The Recall Desk
Our severity:SevereNHTSA·22V634000·Announced 2022-08-19

Thomas Built Buses Recalls Saf-T-Liner HDX School Buses for Seat Barrier Defect

Daimler Trucks North America is recalling 2011-2021 Thomas Built Saf-T-Liner HDX school buses because forward seat barriers may not provide sufficient protection, increasing injury risk in crashes.

What this means for you

Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 4/5 (Severe).

The hazard poses a serious risk of illness, injury, or structural failure. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.

Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a structural vehicle defect (seat barriers) that fails to meet federal safety standards, creating a significant risk of injury in a crash, which aligns with the 'Severe' criteria for structural defects and significant injury reports.

Plain-English summary

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2011-2021 Thomas Built Saf-T-Liner HDX school buses. The recall involves 7,561 vehicles where the forward seat barriers may not provide sufficient protection to passengers. As a result, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 222, "School Bus Passenger Seating and Crash Protection."

The defect poses a safety risk because occupants may collide with the front seat barriers with more force than intended during a crash, which increases the risk of injury. This recall replaces a previous NHTSA recall identified as 19V899.

Dealers will install a spacer between the seat rail and the seat barrier free of charge to correct the issue. Owner notification letters were mailed on August 25, 2023. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712 for more information; DTNA's number for this recall is FL843. Owners may also contact the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

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
7,561

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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