NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Preliminary Evaluation PE98-027: INADEQUATE WELDING PASSENGER SEAT
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE98-027 on April 27, 1998 and closed it on August 31, 1998. NHTSA's investigations file lists the 1996–1997 Carpenter School Bus for it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- PE98-027 (also written PE98027)
- Investigation type
- Preliminary Evaluation The first stage of most defect investigations: NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation gathers basic information about a possible safety defect, including from the manufacturer.
- Status
- Closed August 31, 1998
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- CARPENTER INDUSTRIES, INC.
- Component
- Seats
- Vehicles and equipment
- 1996–1997 Carpenter School Bus
A recall appears here only when NHTSA's investigations file links one to the investigation; NHTSA's summary or record can name others.
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Preliminary Evaluation PE98-027.
OPERATORS OF AFFECTED BUSES HAVE ALLEGED TWO ISSUES RELATIVE TO INADEQUATE WELDING QUALITY CONTROL IN THE CONTRUCTION OF THE PASSENGER SEATS:1) SPOT WELD FAILURE BETWEEN THE SEAT BACK PAN (SHEET METAL) AND FRAME; 2) INADEQUATE WELD FINISHING BELOW THE SEAT BENCH RESULTING IN CHILDREN BEING EXPOSED TO SHARP EDGES.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Preliminary Evaluation PE98-027. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to that page's NHTSA investigations section.
Carpenter
All Carpenter recallsWhat an NHTSA investigation is
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks into possible safety defects in vehicles and equipment, often after owner complaints. An investigation usually starts as a Preliminary Evaluation, or as a Recall Query when it concerns whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or fixes the problem, and ODI can upgrade it to a more detailed Engineering Analysis. A Defect Petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation, and Audit and Equipment Queries are administrative investigations into whether companies complied with federal vehicle safety requirements, such as reporting, recall and certification rules.
An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.
To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Free VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for PE98-027
Investigation details come from NHTSA's investigations file, which try.vin imports once a day. The investigation types are described from the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General's May 2023 report on NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA's petition rules (49 CFR Parts 552 and 557) and NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation procedures. How try.vin reads NHTSA investigations.