- Vehicles
- 372
- Built between
- Feb 1999 – Aug 2004
- Models
- 6
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 21 September 2004
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between February 1999 and August 2004. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2004-2005 Blue Bird ALL AmericanBuilt February 2004 to May 2004
- 1999-2004 Blue Bird Commercial SeriesBuilt February 1999 to June 2004
- 2001-2004 Blue Bird ConventionalBuilt March 2001 to August 2004
- 2002-2004 Blue Bird Micro BirdBuilt May 2002 to July 2004
- 2001-2003 Blue Bird TC2000Built June 2001 to December 2002
- 2004-2005 Blue Bird VisionBuilt September 2003 to March 2004
What the defect is
Certain blue bird 1999-2005 all american, TC/2000, micro bird, vision, conventional, and commercial series school buses equipped with sure-loc wheelchair securement systems and manufactured between february 17, 1999, and august 13, 2004. Certain sure-lok wheelchair tie-down securement assemblies p/n 8625-13. The sprocket teeth of the retractor assembly may be out of alignment causing the load pawl not to fully seat in the sprocket teeth.
What could happen
In the event of a vehicle crash, the wheelchair may not be adequately secured possibly resulting in injuries.
What gets fixed
BLUE BIRD WILL NOTIFY ITS CUSTOMERS AND REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE PART FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN SEPTEMBER 21, 2004.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtFebruary 1999 to August 2004
- Recall reported to NHTSA30 August 2004
- Owners notified21 September 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 30 August 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 buses to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact at blue bird at 478-822-2242.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- R04JB
- 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.