- Vehicles
- 266
- Built between
- Nov 2011 – Sep 2017
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA compliance test
- Owners notified
- 19 December 2017
- Repaired
- 47%
- Unrepaired
- 142
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between November 2011 and September 2017. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2011-2017 Van-Con 33803 Dual Rear-WheelBuilt November 2011 to September 2017
Repair progress
142 of 266 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q3 2019.
47% repaired — 124 of 266 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
Van-Con, Inc. (Van-Con) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Dual Rear-Wheel school buses, model 33803, built on Chevrolet 3500 chassis. The seat belt buckle latch plate assembly, when buckled, may rest across the seated passenger's lap instead of being located to the side of the passenger. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 222, "School Bus Passenger Seating and Crash Protection."
What could happen
The incorrectly positioned seat belt assembly may increase the risk of occupant injury in the event of a crash.
What gets fixed
Van-Con will notify owners and will replace the buckle end of the seat belt with a shorter length buckle end, free of charge. The recall began on December 19, 2017.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtNovember 2011 to September 2017
- Recall reported to NHTSA19 October 2017
- Owners notified19 December 2017
- Latest repair reportQ3 2019 — 47% 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 19 October 2017.
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 Van-Con customer service at 1-732-356-8484.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- Van-Con, Inc.
- Safety standard
- FMVSS 222
- Recall initiated by
- OVSC
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.