2003 IC CE: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2003 IC CE
No owner has filed a defect report with NHTSA about the 2003 IC CE. That is not a clean bill of health — it usually means few were sold, or the year is too new for problems to have surfaced.
Recalls on the 2003 model year
NHTSA has issued 6 recall campaigns covering the 2003 IC CE, affecting an estimated 3,333 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover equipment:electrical, engine and engine cooling and electrical system. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
Recalls also distort complaint counts. Publicity about a campaign reminds owners that complaining is possible, so reports for a recalled component often spike after the recall rather than before it.
EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL
61,316 vehicles 2009-02-10- Defect
- Navistar is recalling 61,316 my 2001 through 2009 ic be, ce, and fe model commercial and school buses manufactured between february 2, 2000 and june 2, 2008, equipped with an entrance door stepwell heater feature code 0048pms or 0548001 and/or a rear wall mounted heater feature code 0048tar or 0048psx. The affected heater units may fail in low speed operation causing elevated temperatures.
- Consequence
- Elevated temperatures can result in a fire, possibly resulting in property damage, personal injury, or death.
- Remedy
- An interim letter was mailed on february 20, 2009, to communicate the defect and recommend action to mitigate the risk until the final remedy and customer notification could be provided at a later date. The manufacture filed an amended defect report dated march 27, 2009 advising that a final remedy has been developed and parts are being manufactured. The safety recall began on june 2, 2009. Owners may contact navistar toll-free at 1-800-448-7825.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
24,975 vehicles 2008-07-30- Defect
- Navistar is recalling 24,975 my 2003 through 2008 ic be, ce, hc, and re school and commercial buses and 2002 through 2008 international 3200 and 3300 model buses manufactured between september 21, 2001 through december 14, 2007, equipped with international vt365 engines. These vehicles may exhibit engine hard start, no start, or stall conditions due to possibly damaged terminals in the fuse holder connector of the injector drive module (idm) clean battery power circuits. The terminals may have been damaged during electrical continuity testing in the manufacturing process.
- Consequence
- These conditions could result in a vehicle crash, possibly resulting in personal injury.
- Remedy
- Navistar will notify owners and replace the idm fuse holder free of charge. The recall began on october 3, 2008. Owners can contact navistar toll-free at 1-800-448-7825.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
51,588 vehicles 2008-06-05- Defect
- Navistar is recalling 51,588 heavy trucks, commercial buses and school buses manufactured between november 21, 2000 and may 21, 2008, equipped with one or more remote power modules. The potting material that encapsulates the circuit board of the vehicle's remote power module may not sufficiently seal the circuit board from water and contamination intrusion. If the encapsulation is compromised, water and contaminants may cause an internal electrical short, possibly resulting in a fire.
- Consequence
- A fire could cause personal injury or death.
- Remedy
- Navistar will notify owners and repair the vehicles free of charge. The recall began on july 10, 2008. Owners may contact navistar at 1-280-461-1890.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
402 vehicles 2005-03-28- Defect
- Certain 2003-2006 my ic ce, fe, and re school buses and re commercial buses manufactured between february 4, 2003, and march 1, 2005, and equipped with webasto coolant heaters. The stainless steel walls of the burner tubes incorporated into webasto coolant heaters may be made of a material that is not within specification and may fail prematurely.
- Consequence
- Should the burner tube fail, the coolant heater could overheat, possibly resulting in a fire.
- Remedy
- Ic will notify its owners and replace the burner tubes free of charge. The recall began on april 20, 2005. Owners may contact international at 260-461-1924.
SEATS
154 vehicles 2004-10-28- Defect
- Certain 1998, 2000-2005 my ce, fe, and re school buses built with one or more ce white 30-inch child restraint seats and manufactured between march 25, 1998 and august 24, 2004. The seat cushion retention may not retain the seat in all circumstances.
- Consequence
- In the event of a sudden stop, the seat cushion may tip forward and may become unattached causing the passenger to slide off the seat and/or be trapped by the seat cushion. This action could possibly result in personal injury or death.
- Remedy
- Ic corp will notify its customers and will repair the cushion by adding a clip to the cushion tying it to the seat frame. The recall began on october 5, 2004. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ic compliance department at 1-800-843-5615.
EQUIPMENT
1,589 vehicles 2004-02-24- Defect
- On certain "special needs" school buses equipped with sur-loc "l" wheelchair tracks, the lift mounting bolts could corrode if moisture occurs in the treated plywood floor.
- Consequence
- This could reduce the function of the track or the strength of the lift mounting bolts resulting in personal injury to the occupants.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the sur-loc "l" tracks with protected tracks and mounting hardware. Also, lift floor-mounting bolts will be replaced. Owner notification is expected to begin march 19, 2004. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ic at 1-800-843-5615.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
Every year of the IC CE
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Why this page is short
A model year needs about 8 reports before percentiles mean anything, and this one does not have them. Complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road, so a thin page usually means a rare car, a new car, or a car whose owners do not file.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed