IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE FRAME RAIL FLANGES COULD CONTACT AND RUPTURE THE FUEL TANK raises the risk of A VEHICLE FIRE AND PERSONAL INJURY.
Remedy & full details
OWNERS WILL NEED TO INSPECT THEIR BUSES AND IF REPAIRS ARE NECESSARY, WILL BE PROVIDED WITH THE REPAIR PARTS REQUIRED. IF AN OWNER DESIRES, THEIR DEALER CAN PERFORM THE INSPECTION AND REPAIR.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: DUAL REAR WHEEL SCHOOL BUSES BUILT ON FORD E-350 AND E-450 'SUPER DUTY' CUTAWAY CHASSIS, EXTERIOR BODY WIDTH OF 80", GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT RATING OF 11,500 OR 14,050 POUNDS. THESE BUSES MAY HAVE A MODIFICATION TO THE FRAME RAIL CONSISTING OF A NOTCH IN THE LOWER FLANGE OF THE LEFT-HAND FRAME RAIL FORWARD OF THE FRAME CROSS MEMBER. THIS MODIFICATION CAN AFFECT COMPLIANCE TO FMVSS NO. 301, "FUEL SYSTEM INTEGRITY."
Low98V061000
Equipment:Other:Labels
OWNERS COULD OVERLOAD THE AXLES IF FOLLOWING THE RATINGS AS LISTED.
Remedy & full details
OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH A DECAL TO BE PLACED ON THE CURRENT CERTIFICATION PLATE SHOWING THE CORRECT WEIGHT LIMITS FOR THE AXLES.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: DUAL REAR WHEEL SCHOOL BUSES BUILT ON FORD E-350 CUTAWAY CHASSIS. THE WRONG FRONT AND REAR AXLE WEIGHT RATINGS ARE LISTED ON THE CERTIFICATION LABEL.
Complaint volume
Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.
What owners reported happened
0Crashes
0Fires
0Injuries
0Deaths
Across 2 complaints. Severity Index 0.00.
Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.
What owners report most
Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly — 2 reports
What to do
Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.
Other model years
1998
Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.
Questions
Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?
Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.
Do I pay for recall repairs?
No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.
Why are there complaints but no recalls?
Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.
From the same data desk
Independent sites, same maintainer, same open-data standards.