Thomas Exterior Lighting: Switch

Thomas is recalling about 803 vehicles over a problem with the exterior lighting. This can result in deformation of the plastic connectors that connect the headlight switch to its wiring harness.

Campaign
00V174000
Manufacturer
FREIGHTLINER LLC
Reported
30 June 2000
Vehicles
803
Built between
Dec 1994 – Jul 2000
Models
2
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
NHTSA investigation
Owners notified
8 September 2000
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between December 1994 and July 2000. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1994-2000 Thomas ER TransitBuilt December 1994 to July 2000
  • 1994-2000 Thomas MVPBuilt December 1994 to July 2000

What the defect is

Certain school buses with weldon technologies' 5050-1400 surface mount marker lights have an option to replace each of the twelve clearance/marker/identification lights with four-candlepower lights, twice the candlepower normally used. The higher current demand created by these lights can cause excessive heat through the headlight switch connection if a relay is not installed between the combination tail/marker light circuit and the headlight switch.

What could happen

This can result in deformation of the plastic connectors that connect the headlight switch to its wiring harness.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A RELAY TO REDUCE THE CURRENT DRAW THROUGH THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN SEPTEMBER 8, 2000.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtDecember 1994 to July 2000
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA30 June 2000
  3. Owners notified8 September 2000

Your rights

A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.

That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 30 June 2000.

To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.

Manufacturer contact

Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact thomas built at 1-336-881-7219.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
FREIGHTLINER LLC
Recall initiated by
ODI

Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Additional notes

Also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

Check your own vehicle

This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.

A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.

Same component

Same brand