Thomas Structure: Body

Thomas is recalling about 315 vehicles over a problem with the structure. A noncompliance with FMVSS 221 may, without warning, result in an increase of a structural collapse of the school bus in the event of a crash.

Campaign
05V392000
Manufacturer
FREIGHTLINER LLC
Reported
8 September 2005
Vehicles
315
Built between
Aug 2004 – May 2005
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
3 April 2006
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between August 2004 and May 2005. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2004-2005 Thomas SAF-T-Liner C2Built August 2004 to May 2005

What the defect is

Certain my 2004 and 2005 thomas built saf-t-liner C2 school buses manufactured between august 2004, and may 5, 2005. There is an excessive gap between adjoining interior panels above the rear right side window which does not conform to the strength requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 221, school bus body joint strength.

What could happen

A noncompliance with FMVSS 221 may, without warning, result in an increase of a structural collapse of the school bus in the event of a crash.

What gets fixed

THOMAS BUILT WILL NOTIFY IT CUSTOMERS AND REPAIR THE JOINT BY ADDING A BRACKET SECURED WITH SCREWS AND ADHESIVE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtAugust 2004 to May 2005
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA8 September 2005
  3. Owners notified3 April 2006

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 8 September 2005.

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 may contact thomas built at 1-877-660-4938.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
FL-456
Recalling manufacturer
FREIGHTLINER LLC
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

Freightliner recall no. FL-456.CUSTOMERS may contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236; (TTY:1-800-424-9153); or go to http://www.safercar.gov.

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