- Vehicles
- 2,790
- Built between
- Feb 2007 – Jan 2020
- Models
- 6
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 22 April 2020
- Repaired
- 63%
- Unrepaired
- 1,021
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between February 2007 and January 2020. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2008-2019 Blue Bird ALL AmericanBuilt September 2007 to December 2019
- 2020-2021 Blue Bird ALL American School BUSBuilt September 2007 to December 2019
- 2020-2021 Blue Bird ALL American Transit BUSBuilt September 2007 to December 2019
- 2008-2019 Blue Bird VisionBuilt February 2007 to January 2020
- 2020-2021 Blue Bird Vision School BUSBuilt February 2007 to January 2020
- 2020-2021 Blue Bird Vision Transit BUSBuilt February 2007 to January 2020
Repair progress
1,021 of 2,790 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q4 2023.
63% repaired — 1,768 of 2,790 reported
- Scrapped or exported
- 1
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 2008-2021 Vision and All American school buses. The seat barrier behind the driver seat with an integrated 3-point seat belt may have been installed incorrectly and may be missing the reinforcing bracket. 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
In the event of a crash, the seat barrier may not adequately protect the occupant seated behind the seat barrier separating them from the driver seat with integrated 3-point seat belt, increasing the risk of injury.
What gets fixed
Blue Bird will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and properly install the seat barrier including adding reinforcing bracket, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin April 23, 2020.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtFebruary 2007 to January 2020
- Recall reported to NHTSA3 March 2020
- Owners notified22 April 2020
- Latest repair reportQ4 2023 — 63% 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 3 March 2020.
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 R20AM-SB.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- R20AM-SB
- Recalling manufacturer
- Blue Bird Body 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.