Thomas Electrical System: Cables

Thomas is recalling about 468 vehicles over a problem with the electrical system.

Campaign
86V021000
Manufacturer
THOMAS BUILT BUSES, INC.
Reported
6 February 1986
Vehicles
468
Built between
Jan 1985 – Dec 1985
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
10 February 1986
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between January 1985 and December 1985. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1985 Thomas ThomasBuilt January 1985 to December 1985

What the defect is

A battery cable routing change may cause the positive cable to rub against the right front spring rear hanger, possibly causing a short circuit in the cable at the point of chafing. Consequence of defect: a short circuit at this location could result in loss of electrical power to the vehicle and could possibly cause a fire.

What gets fixed

A REPAIR KIT, INCLUDING CLAMPS, BRACKETS AND INSTRUCTIONS, WILL BE SENT TO OWNERS; OR THOMAS DISTRIBUTOR WILL DO THE REPAIRS.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtJanuary 1985 to December 1985
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA6 February 1986
  3. Owners notified10 February 1986

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 6 February 1986.

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
THOMAS BUILT BUSES, INC.
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

System: battery cable.vehicle description: conventional bus and school bus bodies mounted on ford chassis.

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