- Vehicles
- 2,692
- Built between
- Sep 1998 – Oct 2001
- Models
- 4
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 18 January 2002
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between September 1998 and October 2001. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1999-2001 Blue Bird ALL AmericanBuilt September 1998 to October 2001
- 1999-2001 Blue Bird Commercial SeriesBuilt September 1998 to October 2001
- 1999-2001 Blue Bird Q-BUSBuilt September 1998 to October 2001
- 1999-2001 Blue Bird TC2000Built September 1998 to October 2001
What the defect is
Vehicle description: school buses equipped with hendrickson rear air suspension. Inadequate tightening of the 5/8" bolts on the rear air suspension hanger bolts and on rear axle torque arm axle seat studs.
What could happen
Insufficient tightening permits movement between the components that could result in bolts and studs breaking, increasing the risk of a crash.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE 5/8" GRADE 8-HANGER BOLTS. IN ADDITION, AXLE SPRING SEAT FASTENERS WILL BE CHECKED FOR PROPER TIGHTNESS AND, IF NEEDED, TIGHTENED TO SPECIFICATIONS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JANUARY 18, 2002.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtSeptember 1998 to October 2001
- Recall reported to NHTSA2 November 2001
- Owners notified18 January 2002
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 2 November 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 blue bird at 1-478-822-2242.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- R01FL
- Recalling manufacturer
- BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY
- 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.