- Vehicles
- 23,464
- Built between
- Mar 2003 – Mar 2008
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 18 September 2008
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between March 2003 and March 2008. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2004-2009 Blue Bird ALL AmericanBuilt March 2003 to March 2008
- 2005-2009 Blue Bird VisionBuilt March 2003 to March 2008
What the defect is
Blue bird is recalling 23,464 my 2005 through 2009 all american and vision school and transit model buses manufactured from january 22, 2004, and march 28, 2008, and my 2004 through 2007 all american school buses and conventional model school buses manufactured from march 6, 2003, through june 16, 2006. The rivet pattern may be incorrect in sections of the rear roof sheet joint that attaches to the rear roof cap. Without the appropriate amount of roof rivets, the buses fail to conform with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no 221, "joint strength."
What could happen
In the event of a crash, these panels may separate exposing the occupants to increased risk of injury.
What gets fixed
BLUE BIRD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND INSPECT AND REPAIR THE BUSES BY ADDING ADDITIONAL RIVETS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 18, 2008.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtMarch 2003 to March 2008
- Recall reported to NHTSA20 May 2008
- Owners notified18 September 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 20 May 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 blue bird at 478-822-2242.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- R08NC
- 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
Blue bird recall no. R08NC.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.