Blue Bird Power Train: Manual Transmission

Blue Bird is recalling about 3,439 vehicles over a problem with the power train. The operator will not be alerted that the transmission operation is being inhibited and that the range shifts being requested by the operator may not occur, increasing the risk of a crash.

Campaign
02V177000
Manufacturer
BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY
Reported
9 July 2002
Vehicles
3,439
Built between
Jan 2002 – Jun 2002
Models
3
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
16 August 2002
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between January 2002 and June 2002. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2002 Blue Bird ALL AmericanBuilt January 2002 to June 2002
  • 2002 Blue Bird Commercial SeriesBuilt January 2002 to June 2002
  • 2002 Blue Bird TC2000Built January 2002 to June 2002

What the defect is

On certain school and transit buses equipped with allison 2000 series transmissions, the "range inhibited" indicator light on the dash was improperly installed and does not function.

What could happen

The operator will not be alerted that the transmission operation is being inhibited and that the range shifts being requested by the operator may not occur, increasing the risk of a crash.

What gets fixed

DISTRIBUTORS AND OWNERS WILL BE INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE THE DASH AND ACTIVATE THE INDICATOR "RANGE INHIBITED" LIGHT ACCORDING TO INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN AUGUST 16, 2002.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtJanuary 2002 to June 2002
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA9 July 2002
  3. Owners notified16 August 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 9 July 2002.

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
R02GC
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, customers can 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