 | 0 | 4,256 |
| 1996 NHTSA | 1 | 1 | 4,256 |
| 1997 | 3 | 0 | 5,963 |
| 1998 | 6 | 0 | 6,258 |
| 1999 | 5 | 0 | 6,256 |
| 2000 | 4 | 0 | 5,933 |
| 2001 | 5 | 0 | 4,960 |
| 2002 | 4 | 0 | 4,095 |
| 2003 | 6 | 0 | 6,061 |
| 2004 | 6 | 0 | 5,719 |
| 2005 | 3 | 0 | 5,004 |
| 2006 | 4 | 0 | 5,253 |
| 2007 | 5 | 0 | 3,585 |
| 2008 | 2 | 0 | 3,043 |
| 2009 | 2 | 0 | 3,043 |
Model years with a single campaign and fewer than 25 complaints have no page here; the NHTSA link opens the agency's record for that year.
All Gillig Phantom model years · Gillig: 7 model lines
Questions and answers
How many recalls does the 1998 Gillig Phantom have?
6 NHTSA recall campaigns name this model year; the most recent, 04V486000, was reported to NHTSA on 7 Oct 2004 and concerns engine and engine cooling:engine:other fuel types:turbo/supercharger. Across all model years the Gillig Phantom line has 22 campaigns.
Is there an open NHTSA investigation into the 1998 Gillig Phantom?
NHTSA's investigation file lists 1 action naming this model year; the table above shows each action's opening and closing dates. An action with no closing date was still open when the file was produced.
What component do owners of the 1998 Gillig Phantom complain about most?
No complaints for this model year are in the NHTSA file.
How do I get a recall repaired?
NHTSA states that safety recall repairs are performed free of charge by the manufacturer's authorised dealers. Each campaign's remedy text above is the manufacturer's statement as filed with NHTSA. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
Where does this data come from?
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation recall, complaint and investigation flat files, public domain, downloaded 29 Sep 2026. Complaint counts are unique complaint numbers per make, model and model year; component figures count each component a complaint names. The NHTSA record linked from each campaign is authoritative.
Provenance
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Defects Investigation flat files (recalls, complaints, investigations), public domain, files dated 29 Sep 2026 (recalls) and 15 May 2019 (complaints). Complaints since 1 Jan 1995. Counts are unique complaint numbers per make, model and model year; per-1,000 rates divide a component's mentions by all mentions for the same group. Errors in processing are corrected at the next daily build; see corrections and the methodology.