Thomas Built Buses Recall School Buses with Defective Roof Hatches
Daimler Trucks North America is recalling certain Thomas Built school buses because roof hatches may be too difficult to open in an emergency.
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 structural vehicle defect affecting emergency egress, which poses a risk of harm to occupants, but no specific injuries or fatalities are reported in the source text.
Plain-English summary
Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is recalling certain model year 2010 through 2013 Thomas Built Saf-T-Liner EF, Saf-T-Liner HDX, Saf-T-Liner C2, and Minotour school buses. These vehicles were manufactured between April 5, 2011, and April 23, 2012, and are equipped with Specialty Manufacturing Inc. (SMI) Prolo roof hatches.
The recall addresses increased friction between the rear plate assemblies and the nylon rear pop-up support. This friction may cause the opening force of the roof hatches to exceed federal standard requirements, meaning the hatches fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 217 regarding bus emergency exits. In the event of an emergency, this defect may hinder egress from the bus, potentially resulting in injury to vehicle occupants.
Thomas Built Buses will notify owners. SMI will provide service kits and repair instructions to dealers and owners free of charge. The safety recall began on August 22, 2012. Owners may contact Thomas Built Buses at 1-336-889-4871 or SMI at 1-800-951-7867.
The recalled product
- Product
- THOMAS BUILT BUSES, THOMAS BUILT SAF-T-LINER HDX, SAF-T-LINER C2, SAF-T-LINER EF, MINOTOUR
- Brand
- THOMAS BUILT BUSES
- Manufacturer
- DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA
- Category
- Vehicle — School Bus
- Affected units
- 1,312
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 (4)
- SAF-T-LINER HDX
- SAF-T-LINER C2
- SAF-T-LINER EF
- MINOTOUR
Distribution
Distributed nationwide across the United States.
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