The Recall Desk
SevereNHTSA·10V637000·Announced 2010-12-21

Girardin School Buses Recalled for Potential Electrical Fire Hazard

Corp. Micro Bird is recalling 1999-2001 Girardin MB II and MB IV school buses due to a defective evaporator that may overheat and cause a fire.

What this means for you

Illness, injury, or structural failure has been reported. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.

Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a vehicle defect that can result in a fire, which meets the rubric criteria for 'Severe' severity due to the potential for significant injury or property damage.

Plain-English summary

Corp. Micro Bird, Inc. is recalling certain model year 1999 through 2001 Girardin MB II and MB IV school buses. These vehicles were built on Ford and GM cutaway chassis between August 2, 1999, and May 31, 2001, and are equipped with a Trans/Air TA73 evaporator.

The recall addresses a defect in the evaporator's power resistor, which regulates blower speed. If a short occurs in the low or medium-speed circuit while the blower is in high speed, the supply voltage may feedback through the resistor to ground without drawing enough current to trip the fuse. This can cause the resistor temperature to rise until it melts, potentially igniting the plastic blower housing to which it is mounted, resulting in a fire.

Owners should contact Trans/Air Warranty and Service Center at 1-800-673-2446 to schedule a free repair. The corrective action involves installing a thermal shutdown device in series with the speed resistors. The safety recall began on January 11, 2011. Owners may also contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

The recalled product

Product
GIRARDIN MB II, MB IV
Brand
GIRARDIN
Manufacturer
CORP. MICRO BIRD, INC.
Category
Vehicle — School Bus
Hazard
Affected units
30

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 (2)

  • MB II
  • MB IV

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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