Thomas Steering: Gear Box (other Than Rack and Pinion)

Thomas is recalling about 336 vehicles over a problem with the steering. The cap screw separating from the intermediate LINKAGE/90 degree gear box and the missing keys have the potential for catastrophicfailure of the steering system which may result in an accident.

Campaign
93V142001
Manufacturer
THOMAS BUILT BUSES, INC.
Reported
1 October 1993
Vehicles
336
Built between
Jun 1990 – Aug 1993
Models
2
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
3 September 1993
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between June 1990 and August 1993. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1990-1993 Thomas ALL StarBuilt June 1990 to August 1993
  • 1990-1993 Thomas Type DBuilt June 1990 to August 1993

What the defect is

The cap screws that hold the intermediate steering linkages onto the input and output shafts of the 90 degree steering gear box were improperly torqued, and can separate from the linkage connections. Also, the keys were not installed in the keyways of the steering linkage and the steering box shaft.

What could happen

The cap screw separating from the intermediate LINKAGE/90 degree gear box and the missing keys have the potential for catastrophicfailure of the steering system which may result in an accident.

What gets fixed

REMOVE ALL FASTENERS CONNECTING THE STEERING GEAR BOX INPUT AND OUTPUT SHAFTS TO THE INTERMEDIATE LINKAGES AND REASSEMBLE WITH NEW KEYS, CAP SCREWS, WASHERS, AND NUTS.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtJune 1990 to August 1993
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA1 October 1993
  3. Owners notified3 September 1993

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 1 October 1993.

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: steering; gear box.vehicle description: school bus; front engine diesel chassis; 30,000 pound gvwr.note: thomas built is the only affected original equipment manufacturer and willbe performing the recall.

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