International Harvester School Bus Recalls & Complaints by Model Year

NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls and 42 owner complaints across 18 model years of the International Harvester School Bus (1975–1996). The most-complained-about year is 1995.

Pick your International Harvester School Bus model year

• 1975
• 1976
• 1977
• 1978
• 1979
• 1980
• 1981
• 1982
• 1986
• 1987
• 1988
• 1989
• 1991
• 1992
• 1993
• 1994
• 1995
• 1996

What International Harvester School Bus owners complain about

Across all model years, owners have filed 42 complaints with NHTSA. The 1995 model year has the most, with 10.

• Power train: torque converter9
• Visibility: exterior9
• Engine and engine cooling: gasoline4
• Engine and engine cooling: cooling system3
• Exterior lighting: high/low beam dimmer switch3
• Power train: automatic transmission2
• Equipment: air conditioner2
• Parking brake: linkage and cable1

All International Harvester School Bus recalls (4)

Every NHTSA safety campaign that lists a International Harvester School Bus, most recent first, with the model years each one covers.

1. Pedal/hand lever(motorcycle) (power train)

   NHTSA 82V040000 Reported April 23, 1982 11,130 vehicles potentially affected INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER

   On the involved vehicles the clutch pressure plate may suddenly self destruct, scattering broken fragments.

   Remedy: Dealer will remove the bellville spring clutch assembly and replace it with a coil spring clutch assembly at no cost to owner.

   Model years: 1980, 1981, 1982

2. Accelerator pedal (vehicle speed control)

   NHTSA 79V213000 Reported September 18, 1979 7,500 vehicles potentially affected INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER

   The defect is in the engine accelerator system. The accelerator pedal may not align with the center of the floor mounted pedal stop bracket. The potential exists for the pedal, when depressed, to slip off and to the side of the pedal stop, holding the accelerator in the open throttle position.

   Remedy: The dealer will align the accelerator pedal to the center of the stop bracket free of charge.

   Model years: 1978, 1979

3. Parking brake

   NHTSA 78V228000 Reported October 17, 1978 7,000 vehicles potentially affected INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER

   The parking brake lever mounting bracket may bend and break due to repeated applications of the parking brake. This will create a tearing force at the bolt mounting area of the bracket.

   Remedy: Bent or cracked mounting brackets will be replaced and a reinforcement strap will be added to limit the "lift and pull" force on the bracket. This will be done without charge to owner.

   Model years: 1976, 1977, 1978

4. Hanger/bracket (suspension)

   NHTSA 78V066000 Reported April 4, 1978 36,000 vehicles potentially affected INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER

   The bolts that anchor forward mounting brackets for the rear springs may loosen.

   Remedy: The dealer will replace the original bolts with improved bolts and nuts.

   Model years: 1975, 1976, 1977

Other International Harvester models

• 380041 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.