Recall 97V077000 scope

Affected units

Vehicles identified

Makes involved

Model years

Recall 97V077000

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD • reported May 9, 1997 • • 4,037 units affected

Remedy pending

View official record on NHTSA.gov · federal source of truth

Campaign: 97V077000
Component: VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD
Make: CARPENTER
Model Years: 1995–1997
Affected Units: 4,037
Country: US
Data As Of: Apr 5, 2026

What this recall is about, in plain English

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SCHOOL BUSES. EXIT WINDOWS MAY NOT OPEN PROPERLY DURING AN EMERGENCY. OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH MODIFICATION INSTRUCTIONS OR IF THEY SO DESIRE, CAN CONTACT AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR ASSISTANCE.

Synthesized from the NHTSA defect summary, consequence, and remedy fields shown below.

How serious is this recall vs others?

Each card compares this campaign against an NHTSA-derived peer baseline. Cards omit themselves when the denominator is too thin to be useful.

Affected Scale

88th percentile in scale

4,037 vehicles — among 8 recalls covering 1995–1997 CARPENTER CLASSIC/COUNSELOR.

Component Frequency

Visibility cited in 2.6% of recent recalls

79 of 3,011 NHTSA recalls in the last 36 months named a Visibility-class component.

Manufacturer Density

No other recent recalls

this manufacturer has issued 0 distinct recall campaigns in the last 24 months across all of its product lines.

Risk Summary (Consequence)

EXIT WINDOWS MAY NOT OPEN PROPERLY DURING AN EMERGENCY.

Defect Summary

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SCHOOL BUSES. SIDE EMERGENCY PUSH-OUT WINDOWS MAY NOT OPEN PROPERLY DUE TO INTERFERENCE WITH EXTERIOR BOW CAP. EMERGENCY DOOR(S) MAY NOT HAVE REQUIRED OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS LOCATED ADJACENT TO INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE. THIS DOES NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 217, "BUS WINDOW RETENTION AND RELEASE."

Remedy

OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH MODIFICATION INSTRUCTIONS OR IF THEY SO DESIRE, CAN CONTACT AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR ASSISTANCE.

Key Dates

Report Date

May 9, 1997

Owner Notification

Unknown

Remedy Available

Unknown

Affected Vehicles

6 vehicles under this recall

Make	Model	Year	VIN Lookup
CARPENTER	CLASSIC	1997	Check VINs
CARPENTER	CLASSIC	1996	Check VINs
CARPENTER	CLASSIC	1995	Check VINs
CARPENTER	COUNSELOR	1997	Check VINs
CARPENTER	COUNSELOR	1996	Check VINs
CARPENTER	COUNSELOR	1995	Check VINs

Official Sources & Documents

Links to NHTSA.gov and Part 573 recall reports when available — hosted by NHTSA, not TruckCodex

NHT View recall on NHTSA.gov

Documents hosted on nhtsa.gov. Links open in a new tab.

How to Act on This Recall

Owners: Contact your authorized dealer to schedule the remedy at no cost. Remedy is covered under 49 U.S.C. 30120.
Fleets: See the Fleet Recall Workflow Guide for the operator workflow to sweep your VIN list against this and other open campaigns.
Looking up a specific VIN? Check VIN against NHTSA for open recalls on that vehicle.
NHTSA contact: Vehicle Safety Hotline 1-888-327-4236.

How to verify your vehicle is affected

Find your VIN. Locate your 17-character Vehicle Identification Number on the lower-left corner of your windshield, on the driver's-door jamb sticker, or on your vehicle registration. The VIN is the only reliable way to confirm whether a specific vehicle falls under a recall — make/model/year alone is not enough.
Check your VIN on this site. Enter the VIN at /vin/ to see every open recall tied to your specific vehicle, including 97V077000. Our lookup pulls directly from the NHTSA recall database and refreshes daily.
Cross-reference with the official NHTSA recall search. For a second source of truth, run the same VIN through https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls. If both this site and NHTSA show the same campaign as open for your VIN, it applies — schedule the repair.
Contact your dealer if affected. Bring the campaign number, your VIN, and your registration to an authorized dealer for the make. The dealer performs the remedy at no cost. If you've already paid for a related repair, bring the receipt — the manufacturer is required to reimburse pre-recall repairs that addressed the same defect.

Frequently asked questions about recall 97V077000

What does this recall mean for me as a vehicle owner? ▾

Recall 97V077000 means the manufacturer has identified a defect or noncompliance that may affect your vehicle. Repair work is performed at no cost to you under 49 U.S.C. § 30120. You don't have to do anything until you receive an owner notification letter, but you can act sooner if you want — bring this campaign number to your dealer.

Is this recall under remedy yet? ▾

Not yet — as of the last NHTSA refresh on this page, no remedy date is on file. Affected owners should monitor their mail for the manufacturer's notification letter and contact a dealer in the meantime.

How do I find out if my specific VIN is affected? ▾

Run your VIN through our VIN check tool to see all open recalls tied to your specific vehicle, including this one. NHTSA also offers an official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Both pull from the same federal source.

Who pays for the recall remedy? ▾

The manufacturer pays. Federal law requires the manufacturer to repair, replace, or refund the affected vehicle or component at no cost to the owner — including parts, labor, and reasonable diagnostic time. If a dealer tries to charge you for a recall remedy, contact the manufacturer's customer line first, then NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236.

What if I've already had repair work done that addresses this issue? ▾

Save the receipt. Federal law requires the manufacturer to reimburse you for pre-recall repairs that addressed the same defect, subject to the reimbursement window the manufacturer publishes in its notification letter (typically the first refund period covers repairs going back to the earliest awareness date). Submit the receipt directly to the manufacturer with your VIN and the campaign number.

How do I check the recall status by VIN? ▾

Use our VIN lookup tool — it returns every open recall, including completion status when the manufacturer reports it. The result also links back to each campaign's detail page.

What if this recall isn't fixed and I sell the vehicle? ▾

You're not legally required to complete a recall before selling a used vehicle, but most state titling agencies and many dealers will run a VIN check during the sale. Disclose the open recall to the buyer in writing — undisclosed safety recalls are a common basis for post-sale fraud claims.

Where can I see all recalls for CARPENTER CLASSIC 1995? ▾

Browse all CARPENTER recalls on this site, or visit the manufacturer's page to filter by year and component.

CARPENTER

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Data sources & freshness

TruckCodex aggregates official public-sector datasets. See the Source registry for dataset-level coverage and the Freshness log for last-import timestamps.

FMCSA

Census, SAFER, SMS, Licensing & Insurance (L&I), roadside inspections, crashes, and authority history.

Refreshed daily.

NHTSA

Vehicle recall campaigns, defect investigations, and consumer safety complaints (SCRS).