2003 IC FE: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2003 IC FE
No owner has filed a defect report with NHTSA about the 2003 IC FE. 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 1 recall campaign covering the 2003 IC FE, affecting an estimated 176 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. 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
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 FE
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