- Vehicles
- 11
- Built between
- Jun 2002 – Dec 2002
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA compliance test
- Owners notified
- 2 April 2004
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between June 2002 and December 2002. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2003 Liberty SpiritBuilt June 2002 to December 2002
What the defect is
Certain school buses fail to conform to federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 217, "bus emergency exits and window retention release." the rear exit door handle is not recessed which can catch on an article of clothing or a back pack, inadvertently opening the door. Also, the required positive door opening device for rear exit door does not hold the door at 90 degrees with the body.
What could happen
In the event of a vehicle crash, and the vehicle ends up on its side, the door will not operate properly possibly hindering rapid egress from the vehicle.
What gets fixed
LIBERTY BUS WILL NOTIFY ITS CUSTOMERS AND A METAL BEZEL WILL BE INSTALLED AROUND THE HANDLE TO RECESS IT. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN APRIL 2, 2004.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJune 2002 to December 2002
- Recall reported to NHTSA23 January 2004
- Owners notified2 April 2004
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 23 January 2004.
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 should contact liberty bus at 419-227-6554.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- 217/01/LIB
- Recalling manufacturer
- LIBERTY BUS INCORPORATED
- Safety standard
- FMVSS 217
- Recall initiated by
- OVSC
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
Liberty bus recall no. 217/01/LIB.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.