- Vehicles
- 5,114
- Built between
- Feb 2006 – Aug 2014
- Models
- 4
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 1 December 2015
- Repaired
- 22%
- Unrepaired
- 3,950
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between February 2006 and August 2014. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2007-2015 Blue Bird ALL AmericanBuilt February 2006 to July 2014
- 2007-2008 Blue Bird ConventionalBuilt March 2006 to January 2007
- 2007-2011 Blue Bird Micro BirdBuilt February 2006 to January 2010
- 2007-2015 Blue Bird VisionBuilt February 2006 to August 2014
Repair progress
3,950 of 5,114 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q1 2017.
22% repaired — 1,117 of 5,114 reported
- Owners not reachable
- 23
- Scrapped or exported
- 24
Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.
What the defect is
Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain model year 2007-2015 All American, Vision, 2007-2011 Micro Bird, and 2007-2008 Conventional school buses, equipped with certain model S2005, S2010, S5005, S5010, S5505, and S5510 wheelchair lifts manufactured January 1, 2006, to August 25, 2014 by the Ricon Corporation. The affected lifts are equipped with folding link arms that may have pivot holes that are too big, allowing the bearings to move out of position.
What could happen
If the bearings move out of position, the stowed platform may have excessive movement resulting in failure of the platform mounting. This failure could cause the wheel chair lift platform to fall out of the vehicle when the doors are opened, increasing the risk of injury for the lift operator.
What gets fixed
Blue Bird will notify owners, and Ricon dealers will inspect the link arms for damage or for displaced bearings. The platform will be inspected for cracks. Any damaged parts will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on December 1, 2015.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtFebruary 2006 to August 2014
- Recall reported to NHTSA4 November 2015
- Owners notified1 December 2015
- Latest repair reportQ1 2017 — 22% repaired
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 4 November 2015.
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 customer service at 1-478-822-2242, or Ricon Customer Service at 1-800-322-2884.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- R15YI-SB
- Recalling manufacturer
- Blue Bird Body Company
- 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
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to 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.