The Recall Desk
Our severity:HighNHTSA·15V425000·Announced 2015-07-06

Thomas Built Buses Recall Emergency Door Handle Corrosion Defect

Daimler Trucks North America is recalling certain Thomas Built Buses because corrosion on the emergency door handle stem may delay evacuation during an emergency.

What this means for you

Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 3/5 (High).

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 (emergency door mechanism) that could delay evacuation and increase the risk of injury, but no specific injuries or fatalities are reported in the source text.

Plain-English summary

Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain model year 2002-2004 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner ER, 2001-2005 Saf-T-Liner Conventional, 2002-2013 Saf-T-Liner MVP-EF, 2013 Saf-T-Liner EFX, 2001-2008 Saf-T-Liner FS65, 2005-2013 Saf-T-Liner C2, 2003-2013 Saf-T-Liner HDX, 2002-2003 Saf-T-Liner MVP-ER, 2002 Vista, and 2002-2003 TL-960 non-school buses. The recall affects 3,013 vehicles.

In the affected vehicles, the stem that connects the outside emergency door handle to the emergency door opening mechanism may corrode. If the stem corrodes, the door handle could detach from the emergency door opening mechanism, delaying the opening of the door and the evacuation of the bus. In the event of an emergency, this may increase the risk of injury to the bus occupants.

DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will either replace the stems or protect them against corrosion, free of charge. An interim notice was mailed to owners on August 28, 2015, and the recall began on December 24, 2015. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-745-8000. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-685. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

The recalled product

Product
THOMAS BUILT BUSES, THOMAS SAF-T-LINER HDX, SAF-T-LINER C2, SAF-T-LINER ER, SAF-T-LINER FS65
Brand
THOMAS BUILT BUSES
Manufacturer
Daimler Trucks North America LLC
Category
Vehicle — Bus
Hazard
Affected units
3,013

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 (10)

  • SAF-T-LINER HDX
  • SAF-T-LINER C2
  • SAF-T-LINER ER
  • SAF-T-LINER FS65
  • SAF-T-LINER CONVENTIONAL
  • VISTA
  • SAF-T-LINER MVP-ER
  • SAF-T-LINER MVP-EF
  • TL-960
  • SAF-T-LINER EFX

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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