- Vehicles
- 11,265
- Built between
- Jan 1994 – Apr 2002
- Models
- 4
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 8 February 2008
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between January 1994 and April 2002. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1994-2002 Thomas MinotourBuilt January 1994 to April 2002
- 1994-2002 Thomas MVP EFBuilt January 1994 to April 2002
- 1994-2002 Thomas Built Buses FS-65Built January 1994 to April 2002
- 1994-2002 Thomas Built Buses HDX EFBuilt January 1994 to April 2002
What the defect is
Certain my 1994 through 2002 thomas built minotour, FS-65, mvp-ef, er, and hdx-ef school buses manufactured between january 23, 1994, and april 15, 2002. The seat belt may chafe on the edge of a metal bracket and wear prematurely.
What could happen
In the event of a vehicle crash, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained, possibly resulting in personal injury.
What gets fixed
THOMAS BUILT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE ANY CHAFED SEAT BELTS AND REPLACE OR MODIFY THE RETAINER STRIP TO PREVENT ANY FURTHER CHAFING. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 8, 2008.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJanuary 1994 to April 2002
- Recall reported to NHTSA27 March 2007
- Owners notified8 February 2008
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 27 March 2007.
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 336-889-4871 or contact freightliner at 800-547-0712.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- FL-495
- Recalling manufacturer
- FREIGHTLINER LLC
- Recall initiated by
- ODI
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-495.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.