Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STRUCTURE | ||||||||||||||||
| 07V459000 | FREIGHTLINER LLC | from 03/08/2006 to 08/10/2007 | V (Vehicle) | 3581 | 12/04/2007 | MFR | FREIGHTLINER LLC | 09/21/2007 | 09/27/2007 | 571 | 217 | |||||
| Defect Summary | Certain thomas built school buses manufactured between march 8, 2006, and august 10, 2007, equipped with one or more pro lo roof hatch option numbers d107307001, d107307002, or d107307003. retroreflective tape was not installed around the perimeter of the roof mounted emergency exit hatch. these buses fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 217, bus emergency exits and window retention and release. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | Improperly identified emergency exits may hinder evacuation efforts. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Thomas built will notify owners and repair the buses by installing retroreflective tape free of charge. the recall began on december 4, 2007. owners may call thomas built at 336-889-4871 or contact freightliner at 800-547-0712. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Freightliner recall no. fl-510.customers may contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty: 1-800-424-9153); or go to http://www.safercar.gov. | |||||||||||||||
| STRUCTURE - BODY - DOOR | ||||||||||||||||
| 10V100000 | DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA | from 05/10/2007 to 01/08/2010 | V (Vehicle) | 9588 | 05/17/2010 | ODI | FREIGHTLINER LLC | 03/16/2010 | 03/16/2010 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | Dtna has notified nhtsa about a defect in certain model year 2008 through 2011 thomas built saf-t-liner c2 school buses manufactured from may 10, 2007, through january 8, 2010. the reed switch used to detect the position of the air operated front entrance door may malfunction causing warning lights and the crossing arm to operate improperly during student loading and unloading. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | Malfunctioning warning lights during the loading and unloading process could put the students at risk of injury. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dtna will notify owners and the repairs will be performed by thomas built buses dealerships free of charge. the safety recall is expected to begin on or about may 10, 2010. owners may contact thomas built at 1-336-889-4871. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Dtna's recall campaign number is fl-574.owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov . | |||||||||||||||
| 09V344000 | DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA | from 05/10/2007 to 06/01/2009 | V (Vehicle) | 15123 | 04/23/2010 | ODI | FREIGHTLINER LLC | 09/02/2009 | 09/02/2009 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | Daimler trucks is recalling certain model year 2008 through 2010 school and non-school buses manufactured from may 10, 2007 through august 31, 2009, equipped with ag2 entrance doors. the entrance door glass may be inadequately bonded to the door frame and may separate from the vehicle. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | Separation of the door glass while the vehicle is in operation could create a road hazard, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Daimler trucks will notify owners and the buses will be repaired free of charge. the safety recall began on april 23, 2010. owners may contact thomas built at 1-336-889-4871. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Daimler trucks' recall campaign number fl-556.owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov . | |||||||||||||||
| STRUCTURE - BODY - DOOR - HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS | ||||||||||||||||
| 09V010000 | DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA | from 10/01/2004 to 11/24/2008 | V (Vehicle) | 22206 | 04/14/2009 | ODI | FREIGHTLINER LLC | 01/08/2009 | 01/13/2009 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | Daimler trucks is recalling 22,206 thomas built my 2005 through 2010 school buses manufactured from october 2004 through november 24, 2008. the lower end of the front entrance door aft assist handrail may be located too close to the step. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | It may be possible for items such as drawstrings and straps to become caught on the handrails potentially leading to injury or death. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Daimler trucks will notify owners and repairs will be performed by thomas built buses dealerships and direct warranty customer free of charge. the recall is expected to begin on or about march 6, 2009. owners may contact daimler trucks toll-free at 1-800-547-0712. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Daimler trucks' recall no. fl-543.customers may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov . | |||||||||||||||
| 08V087000 | DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA | from 01/01/1994 to 03/10/2008 | V (Vehicle) | 243435 | 08/18/2008 | ODI | FREIGHTLINER LLC | 02/26/2008 | 02/27/2008 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | Daimler trucks is recalling 243,435 my 1995-2008 thomas built school buses manufactured between january 1994, and march 10, 2008. (additional buses have been added to this recall campaign. please see supplemental report no. 4) the emergency exit door handle begins corroding around the securing roll pin and square drive mechanism causing the protective finish to chip and flake. continued corrosion and pitting weakens the handle. handles weakened by corrosion may break while trying to open the door from the exterior. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | In the event of an emergency, a person on the outside of the bus may break the door handle trying to open the emergency exit potentially delaying evacuation and increasing the risk of personal injury to the vehicle's occupants. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Daimler trucks will notify owners and will replace the handles with a more robust handle free of charge. repairs will be performed by thomas built buses dealerships. the recall began on august 18, 2008, and notification for the revised population is expected to begin on or about april 29, 2009. owners may contact thomas built at 336-889-4871. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Daimler trucks recall no. fl-525.customers may contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty: 1-800-424-9153); or go to http://www.safercar.gov. | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STRUCTURE - BODY - HOOD | |||||
| PSB-13 | 06/29/2012 | 10044605 | Thomas built: chassis pdm power cable is chafing/rubbing pdm mounting bracket or hood/fender splash shield, where the copper cable strands are exposed to atmosphere. *pe | 07/17/2012 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STRUCTURE | ||||||
| PE08068 | FREIGHTLINER LLC | 12/03/2008 | 01/15/2009 | IMPROPER HANDRAIL INSTALLATION | 09V010000 | |
| This investigation was opened aftera school bus district informed odi that during a new businspection the handrails were found to be mounted too close to the bottom step of the bus and failed the drawstring test.(the drawstring test was developed in the early 90's to ensure that children's drawstrings would not get caught in the handrail while exiting the bus.)several other new buses were inspected and they also failed the test. daimler took immediate action to confirm the problem and determine the scope. odi has a prior history with this type of failure and opened a pe to further evaluate the report. of particular concern was the scope of the improper handrail installations.during the investigation, odi visited school bus fleets andarea dealers and inspected suspect buses.odi found that there were inconsistencies with the mounting of the lower portion of the handrails.this resulted in inadequate clearances between the last step and the bulkhead (wall of the bus), creating a place for a drawstring to become entangled.these findings were relayed back to daimler/thomas built buses.after discussions with odi and further review of the field incidents, daimler decided to conduct a safety recall.they will order the inspection of suspect buses and repairs, as necessary, to ensure proper installation of the handrails on the affected vehicles.this recall resolves the issues raised by this investigation. therefore, this investigation is closed. | ||||||
| STRUCTURE - BODY - DOOR | ||||||
| PE09027 | FREIGHTLINER LLC | 05/21/2009 | 09/24/2009 | DOOR GLASS DETACHMENT | 09V344000 | |
| This investigation was opened after a fleet notified odi that it had lost a front door glass panel while the bus was being operated.a field inspection revealed twelve more buses had loose door glass panels.odi is always concerned with objects that separate from vehicles and could possibly strike another vehicle or hit a pedestrian.odi's findings were relayed to daimler and they commenced an investigation.daimler will conduct a safety recall to correct this condition on approximately 13,945 buses. daimler believes that the entrance door glass may be inadequately bonded to the door frame.daimler will notify the agency in the near further as to what corrective action they plan to take.this resolves the issues raised by this investigation and thereforethis investigation is closed. | ||||||
| PE07012 | FREIGHTLINER LLC | 03/01/2007 | 06/25/2007 | INADVERTENT DOOR CLOSING | 07V212000 | |
| This investigation was opened based on four fleets contacting odi alleging multiple events where the front entrance door unexpectedly closed while loading and discharging children.when this occurs, the bus warning lights (red warning lamps and stop arm lamps) are de-activated, since they operate off the door control.odi | ||||||
| STRUCTURE - BODY - DOOR - HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS | ||||||
| PE07054 | FREIGHTLINER LLC | 11/09/2007 | 03/04/2008 | EMERGENCY DOOR HANDLE FAILURE | 08V087000 | |
| The office of defects investigation opened this preliminary evaluationafterbecoming aware that fleets were having handle failures on the rear emergency door exit.the failure resulted in the door handle separating from thedoor latch mechanism.when the handle fails, the rear emergency exit door can not be opened from outside the bus.the failure results from corrosion of the exterior door handle around the securing roll pin and square drive latch mechanism, causing the protective finish to chip and flake.continued corrosion weakens the handle and eventually the handle may break while trying to open the exit door.odi was concerned that during an emergency, a person outside of the bus would break the door handle while trying to open the emergency exit door,potentially delaying evacuation of the bus.under the safety recall, the aluminum handles will be replaced with a more robust handle.the recall action resolves the issues raised by this investigation. accordingly, this investigation is closed. | ||||||