- Vehicles
- 15,686
- Built between
- Mar 2005 – May 2008
- Models
- 3
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 18 March 2009
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between March 2005 and May 2008. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2005-2009 FCCC B2Built March 2005 to May 2008
- 2005-2009 Freightliner S2Built March 2005 to May 2008
- 2005-2009 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2Built March 2005 to May 2008
What the defect is
Daimler trucks is recalling 15,686 my 2005 through 2009 fccc and thomas built school and transit buses manufactured between march 2005 and may 2008 equipped with a certain brake lamp air pressure switch. The contacts in the pressure switch for the low current brake lamp signal to the chassis ECU may have become contaminated by silicone during assembly causing insulating deposits to build up over time preventing the brake lamps from operating.
What could happen
Inoperative brake lamps would not provide a signal to following drivers that the brakes are applied and a crash may occur.
What gets fixed
DAIMLER TRUCKS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE PRESSURE SWITCH FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR ABOUT MARCH 18, 2009.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtMarch 2005 to May 2008
- Recall reported to NHTSA19 November 2008
- Owners notified18 March 2009
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 19 November 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 daimler trucks at 1-800-547-0712 or thomas built buses at 1-336-889-4871.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- FL-538
- Recalling manufacturer
- DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA
- 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
Daimler trucks' recall no. FL-538.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.