RecallMyCar

Navistar 3800 Recalls & Complaints by Model Year

NHTSA lists 11 safety recalls and 8 owner complaints across 11 model years of the Navistar 3800 (1989–1999). The most-complained-about year is 1997.

11
safety recalls, all years
8
owner complaints, all years
1998
year with most recalls
1997
year with most complaints

Pick your Navistar 3800 model year

Model yearRecallsComplaints
1999 Navistar 380060
1998 Navistar 380062
1997 Navistar 380052
1996 Navistar 380021
1995 Navistar 380011
1994 Navistar 380010
1993 Navistar 380010
1992 Navistar 380010
1991 Navistar 380010
1990 Navistar 380001
1989 Navistar 380001

What Navistar 3800 owners complain about

Across all model years, owners have filed 8 complaints with NHTSA. The 1997 model year has the most, with 2.

All Navistar 3800 recalls (11)

Every NHTSA safety campaign that lists a Navistar 3800, most recent first, with the model years each one covers.

  1. Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings (service brakes)

    NHTSA 99V331000 Reported 277 vehicles potentially affected INTERNATIONAL TRUCK AND ENGINE

    Vehicle description: school bus. An air brake line controlling the rear brakes may be too close to the exhaust pipe and could rupture at any time without warning.

    Remedy: Dealers will install a new elbow fitting and reroute the air line. The air line will also be inspected and replaced if found to be damaged from the exhaust pipe.

    Model years: 1997, 1998, 1999

  2. Tank assembly (fuel system)

    NHTSA 99V263000 Reported 105 vehicles potentially affected INTERNATIONAL TRUCK AND ENGINE

    Vehicle description: transit and school buses built with ABS air brake ECU and a 100 gallon fuel tank mounted between the rails and behind the rear axle on models with a 276" wheel base. The ABS ECU interfered with the cross member mounted behind the rear axle and in front of the between the rails fuel tank. This created a no-build…

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect the vehicles to make sure all cross members are properly installed. If the cross member is not installed correctly or is missing, the dealer will repair or install the cross member.

    Model years: 1998, 1999

  3. Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings (service brakes)

    NHTSA 99V262000 Reported 4,495 vehicles potentially affected INTERNATIONAL TRUCK AND ENGINE

    Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks built with rear leaf spring suspensions (models 4700 built with rear leaf suspensions and manufactured from december 9, through december 16, 1998; models 3400 and 3800 built with 14sbk rear leaf spring suspensions and built april 14 through may 10, 1999; and models 3400 and 3800 built with rear…

    Remedy: Short hoses will be replaced and the long hoses will have a hose routing kit installed to prevent any chafing problems.

    Model years: 1999

  4. Service brakes, air

    NHTSA 99V055001 Reported 1,547 vehicles potentially affected INTERNATIONAL TRUCK AND ENGINE

    Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks, transit and school buses, equipped with meritor air brake automatic slack adjusters. Some of the automatic slack adjusters had insufficient torque applied to the guide pawl cap screw.

    Remedy: Dealers will check the torque on the automatic slack adjuster guide pawl. If there is no torque, the brakes will be adjusted and the guide pawl will be tightened to 15-20 ft. Lbs.

    Model years: 1999

  5. Connecting (steering)

    NHTSA 99V033001 Reported 40,091 vehicles potentially affected INTERNATIONAL TRUCK AND ENGINE

    School, transit, or heavy duty vehicles equipped with spicer 6,000 or 8,000 lb. Front steer axles. The tie rod end can pull outboard and separate from the tie rod tube due to improper thread engagement between the male tie rod end and the female tube.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the complete tie rod assembly.

    Model years: 1996, 1997, 1998

  6. Gasoline (engine and engine cooling)

    NHTSA 98V291000 Reported 22,032 vehicles potentially affected INTERNATIONAL TRUCK AND ENGINE

    Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with t444e diesel engines. A fuel leak can occur because of overcrimping of the hose end fittings on the hose from the regulator to the left head and the hose from the fuel transfer pump to the regulator.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect the oil hose and place an additional convoluted loom around the existing oil hose, or replace the hose assembly.

    Model years: 1997, 1998

  7. Fuel injection system (fuel system)

    NHTSA 98V289000 Reported 16,231 vehicles potentially affected INTERNATIONAL TRUCK AND ENGINE

    Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with a t444e diesel engine. The high pressure oilline for the fuel injection system that goes from the high pressure oil pump to the right cylinder head can chafe against the charge air cooler crossover pipe.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect the hoses and if the hose is not damaged a convoluted hose will be placed over the current hose. If the hose is damaged, it will be replaced along with the convoluted hose.

    Model years: 1998, 1999

  8. Drum (service brakes)

    NHTSA 98V228000 Reported 1,809 vehicles potentially affected INTERNATIONAL TRUCK AND ENGINE

    Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks equipped with a 1710 drive line and a 12 x 4 hydraulic parking brake. If the brake drum or transmission yoke are not fully seated when the eight bolts are installed connecting the 3-piece joint, the bolts can loosen.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect the torque of these bolts and re-torque to specification.

    Model years: 1998, 1999

  9. Accelerator pedal (vehicle speed control)

    NHTSA 97V143001 Reported 2,235 vehicles potentially affected INTERNATIONAL TRUCK AND ENGINE

    Vehicle description: buses and heavy truck chassis equipped with t444e engines. The accelerator pedal rod material is excessively brittle and can break during a full throttle application.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the electronic accelerator pedal rods with new rods.

    Model years: 1997

  10. Accelerator pedal (vehicle speed control)

    NHTSA 97V143002 Reported 3,292 vehicles potentially affected INTERNATIONAL TRUCK & ENGINE CORPORATION

    Vehicle description: buses and heavy truck chassis equipped with cummins n-14, caterpillar, and detroit diesel electronic engines. The accelerator pedal rod material is excessively brittle and can break during a full throttle application.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the electronic accelerator pedal rods with new rods.

    Model years: 1997

  11. Column shift (power train)

    NHTSA 97V090001 Reported 2,833 vehicles potentially affected INTERNATIONAL TRUCK AND ENGINE

    Vehicle description: medium and heavy duty trucks, school and transit buses built with a bendix 9x3 power apply park brake system. The cam lever of the powered apply brake can move forward, because a hole in the transmission mounting boss was drilled too deep.

    Remedy: Dealers will install shims in the drilled area of the automatic transmission park brake pivot pin hole.

    Model years: 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996

Other Navistar models

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.