- Vehicles
- 813
- Built between
- Jan 2016 – Jan 2016
- Models
- 4
- Recall type
- Equipment
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 15 April 2016
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between January 2016 and January 2016. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- Freedman Family 3PTA 28968Built January 2016 to January 2016
- Freedman Family 3PTA 28988Built January 2016 to January 2016
- Freedman Family Seat 36360Built January 2016 to January 2016
- Freedman ICS 50500Built January 2016 to January 2016
What the defect is
Freedman Seating Company (Freedman) is recalling certain Family Seat, Family 3pta and ICS seats manufactured January 15, 2016, to January 29, 2016. Due to bolt failure, the affected seats may separate from the base frame. As such, these seats fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety System (FMVSS) number 222, "School Bus Passenger Seating and Crash Protection."
What could happen
In the event of a crash, the seat may separate from the base frame, increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant.
What gets fixed
Freedman will notify the bus manufacturers that purchased the affected seats and will provide new, replacement seats free of charge. Freedman began notifying the affected bus manufacturers on April 15, 2016. The bus manufacturers will conduct recalls to notify the bus owners and provide them with a free remedy.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJanuary 2016 to January 2016
- Recall reported to NHTSA22 April 2016
- Owners notified15 April 2016
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 22 April 2016.
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 their bus manufacturer or Freedman customer service at 1-800-443-4540.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- Freedman Seating Company
- Safety standard
- FMVSS 222
- 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.