- The problem
- 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.
- The risk
- 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.
- The fix
- 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.
Vehicle safety record
2002 Amtran FE Problems, complaints & recalls
No owner complaints about the 2002 Amtran FE have been filed with NHTSA. It is covered by 10 recalls, the latest in October 2004 for the seats.
NHTSA data checked
DMore problems than a typical FE year, for its age
- Complaints
- 0
- Recalls
- 10
- Crashes
- 0
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Deaths
- 0
2002 Amtran FE recalls 10
Recall repairs are free. Your dealer fixes them whether or not you bought the car there - check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if yours is done. What to do
- The problem
- Certain fe school and commercial buses built with ce white driver seats with a pedestal style mount and manufactured between january 10, 1992 through february 24, 2004. These pedestals can develop cracks rendering the seat unstable.
- The risk
- In the event of a vehicle crash, the seat could separate from the base, possibly resulting in personal injury or death.
- The fix
- Ic will notify its customers and repair the seat by replacing the upper portion of the assembly with a more robust design. The recall began june 3, 2005. 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.
- The problem
- 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.
- The risk
- In the event of a vehicle crash, the wheelchair may not be adequately secured possibly resulting in injuries.
- The fix
- 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.
- The problem
- Certain sure-lok wheelchair tie-down securement assemblies p/n 8625-13 for use on certain school and transit buses. The sprocket teeth of the retractor assembly may be out of alignment causing the load pawl not to fully seat in the sprocket teeth.
- The risk
- In the event of a vehicle crash, the wheelchair may not be adequately secured possibly resulting in injuries to the seat occupant and/or other passengers.
- The fix
- Sure-lok will notify its customers and replace the defective part free of charge. 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 customer service at 866-787-3565.
- The problem
- Certain fe model school buses manufactured from october 14, 1991, and march 4, 2003. A gap between the modesty panel and the wheel well located behind the driver's seat can be created if the panel is bent out of position. Under the panel, the edges are sharp and jagged.
- The risk
- Should someone reach under the panel, they could cut thier hands, fingers, or toes on the jagged edges.
- The fix
- Ic will notify its customers and repair the panel free of charge. Owner notification is expected to begin january 20, 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 corporation compliance department toll-free at 1-800-843-5615. Customers can locate the nearest dealer by calling 1-800-993-7686.
- The problem
- Ce model school buses which fail to comply to federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 221, School bus body joint strength. The roof top sheet may be improperly located, reducing the material edge distance at the rivet line.
- The risk
- In the event of a vehicle crash, the joint strenght could fail possibily resulting in injuries to the vehicle occupants.
- The fix
- Ic will notify its customers and will provide inspection and repair instruction. The recall began on january 25, 2005. 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 customer service at (we do not yet have a telephone number for this campaign.)
- The problem
- Certain school buses fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 217, "Bus emergency exits and window retention and release." These buses do not comply with the emergency exit requirements.
- The risk
- During an emergency situation, this condition could prevent passengers from exiting the bus, which could cause personal injury or death.
- The fix
- Dealers will add one roof exit in the center of the passenger compartment. All owners have been notified and arrangements made to remedy their buses.
- The problem
- Vehicle description: certain buses were built with a wiring diagram decal that shows the circuit protection size of 30 amperes instead of 20 amperes for the heater supply circuits.
- The risk
- Electrical component failure without the correct protection in some cases can cause overheating of the component and/or fire.
- The fix
- Owners will be provided with a strip and installation instructions that should be placed over the incorrect information on the current decal. Owner notification began december 21, 2001. Owners who do not receive the free strip and installation instructions within a reasonable time should contact amtran at 1-800-993-7686.
- The problem
- Vehicle description: certain buses were built with an improper connection of the heater harness from the heater switch to the connector just outside the heater unit. The assembly left a loose hot wire in the heater harness with an unprotected terminal that could cause a direct short. This wire is protected with a 20-ampere circuit protection, but in a rare case could cause a fire.
- The risk
- Electrical component failure without the correct protection in some cases can cause overheating of the component.
- The fix
- Owners will be provided with instructions on how to repair the defect. The repair procedure for this defect will require placing the connectors correctly in the terminals to the high-speed blower relay and harness connection at the heater. Owner notification began december 18, 2001. Owners who do not receive the free instructions within a reasonable time should contact amtran at 1-800-843-5615.
- The problem
- Vehicle description: school and transit buses equipped with 39-inch flip seats. The flip seats could bind in the occupied position and not return to the stored position when not occupied. The cushion frame support bar slides off the seat support pad, which could retain the seat in the occupied position.
- The risk
- The seat could block the aisle to the emergency exit during an emergency, which may result in injury or death.
- The fix
- Owners will be provided with instructions and parts to repair the seats free of charge. Owner notification began october 23, 2001. Owners who do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact amtran at 800-843-5615.
What owners say
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No complaints about the 2002 Amtran FE yet
No owner has filed a complaint about this vehicle with NHTSA. If yours has a problem, share it here and report it to NHTSA.
Amtran FE: every year compared
All FE years2002 Amtran FE vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 Amtran FE | 0 | 10 | D | |
| 2002 Amtran IC | 1 | 1 | C | Compare |
More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.
Questions about the 2002 Amtran FE
Does the 2002 Amtran FE have any recalls?
Yes - NHTSA lists 10 recalls for the 2002 Amtran FE: seats (October 2004); seats (September 2004); equipment adaptive / mobility (September 2004); equipment adaptive / mobility (August 2004) and more. Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours has been fixed.
How many complaints has the 2002 Amtran FE had?
None have been filed with NHTSA so far.
Is the 2002 Amtran FE a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 32 out of 100 (grade D: more problems than a typical Amtran FE year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.
What should I do if my 2002 Amtran FE has a problem?
If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data