- Vehicles
- 27,494
- Built between
- Jan 2018 – Feb 2021
- Models
- 6
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA compliance test
- Owners notified
- 5 September 2024
- Repaired
- 58%
- Unrepaired
- 11,573
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between January 2018 and February 2021. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 2019-2022 Thomas Built Buses Minotour DRWBuilt September 2018 to February 2021
- 2020-2022 Thomas Built Buses Minotour SRWBuilt October 2018 to February 2021
- 2019-2022 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2Built January 2018 to February 2021
- 2020-2022 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2 JouleyBuilt October 2019 to February 2021
- 2019-2022 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner EFXBuilt October 2018 to February 2021
- 2019-2022 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner HDXBuilt October 2018 to December 2020
Repair progress
11,573 of 27,494 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q2 2026.
58% repaired — 15,921 of 27,494 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 Thomas Built Buses 2019-2022 Saf-T-Liner C2, Saf-T-Liner EFX, Saf-T-Liner HDX, Minotour DRW, 2020-2022 Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley, and Minotour SRW school buses. The Emergency Exit Label lettering is too small and may be difficult to read. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 217, "Bus Emergency Exits and Window Retention and Release."
What could happen
Emergency exit labels that are difficult to read can prevent or delay the use of the emergency exit, increasing the risk of injury.
What gets fixed
Dealers will correct the lettering, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 5, 2024.
Parts involved
- Label170560Emergency Door/Exit Label
- Label170561Emergency Door/Exit Label
- Label170562Emergency Door/Exit Label
- Label170563Emergency Door/Exit Label
Part numbers are as filed by the manufacturer and are listed for reference. Your dealer will confirm the correct part for your vehicle.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJanuary 2018 to February 2021
- Recall reported to NHTSA24 July 2024
- Owners notified5 September 2024
- Latest repair reportQ2 2026 — 58% 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 24 July 2024.
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 FL918.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- FL918
- Recalling manufacturer
- Daimler Trucks North America, LLC
- Safety standard
- FMVSS 217
- 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.nhtsa.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.