The Recall Desk
Our severity:SevereNHTSA·23V843000·Announced 2023-12-13

Thomas Built Buses Recalls School Buses for Weak Rear Joint

Daimler Trucks North America is recalling 321 Thomas Built school buses because a rear interior joint may be too weak, increasing injury risk in a crash.

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 (insufficient joint strength) that fails to meet federal safety standards and increases the risk of injury in a crash, which aligns with the 'Severe' criteria for structural defects.

Plain-English summary

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER C2 and 2024 Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER C2 Jouley school buses. The recall involves 321 vehicles where a rear interior joint between the bulkhead and window panel may have been manufactured incorrectly, resulting in insufficient joint strength. This defect causes the vehicles to fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 221, "School Bus Body Joint Strength."

A school bus with insufficient joint strength may not adequately protect passengers in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury. No specific injuries or fatalities are reported in the source text.

Dealers will add additional mechanical fasteners to secure the joints, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 26, 2024. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712 or the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236. DTNA's number for this recall is FL986.

The recalled product

Product
THOMAS BUILT BUSES SAF-T-LINER C2, SAF-T-LINER C2 JOULEY
Brand
THOMAS BUILT BUSES
Manufacturer
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC
Category
Vehicle — School Bus
Hazard
Affected units
321

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 (2)

  • SAF-T-LINER C2
  • SAF-T-LINER C2 JOULEY

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

Related recalls

Same brand · THOMAS BUILT BUSES

Same manufacturer · Daimler Trucks North America, LLC

See all →

Same hazard · structural defect

See all →

Similar recalls