Blue Bird Hybrid Propulsion System

Blue Bird is recalling about 83 vehicles over a problem with the hybrid propulsion system. Unexpected vehicle movement can increase the risk of a crash.

Campaign
19V765000
Manufacturer
Blue Bird Body Company
Reported
25 October 2019
Vehicles
83
Built between
Jan 2019 – Sep 2019
Models
2
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
30 October 2019
Repaired
100%
Unrepaired
0

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between January 2019 and September 2019. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2018-2019 Blue Bird ALL AmericanBuilt August 2019 to September 2019
  • 2018-2019 Blue Bird VisionBuilt January 2019 to September 2019

Repair progress

The manufacturer reports every reachable vehicle in this recall has been repaired, as of Q1 2021.

100% repaired — 83 of 83 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 2018-2019 Vision and All American school buses equipped with Cummins PowerDrive 7000 EV electric drivetrain units. Due to a software error, the VCU may activate the anti-roll back feature during slow moving or stop and go conditions, which can cause unexpected vehicle movement.

What could happen

Unexpected vehicle movement can increase the risk of a crash.

What gets fixed

Blue Bird has notified owners, and Cummins dealers will update the VCU software, free of charge. The recall began October 30, 2019.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtJanuary 2019 to September 2019
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA25 October 2019
  3. Owners notified30 October 2019
  4. Latest repair reportQ1 2021 — 100% 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 25 October 2019.

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 Cummins customer service at 1-800-286-6467 or Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R19AJ-SB.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
R19AJ-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