The Recall Desk
Our severity:HighNHTSA·20V252000·Announced 2020-05-05

Thomas Built Buses Recalls Saf-T-Liner HDX for Small Emergency Exit Labels

Daimler Trucks North America is recalling 2010-2020 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner HDX school buses because the rear emergency exit window labels may have lettering that is too small to read easily.

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 risk-of-harm product (emergency exit) where injury has not yet been reported, fitting the High severity criterion for potential delay in emergency egress.

Plain-English summary

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2010-2020 model year Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner HDX school buses. The recall involves 7,979 vehicles where the lettering on the instruction label for the rear emergency exit window may be too small. This condition causes the vehicles to fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 217, "Bus Emergency Exits and Window Retention and Release."

The small lettering may be difficult for occupants to read, which could delay the reaction time to open the exit and increase the risk of injury. DTNA issued an interim notification to owners on June 17, 2020, and the recall officially began on September 10, 2020.

DTNA will notify owners and mail a new label to attach to the exit window by first-class mail, free of charge. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712 for assistance. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-849. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or visit www.safercar.gov.

The recalled product

Product
THOMAS BUILT BUSES SAF-T-LINER HDX
Brand
THOMAS BUILT BUSES
Manufacturer
Daimler Trucks North America LLC
Category
Vehicle — School Bus
Hazard
Affected units
7,979

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 (1)

  • SAF-T-LINER HDX

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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