- Vehicles
- 145
- Built between
- Oct 2000 – Feb 2001
- Models
- 4
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 14 September 2001
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between October 2000 and February 2001. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2000-2001 Thomas SAF-T-Liner HDBuilt October 2000 to February 2001
- 2000-2001 Thomas Transit Liner ERBuilt October 2000 to February 2001
- 2000-2001 Thomas Transit Liner HDBuilt October 2000 to February 2001
- 2000-2001 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner ERBuilt October 2000 to February 2001
What the defect is
Vehicle description: certain school buses built with composite front roof caps fail to comply with requirements of FMVSS no. 221, "school bus body joint strength." the roof cap does not meet the requirements due to the omission of the adhesive that joins the roof to the bus body.
What could happen
In the event of a crash, the roof of the vehicle may crush, not properly protecting the vehicle occupants.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL RE-BOND THE ROOF CAP TO THE ROOF SHEET METAL. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN SEPTEMBER 14, 2001.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtOctober 2000 to February 2001
- Recall reported to NHTSA27 March 2001
- Owners notified14 September 2001
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 27 March 2001.
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 1-336-889-4871.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- FREIGHTLINER CORPORATION
- Safety standard
- FMVSS 221
- Recall initiated by
- MFR
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.