- Vehicles
- 243,435
- Built between
- Jan 1994 – Mar 2008
- Models
- 9
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 18 August 2008
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between January 1994 and March 2008. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2001-2008 Thomas ERBuilt January 1994 to March 2008
- 1995-2000 Thomas ER TransitBuilt January 1994 to March 2008
- 1995-1999, 2001-2008 Thomas MVP EFBuilt January 1994 to March 2008
- 1996-2008 Thomas MVP ERBuilt January 1994 to March 2008
- 1995-2008 Thomas Built Buses FS-65Built January 1994 to March 2008
- 2001-2008 Thomas Built Buses HDXBuilt January 1994 to March 2008
- 1995-2000 Thomas Built Buses HDX EFBuilt January 1994 to March 2008
- 2001-2003, 2008 Thomas Built Buses MinotourBuilt January 1994 to March 2008
- 1995-2008 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2Built January 1994 to March 2008
What the defect is
Daimler trucks is recalling 243,435 my 1995-2008 thomas built school buses manufactured between january 1994, and march 10, 2008. (additional buses have been added to this recall campaign. Please see supplemental report no. 4) the emergency exit door handle begins corroding around the securing roll pin and square drive mechanism causing the protective finish to chip and flake. Continued corrosion and pitting weakens the handle. Handles weakened by corrosion may break while trying to open the door from the exterior.
What could happen
In the event of an emergency, a person on the outside of the bus may break the door handle trying to open the emergency exit potentially delaying evacuation and increasing the risk of personal injury to the vehicle's occupants.
What gets fixed
DAIMLER TRUCKS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND WILL REPLACE THE HANDLES WITH A MORE ROBUST HANDLE FREE OF CHARGE. REPAIRS WILL BE PERFORMED BY THOMAS BUILT BUSES DEALERSHIPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 18, 2008, AND NOTIFICATION FOR THE REVISED POPULATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR ABOUT APRIL 29, 2009.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJanuary 1994 to March 2008
- Recall reported to NHTSA26 February 2008
- Owners notified18 August 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 26 February 2008.
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.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- FL-525
- Recalling manufacturer
- DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA
- 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
Daimler trucks recall no. FL-525.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.