2004 IC CE: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2004 IC CE
Only 2 defect reports have been filed with NHTSA about the 2004 IC CE, which is too few to compute mileage percentiles or a risk score. The reports reported rust or structural corrosion.
When each failure gets reported
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rust or structural corrosion | body | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 1.2 | $500–$6,000 | High |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
Recalls on the 2004 model year
NHTSA has issued 9 recall campaigns covering the 2004 IC CE, affecting an estimated 4,202 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, electrical system and parking brake. 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.
One caution about reading these together: a recall usually raises the complaint count for the same part, because owners who read about it go and file. The mileages stay informative; the counts get noisy.
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.
PARKING BRAKE
9,823 vehicles 2006-06-02- Defect
- Certain my 2004 through 2007 ce and be school buses and 1300 and 3300 model vehicle chassis manufactured by ic corporation between march 17, 2004, and may 15, 2006. The park brake system may activate while the vehicle is under normal operation. Although the vehicle is brought to a stop, the activation may occur without warning or input from the driver and may strand the vehicle in an active lane. The spring applied, hydraulic release (sahr) park brake actuator could experience a hydraulic lock condition that will not allow the park brake to apply.
- Consequence
- Should the park brake activate and strand the vehicle, it may contribute to a vehicle crash, possibly resulting in property damage, personal injury, or death. Should the park brake not apply, a vehicle roll away can occur and may result in a crash, possibly resulting in property damage, personal injury, or death.
- Remedy
- Dealers will repair the buses free of charge. The recall began july 7, 2006. Owners may contact ic corporation at 800-322-2884 or owners may contact international at 1-800-448-7825.
CHILD SEAT:LATCH STRAP
1,142 vehicles 2005-03-30- Defect
- Certain 2004-2006 my ic corporation ce, fe, and re school buses manufactured from may 12, 2003, through march 2, 2005, equipped with child restraint anchorage systems. The diameter latch attachment bars exceed the diameter requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 225, child restraint anchorage systems, which may make it difficult to use with future car seat attachments. In addition, some of the latch attachments are located too far forward of the seat back.
- Consequence
- Not attaching the child seat properly may result in personal injury or death in the event of a vehicle crash. Also, the inappropriate placement of the brackets may result in personal injury to a passenger not seated in a car seat.
- Remedy
- Ic corporation will notify its customers and (1) the brackets will be removed and replaced by a special belt system and (2) the seat frame will be replaced by a frame with a new seat attachment bracket. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on august 19, 2005. Owners may contact international at 260-461-1924.
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 ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
1,220 vehicles 2004-09-21- Defect
- Certain my 2001-2005 amtran/ic corporation ce, fe, and re school buses equipped with sure-lok wheelchair tie-down securement assemblies p/n 8625-13. The sprocket teeth of the retractor assembly may be out of alignment causing the load pawl not to fully seat in the sprocket teeth.
- Consequence
- In the event of a vehicle crash, the wheelchair may not be adequately secured possibly resulting in injuries.
- Remedy
- Sure-lok will notify ic's customers and repair the buses on ic's behalf at no cost to the customer. The recall began august 16, 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 sure-lok at 1-908-231-1804.
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.
What the reports on file say
The complaints recorded against the 2004 IC CE are rust or structural corrosion (2 reports). With a sample this size these are anecdotes rather than a pattern, and they are shown because somebody looking at this exact car would rather see them than nothing.
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