Blue Bird Structure: Roof and Pillars

Blue Bird is recalling about 233 vehicles over a problem with the structure. In the event of a crash, these panels could separate, exposing vehicle occupants to increased risk of injury.

Campaign
04V362000
Manufacturer
BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY
Reported
22 July 2004
Vehicles
233
Built between
May 2004 – Jul 2004
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
16 August 2004
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between May 2004 and July 2004. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2005 Blue Bird ALL AmericanBuilt May 2004 to July 2004

What the defect is

Certain my 2005 blue bird all american model school buses manufactured from may 24 through july 12, 2004. These buses fail to comply with federal motor vehicle safety standard no 221, school bus body joint strength. The rivet pattern may be incorrect in sections of the rear roof sheet joint that attaches to the rear roof cap.

What could happen

In the event of a crash, these panels could separate, exposing vehicle occupants to increased risk of injury.

What gets fixed

BLUE BIRD WILL NOTIFY ITS CUSTOMERS AND PROVIDE INSTRUCTIONS AND PARTS TO ADD ADDITIONAL RIVETS AS NEEDED. THE RECALL BEGAN AUGUST 16, 2004.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtMay 2004 to July 2004
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA22 July 2004
  3. Owners notified16 August 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 22 July 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 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 478-822-2242.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
R04HV
Recalling manufacturer
BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY
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, 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