- Vehicles
- 18,000
- Built between
- Apr 1988 – Apr 1996
- Models
- 8
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 21 August 1996
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between April 1988 and April 1996. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1988-1996 Blue Bird ALL AmericanBuilt April 1988 to April 1996
- 1988-1996 Blue Bird ConventionalBuilt April 1988 to April 1996
- 1988-1996 Blue Bird GmcvBuilt April 1988 to April 1996
- 1988-1996 Blue Bird GpwbBuilt April 1988 to April 1996
- 1988-1996 Blue Bird Mini BirdBuilt April 1988 to April 1996
- 1988-1996 Blue Bird SbcvBuilt April 1988 to April 1996
- 1988-1996 Blue Bird TC2000Built April 1988 to April 1996
- 1988-1996 Blue Bird VctaBuilt April 1988 to April 1996
What the defect is
Passenger's clothing can unknowingly become caught in the forward handrails at bus doors when exiting the bus.
What could happen
When a passenger's clothing becomes caught in the handrail, and 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 in serious injury or death.
What gets fixed
OWNERS WILL BE DIRECTED TO REMOVE ALL FORWARD HANDRAILS. PROVISIONS WILL BE MADE FOR THOSE OWNERS OPERATING IN STATES WHICH MANDATE A FORWARD HANDRAIL THAT A REPLACEMENT HANDRAIL WILL BE PROVIDED.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtApril 1988 to April 1996
- Recall reported to NHTSA3 May 1996
- Owners notified21 August 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 3 May 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
- BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY
- Recall initiated by
- ODI
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; handrails at bus entryways. Vehicle description: school buses equipped with forward handrails. Note: owner 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 blue bird at 1-912-825-2021. 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.