The Recall Desk
HighNHTSA·24V555000·Announced 2025-12-07

Thomas Built school buses recalled for illegible emergency exit labels

Daimler Trucks North America is recalling Thomas Built school buses because emergency exit label lettering is too small to read clearly, violating federal safety standards and potentially delaying emergency exit use.

What this means for you

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: This recall is scored High (3) because it addresses a risk-of-harm condition where no injuries or illnesses have been reported. The hazard is theoretical—difficult-to-read emergency exit labels could delay exit use and increase injury risk—but no actual harm has occurred, fitting the rubric criterion for risk-of-harm products without reported injury.

Plain-English summary

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC is recalling Thomas Built school buses from model years 2019 through 2022. The emergency exit label lettering on these vehicles is too small and difficult to read. The buses do not comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 217, which establishes requirements for bus emergency exits and window retention.

Small emergency exit lettering can prevent or delay the use of emergency exits during an emergency, increasing the risk of injury to passengers. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 5, 2024.

Approximately 27,494 school buses are affected by this recall across multiple SAF-T-LINER and Minotour models. Owners should contact their dealer to have the lettering corrected free of charge. For more information, contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712.

The recalled product

Product
2020 THOMAS BUILT BUSES SAF-T-LINER HDX
Brand
THOMAS BUILT BUSES
Manufacturer
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC
Category
Vehicle — School Bus
Hazard
  • labeling
  • emergency-exit
  • readability
Affected units
27,494

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 (6)

  • SAF-T-LINER HDX
  • SAF-T-LINER C2
  • MINOTOUR DRW
  • MINOTOUR SRW
  • SAF-T-LINER C2 JOULEY
  • SAF-T-LINER EFX

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

Related recalls

Same brand · THOMAS BUILT BUSES

Same category