1997 International Harvester 4700 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other 4700 years
- Far more complaints than other years 1st of 7 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 4 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 13 complaints with NHTSA about the 1997 International Harvester 4700. That is the most of any 4700 model year in the database (7 years). The most reported problem area is steering (5 complaints, 38%). Complaints mention 6 injuries. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 13owner complaints
- 4safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 0complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1997 International Harvester 4700 problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steering | 5 | 38% | — | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 23% | — | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 15% | — | — | — |
| Visibility | 2 | 15% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 8% | — | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 8% | — | — | — |
| Power Train | 1 | 8% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 8% | — | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 8% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1997 International Harvester 4700 recalls (4)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Seats
Problem: On certain heavy duty trucks equipped with bostrom driver seat models 910, 910sc, or 914 and international's parking brake code 04036, if someone outside the cab adjusts/slides the driver's seat to its most forward position, with the parking brake set, the seat will contact and release the parking brake lever.
Risk: If the parking brake is accidentally released, the vehicle could move unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will install a stop-bracket on the seat track to limit the travel of the seat so that the seat cannot release the parking brake lever. Owner notification began on march 31, 2003. 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 international at 1-800-448-7825.
Suspension:rear
Problem: Vehicle description: school buses and heavy duty trucks equipped with rear axle assemblies produced by dana spicer. Certain rear axle assemblies were improperly heat treated which could allow pinion breakage at the pinion threads.
Risk: Cracks can initiate and result in separation of the threaded end of the pinion resulting in separation of the yoke and drive line from the rear axle increasing the risk of a vehicle accident.
Fix: Dealers will replace the rear axle carrier/pinion assembly.
Suspension:rear
Problem: The drive axle housings consist of a plate steel center section and two forged spindles, one of which is welded to each end of the center section. Each spindle contains a keyway slot in which the locking tab for the wheel bearing nut locking mechanism is inserted. The length of the keyway slot may not be long enough to accommodate the tab causing the tab to be deformed or damaged during installation.
Risk: This locking tab prevents the wheel bearing nut from loosening during vehicle operation. If this tab is deformed, the nut can loosen allowing the wheel to separate from the axle increasing the risk of a vehicle accident.
Fix: Dealers will replace the drive axle housing nuts with a conventional wheel nut hardware system.
Steering: steering wheel/handle bar
Problem: The steering column used was incorrectly manufactured. The tube portion of the steering column has a welded end with a specified length of 5.5 inches. A 3.5 inch welded end was used by mistake. With the shorter end, it is possible there is insufficient engagement of the male end into the tube portion and separation of the column could occur.
Risk: Should the column separate, the operator would lose steering control increasing the potential for a vehicle accident.
Fix: Dealers will replace the incorrectly built steering column with a new correctly built steering column.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Parts are not available for for steering recall 99v033001 repairs. *ak consumer adds manufacturer (spicer) has not sent the parts to replace the defective tie rod ends. *tt
Dealer: wise international; south bend. In; phone number# 219/288-9929 was unable to honor manufacturer's recall because no parts were available. Feel free to provide any further information.*ak
Consumer states that tie rods parts ordered for safety recall notice #99501, to date have not been received, resulting in repairs not yet performed. *tt
Consumer received recall notice. Dealer stated they would let consumer know when parts came in for tie rod recall repairs. *ak the dealer was not able to correct the recall problem. *yh
Been waiting for dealer to call back to honor recall 96v233.002/ trans axle housing. Everytime consumer called, the dealer claimed that parts were not available or parts have not arrived. *ak
Other International Harvester 4700 years
See all International Harvester 4700 problems by year, every International Harvester model, or the VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1997 International Harvester 4700?
Owners most often report steering, vehicle speed control, engine and engine cooling problems. The top one, steering, accounts for 5 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1997 International Harvester 4700?
Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1997 International Harvester 4700 a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other 4700 model years, the 1997 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.