Thomas Structure: Body

Thomas is recalling about 37,717 vehicles over a problem with the structure. A passenger's clothing could become caught in the handrail, and if the bus driver closes the door and puts the vehicle in motion, the individual is subject to being dragged by the bus.

Campaign
96V065000
Manufacturer
THOMAS BUILT BUSES, INC.
Reported
15 April 1996
Vehicles
37,717
Built between
Feb 1992 – Mar 1996
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
12 June 1996
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between February 1992 and March 1996. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1992-1996 Thomas School BUSBuilt February 1992 to March 1996

What the defect is

The fasteners used to secure the mounting foot of either forward or rearward handrails could be installed in such a manner as to allow the possibility that the nut used in nhtsa's handrail inspection procedure will catch between the fasteners.

What could happen

A passenger's clothing could become caught in the handrail, and if the bus driver closes the door and puts the vehicle in motion, the individual is subject to being dragged by the bus. This can result inserious injury or death.

What gets fixed

REPLACE OR REPOSITION THE HANDRAILS TO STOP CLOTHING FROM BECOMING CAUGHT.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtFebruary 1992 to March 1996
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA15 April 1996
  3. Owners notified12 June 1996

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 15 April 1996.

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: equipment; other pieces; handrail at bus entry ways. Vehicle description: school buses. Note: owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time, should contact thomas built 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