1997 Freightliner School Bus Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1997 Freightliner School Bus, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Driver assistance233.3%
- Exterior lighting116.7%
- Other / unspecified116.7%
- Tires & wheels116.7%
- Visibility116.7%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
THROTTLE CABLE FOR A 1997 FREIGHTLINER, FS65 SCHOOL BUS HAS SNAPPED APPROXIMATELY THREE TIMES, LEAVING VEHICLE INOPERABLE UNTIL REPAIRS COULD BE MADE. REPAIRS HAVE BEEN PERFORMED BY BOTH DEALERSHIP AND SCHOOL DISTRICT MECHANICS. INCIDENT DATES INCLUDED 04/XX/1998/05/25/2001, AND 10/13/2001. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / ATTACHMENTS. *NOTE: PARTS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION.*AK WORK HISTORY ATTACHED, ALSO TIRES WERE REPLACED,HEATER BOOSTER WAS REPLACED,ALSO WIPER ARM WAS ADJUSTED. *TT
THROTTLE CABLE IN A 1997, FREIGHTLINER, FS65 SCHOOL BUS HAS SNAPPED SIX TIMES DURING OPERATION OF VEHICLE. BOTH, DEALER AND SCHOOL DISTRICT MECHANICS, HAVE MADE REPAIRS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM, WHICH CONTINUED TO OCCUR. INCIDENT DATES INCLUDED 10/13/2000/11/29/2000/01/31/2001/02/22/2001/07/11/2001, AND 08/15/2001. *NOTE: PARTS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. *AK. ALSO HEAD LIGHT WAS REPLACED,KNOB ON AIR DOOR CONTROL VALVE WAS REPLACED*ET
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
THROTTLE CABLE IN A 1997, FREIGHTLINER, FS65 SCHOOL BUS HAS SNAPPED SIX TIMES DURING OPERATION OF VEHICLE. BOTH, DEALER AND SCHOOL DISTRICT MECHANICS, HAVE MADE REPAIRS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM, WHICH CONTINUED TO OCCUR. INCIDENT DATES INCLUDED 10/13/2000/11/29/2000/01/31/2001/02/22/2001/07/11/2001, AND 08/15/2001. *NOTE: PARTS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. *AK. ALSO HEAD LIGHT WAS REPLACED,KNOB ON AIR DOOR CONTROL VALVE WAS REPLACED*ET
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
THROTTLE CABLE FOR A 1997 FREIGHTLINER, FS65 SCHOOL BUS HAS SNAPPED APPROXIMATELY THREE TIMES, LEAVING VEHICLE INOPERABLE UNTIL REPAIRS COULD BE MADE. REPAIRS HAVE BEEN PERFORMED BY BOTH DEALERSHIP AND SCHOOL DISTRICT MECHANICS. INCIDENT DATES INCLUDED 04/XX/1998/05/25/2001, AND 10/13/2001. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / ATTACHMENTS. *NOTE: PARTS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION.*AK WORK HISTORY ATTACHED, ALSO TIRES WERE REPLACED,HEATER BOOSTER WAS REPLACED,ALSO WIPER ARM WAS ADJUSTED. *TT
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
THROTTLE CABLE FOR A 1997 FREIGHTLINER, FS65 SCHOOL BUS HAS SNAPPED APPROXIMATELY THREE TIMES, LEAVING VEHICLE INOPERABLE UNTIL REPAIRS COULD BE MADE. REPAIRS HAVE BEEN PERFORMED BY BOTH DEALERSHIP AND SCHOOL DISTRICT MECHANICS. INCIDENT DATES INCLUDED 04/XX/1998/05/25/2001, AND 10/13/2001. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / ATTACHMENTS. *NOTE: PARTS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION.*AK WORK HISTORY ATTACHED, ALSO TIRES WERE REPLACED,HEATER BOOSTER WAS REPLACED,ALSO WIPER ARM WAS ADJUSTED. *TT
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
THROTTLE CABLE FOR A 1997 FREIGHTLINER, FS65 SCHOOL BUS HAS SNAPPED APPROXIMATELY THREE TIMES, LEAVING VEHICLE INOPERABLE UNTIL REPAIRS COULD BE MADE. REPAIRS HAVE BEEN PERFORMED BY BOTH DEALERSHIP AND SCHOOL DISTRICT MECHANICS. INCIDENT DATES INCLUDED 04/XX/1998/05/25/2001, AND 10/13/2001. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / ATTACHMENTS. *NOTE: PARTS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION.*AK WORK HISTORY ATTACHED, ALSO TIRES WERE REPLACED,HEATER BOOSTER WAS REPLACED,ALSO WIPER ARM WAS ADJUSTED. *TT
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .