Blue Bird School Buses Recalled for Wheelchair Lift Software Defect
Blue Bird is recalling 2010 All American, Conventional, and Micro Bird school buses equipped with certain Ricon wheelchair lifts due to a software defect that may cause the lift to overrun the floor level.
What this means for you
Real risk of harm even if no illness or injury has been reported yet. Stop using the product and follow the agency's guidance.
Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a risk-of-harm product where injury has not yet been reported, specifically the potential for a person to tip over or fall from a wheelchair lift platform.
Plain-English summary
Blue Bird Body Company is recalling certain model year 2010 All American, Conventional, and Micro Bird school buses manufactured between April 24 and November 14, 2009. These vehicles are equipped with certain Ricon S Series and K Series L-Model wheelchair lifts. The recall affects 569 vehicles.
The defect involves a problem in the software that controls the lift's "up" function. If the "up" switch is released before the floor level limit switch is activated, the lift may continue traveling upward for approximately one second before stopping. This continued travel may cause the platform to overrun the vehicle floor level cut-off point.
When the platform overruns the floor level and stops at an angle of 15 to 20 degrees, it is possible for a person in a wheelchair to tip over or for someone standing on the platform to fall, potentially resulting in injuries. Blue Bird will notify owners, and repairs will be performed by authorized Ricon dealers free of charge. Currently, Ricon is developing a software solution. Until it is available, Ricon will provide owners with a bulletin outlining proper wheelchair lift operation and ship a DVD-based training aid at no cost. The safety recall began on May 4, 2010.
The recalled product
- Product
- BLUE BIRD ALL AMERICAN, CONVENTIONAL, MICRO BIRD
- Brand
- BLUE BIRD
- Manufacturer
- BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY
- Category
- Vehicle — School Bus
- Hazard
- Affected units
- 569
Is your product affected?
Check your packaging against the codes below. If any of them match, the product is part of this recall.
Model numbers (3)
- ALL AMERICAN
- CONVENTIONAL
- MICRO BIRD
Distribution
Distributed nationwide across the United States.
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