The Recall Desk
Our severity:HighNHTSA·16V407000·Announced 2016-06-07

Thomas Built Buses Recall Emergency Door Handle Corrosion Defect

Daimler Trucks North America is recalling 717 Thomas Built Buses because corrosion on the emergency door handle stem could 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 defect in the emergency door mechanism that could delay evacuation and increase the risk of injury, but no injuries or deaths have been reported.

Plain-English summary

Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain model year 1998-2002 Thomas Built Buses, including Saf-T-Liner Conventional, Saf-T-Liner ER, Saf-T-Liner MVP-EF, CL-960, Vista, Saf-T-Liner MVP-ER, and TL-960 transit buses. The recall affects 717 vehicles in total.

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 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 sent to owners on July 28, 2016, and a second notice was mailed on December 9, 2016. Parts are available. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-713. Owners may also contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or visit www.safercar.gov.

The recalled product

Product
THOMAS BUILT BUSES, THOMAS SAF-T-LINER MVP-EF, SAF-T-LINER ER, CL-960, VISTA
Brand
THOMAS BUILT BUSES
Manufacturer
Daimler Trucks North America LLC
Category
Vehicle — Transit Bus
Hazard
Affected units
717

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 (7)

  • SAF-T-LINER MVP-EF
  • SAF-T-LINER ER
  • CL-960
  • VISTA
  • TL-960
  • SAF-T-LINER MVP-ER
  • SAF-T-LINER CONVENTIONAL

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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