RoadVitals

1998 Pierce Custom Chassis

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
0
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
1
Latest Oct 8, 2003
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains no NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1998 Pierce Custom Chassis. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year; and 2 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Safety recalls

1 campaign cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
03V380000

STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY

Oct 8, 2003
202 units potentially affected
The defect: ON CERTAIN FIRE TRUCKS WITH TANDEM STEER AXLES. THE TRW TIE-ROD ON THE REAR-MOST AXLE OF A TANDEM AXLE IS RESTRAINED FROM ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT BY A PAIR OF ANTI-ROTATION SEALS LOCATED AT THE BALL SOCKET JOINTS. THESE ANTI-ROTATION SEALS WILL COMPRESS OVER TIME. IF THE ANTI-ROTATION SEAL ALLOWS TOO MUCH MOTION, THE SEALS CAN DETERIORATE, ALLOWING CONTACT BETWEEN THE BALL SOCKET AND THE BALL SHAFT. THIS METAL-TO-METAL CONTACT WILL TRANSMIT FORCES INTO THE TIE-ROD TUBE, CAUSING FATIGUE FAILURE INITIATING AT THE ROOT OF THE FEMALE TREADS.
The risk: FAILURE OF THE TIE-ROD WILL ALLOW ONE OF THE WHEELS TO SWING TO THE LIMIT OF ITS STEERING STOP, POTENTIALLY CAUSING A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
The remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE TIE ROD. NOTIFICATION TO OWNERS BEGAN NOVEMBER 7, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT PIERCE AT 1-888-974-3723.
PIERCE MANUFACTURINGView on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

No owner complaints recorded for this model year

Either none have been filed with NHTSA, or this vehicle is too new for reports to have accumulated.

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

PB_567

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECU/ECM):SOFTWARE

To improve customer experiences by eliminating most needs for an engineering review, this service bulletin clarifies the upgrade procedure from PMA300 to PMA500 governors. Two options are given. The first option applies only to vehicles that do not have a PUC pump and are upgrading from a PMA300 to a PMA500 governor. The second option can be used for any kind vehicle that is upgrading from the PMA300 to the PMA500 governor.

SB_446.1

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The GEN 1 Husky 3 foam pump from FSC is being discontinued. To keep supporting our customers, a conversion kit is available to install the GEN 2 Husky 3 foam pump in place of the GEN 1.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Pierce Custom Chassis by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2006010—
2005010—
2004020—
2003030—
2002040—
2001020—
2000010—
1999010—
1998Viewing010—
1997010—
1996010—

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.