Blue Bird Engine and Engine Cooling: Engine

Blue Bird is recalling about 28 vehicles over a problem with the engine and engine cooling. If the parking brake applies while the vehicle is being driven, it can increase the risk of a crash.

Campaign
18V892000
Manufacturer
Blue Bird Body Company
Reported
17 December 2018
Vehicles
28
Built between
May 2016 – Nov 2017
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
1 February 2019
Repaired
82%
Unrepaired
5

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between May 2016 and November 2017. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2017-2019 Blue Bird VisionBuilt May 2016 to November 2017

Repair progress

5 of 28 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q2 2020.

82% repaired — 23 of 28 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

Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Vision school buses equipped with Cummins ISV5.0 diesel engines with optional CP80009 air compressors. The air compressor belt may slip, reducing air output, which may result in the parking brake automatically applying.

What could happen

If the parking brake applies while the vehicle is being driven, it can increase the risk of a crash.

What gets fixed

Blue Bird has notified owners, and dealers will replace the existing air compressor belt with a new shorter air compressor belt, free of charge. The recall began February 1, 2019.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtMay 2016 to November 2017
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA17 December 2018
  3. Owners notified1 February 2019
  4. Latest repair reportQ2 2020 — 82% 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 17 December 2018.

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. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R19ZW-SB.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
R19ZW-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.

Same component

Same brand