- Vehicles
- 24,698
- Built between
- Jan 1999 – Jul 2016
- Models
- 9
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 9 December 2016
- Repaired
- 18%
- Unrepaired
- 20,323
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between January 1999 and July 2016. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1998, 2000-2002 Thomas SAF-T-Liner ConventionalBuilt January 1999 to February 2001
- 1998-1999 Thomas VistaBuilt January 1999 to May 1999
- 1999 Thomas Built Buses Conventional
- 2013-2017 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2Built August 2012 to July 2016
- 2000-2002 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner ERBuilt January 1999 to January 2002
- 2003 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner FS65Built July 2000 to August 2000
- 2013-2017 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner HDXBuilt July 2012 to July 2016
- 2000-2002 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner MVP-EFBuilt January 1999 to February 2001
- 2000-2017 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner MVP-ERBuilt January 1999 to July 2016
Repair progress
20,323 of 24,698 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q1 2019.
18% repaired — 4,375 of 24,698 reported
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
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain model year 1998-2002 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner Conventional, 2000-2002 Saf-T-Liner ER, 2000-2017 Saf-T-Liner MVP-EF, 1998-1999 Vista, 2003 Saf-T-Liner FS65, 2013-2017 Saf-T-liner C2, 2000-2002 Saf-T-Liner MVP-ER, 2013-2017 Saf-T-Liner HDX. In the affected vehicles, the stem that connects the outside emergency door handle to the emergency door opening mechanism may corrode.
What could happen
If the stem corrodes, the door handle could detach from the emergency door opening mechanism, delaying the opening of the door and the evacuation of the bus. In the event of an emergency, this may increase the risk of injury to the bus occupants.
What gets fixed
DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will either replace the stems or protect them against corrosion, free of charge. An interim notice was sent to owners on July 28, 2016. A second notice was mailed to owners on December 16, 2016. Parts are available.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJanuary 1999 to July 2016
- Recall reported to NHTSA2 June 2016
- Owners notified9 December 2016
- Latest repair reportQ1 2019 — 18% 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 2 June 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 DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-713.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- FL-713
- Recalling manufacturer
- Daimler Trucks North America LLC
- 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.