Thomas Electrical System: Alternator/Generator/Regulator

Thomas is recalling about 285 vehicles over a problem with the electrical system. Consequence of defect: starting a bus in a drive gear can result in unintentional movement and could result in an accident.

Campaign
94V120000
Manufacturer
THOMAS BUILT BUSES, INC.
Reported
27 June 1994
Vehicles
285
Built between
Feb 1994 – Jun 1994
Models
2
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
30 September 1994
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between February 1994 and June 1994. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1994 Thomas BUSBuilt February 1994 to June 1994
  • 1994 Thomas School BUSBuilt February 1994 to June 1994

What the defect is

A cable installed to temporarily bypass the neutral switch to enable the engine to be started was not removed at delivery. The cable allows the bus to be started while in a forward or reverse drive gear.

What could happen

Consequence of defect: starting a bus in a drive gear can result in unintentional movement and could result in an accident.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE TEMPORARY CABLE AND INSTALL A NEW RELAY.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtFebruary 1994 to June 1994
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA27 June 1994
  3. Owners notified30 September 1994

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 27 June 1994.

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: electrical system; alternator; regulator; starter.vehicle description: transit and school buses built on a navistar chassis WITHT444E engines.note: if your vehicle is presented to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and the remedy is not provided within a reasonable time and free of charge or the remedy does not correct the defect or noncompliance, please contact thomas built service center at 1-910-889-4871. Also, contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-800-424-9393.

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