1998 International Harvester 3800 Recalls, Complaints & Specs
1 safety recall lists the 1998 International Harvester 3800, and owners have filed 4 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.
1 safety recall for the 1998 International Harvester 3800
Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.
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Disc (service brakes)
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.
Remedy: International will notify its customers and repair the buses free of charge. The recall began october 29, 2004.
4 owner complaints filed with NHTSA
Owners of the 1998 International Harvester 3800 have filed 4 complaints with NHTSA; 1 describe a fire. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 44,540 miles. Complaints peaked in 2001 with 1 filed that year.
Most-reported components
What owners are reporting
“1998 international school bus instrument panel. *tr”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, July 20, 2008 · Electrical system
“Instrument panel does not work and it is a problem that comes from international as told to us by international service man. We can pay 600 dollars to have it fixed we should not have to pay if it com”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, October 1, 2006 · Electrical system
Compare International Harvester 3800 model years
Recall and complaint counts for every International Harvester 3800 model year in NHTSA's database.
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 International Harvester 3800 | 1 | 0 |
| 1980 International Harvester 3800 | 1 | 0 |
| 1981 International Harvester 3800 | 2 | 0 |
| 1982 International Harvester 3800 | 3 | 0 |
| 1983 International Harvester 3800 | 2 | 0 |
| 1984 International Harvester 3800 | 2 | 0 |
| 1985 International Harvester 3800 | 2 | 0 |
| 1986 International Harvester 3800 | 2 | 0 |
| 1987 International Harvester 3800 | 2 | 1 |
| 1988 International Harvester 3800 | 2 | 0 |
| 1989 International Harvester 3800 | 3 | 0 |
| 1991 International Harvester 3800 | 5 | 1 |
| 1992 International Harvester 3800 | 5 | 0 |
| 1993 International Harvester 3800 | 4 | 1 |
| 1994 International Harvester 3800 | 4 | 3 |
| 1995 International Harvester 3800 | 4 | 8 |
| 1996 International Harvester 3800 | 3 | 2 |
| 1997 International Harvester 3800 | 3 | 3 |
| 1998 International Harvester 3800 | 1 | 4 |
| 1999 International Harvester 3800 | 2 | 9 |
| 2000 International Harvester 3800 | 3 | 9 |
| 2001 International Harvester 3800 | 2 | 0 |
Checking a specific 1998 International Harvester 3800
How do I know if my 1998 International Harvester 3800 has an open recall?
Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 1 campaign currently lists the 1998 International Harvester 3800; your car may already have been repaired under it.
Is the recall repair free?
Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised International Harvester dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 03V062000).
What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?
A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.
Other International Harvester models
- School Bus42 complaints
- 470040 complaints
- 490021 complaints
- International Harvester11 complaints
- Conventional10 complaints
- 94008 complaints
- 93007 complaints
- 92006 complaints
Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.