Thomas Built Buses Recall School Buses for Seat Belt Defect
Daimler Trucks North America is recalling 2013-2015 Thomas Built school buses because seat belt buckles may fail to release, hindering emergency egress.
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 (school bus seat belts) where injury has not yet been reported, fitting the High severity criteria for potential hindrance of emergency egress.
Plain-English summary
Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2, Saf-T-Liner HDX, and Minotour school buses. The affected vehicles were manufactured between August 5, 2013, and November 15, 2013, and are equipped with IMMI-brand L9 seat belt buckles.
The defect involves the seat belt buckles, where the latch plate can become partially engaged with the buckle when the release button is pressed. This makes the seat belt difficult to unlatch, causing the vehicles to fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies." If the latch plate remains partially engaged, egress from the vehicle could be hindered, increasing the risk of injury in the event of an emergency.
DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt buckles, as necessary, free of charge. The recall was expected to begin by January 26, 2014. Owners may contact DTNA at 1-800-385-4357 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.
The recalled product
- Product
- THOMAS BUILT BUSES, THOMAS BUILT SAF-T-LINER HDX, MINOTOUR, SAF-T-LINER C2
- Brand
- THOMAS BUILT BUSES
- Manufacturer
- Daimler Trucks North America
- Category
- Vehicle — School Bus
- Affected units
- 145
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)
- SAF-T-LINER HDX
- MINOTOUR
- SAF-T-LINER C2
Distribution
Distributed nationwide across the United States.
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