- Vehicles
- 200
- Built between
- Dec 1980 – May 1982
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA compliance test
- Owners notified
- 1 November 1983
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between December 1980 and May 1982. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1981 Ward CBuilt December 1980 to May 1982
What the defect is
Due to incorrectly installed mounting brackets, the two crash barriers, located on the right and left sides ahead of the front seats on the involved buses, do not meet the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 222, "school bus passenger seating and crash protection". The barriers should be able to absorb a force of 12,000 inch-lbs. They fall short by 220 inch-lbs.
What gets fixed
CRASH BARRIER MOUNTING BRACKETS WILL BE INSPECTED AND WILL BE REMOUNTED CORRECTLY, IF NECESSARY.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtDecember 1980 to May 1982
- Recall reported to NHTSA22 September 1983
- Owners notified1 November 1983
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 22 September 1983.
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.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- AMERICAN TRANSPORTATION CORP.
- 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
Vehicle description: school buses (c model).system: structure; crash barrier mounting brackets.consequences of defect: this deficiency in energy absorption capability wouldincrease the chances of passenger injuries in the event of an accident.
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.