The Recall Desk
Our severity:HighNHTSA·15V564000·Announced 2015-09-04

Thomas Built Buses Recall Wheelchair Lifts Due to Bearing Defect

Daimler Trucks North America is recalling 2006-2015 Thomas Built Buses equipped with certain Ricon wheelchair lifts. Defective pivot holes may allow bearings to move, risking platform failure and injury.

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 defect in a wheelchair lift that could cause the platform to fall, posing a risk of injury to the operator. No injuries or deaths are reported in the source text, fitting the 'High' severity criteria for risk-of-harm products where injury has not yet been reported.

Plain-English summary

Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain model year 2006-2015 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner HDX, Saf-T-Liner EF, Saf-T-Liner EFX, and Minotour DRW transit buses. These vehicles were manufactured between January 3, 2006, and August 1, 2014, and are equipped with specific Ricon model S2005, S2010, S5005, S5010, S5505, or S5510 wheelchair lifts. The recall affects 52 vehicles.

The affected lifts have folding link arms with pivot holes that may be too large. This defect allows the bearings to move out of position. If the bearings shift, the stowed platform may move excessively, potentially causing the platform mounting to fail. This failure could cause the wheelchair lift platform to fall out of the vehicle when the doors are opened, increasing the risk of injury to the lift operator.

DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the link arms for damage or displaced bearings and the platform for cracks. Any damaged parts will be replaced free of charge. The recall began on November 2, 2015. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-745-8000 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

The recalled product

Product
THOMAS BUILT BUSES SAF-T-LINER EFX, SAF-T-LINER HDX, SAF-T-LINER EF, MINOTOUR
Brand
THOMAS BUILT BUSES
Manufacturer
Daimler Trucks North America LLC
Category
Vehicle — Transit Bus
Hazard
Affected units
52

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 EFX
  • SAF-T-LINER HDX
  • SAF-T-LINER EF
  • MINOTOUR

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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