- Vehicles
- 8,187
- Built between
- Apr 1977 – Jul 1996
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 6 October 1997
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between April 1977 and July 1996. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1977-1996 Thomas MinotourBuilt April 1977 to July 1996
What the defect is
Vehicle description: school buses equipped with manually operated outward opening entrance doors. An item worn by a child, such as a long drawstring, sash, or backpack/bookbag accessory, can becomecaught in the area between the service door and the door control rod attaching bracket.
What could happen
If an item worn by a child were to catch on this area, and the driver were to close the door and put the vehicle in motion, this can result in in serious injury or death.
What gets fixed
THESE BUSES WERE ORIGINALLY INCLUDED IN RECALL CAMPAIGN 96V-139. HOWEVER, THE REPAIR DID NOT ELIMINATE THE POTENTIAL SNAGGING POINT BETWEEN THE SERVICE DOOR AND THE DOOR CONTROL ROD ATTACHING BRACKET. THEREFORE, OWNERS ARE BEING RENOTIFIED TO INSPECT THE ORIENTATION OF THE DOOR CONTROL. IF THE DOOR CONTROL DOES NOT MATCH THE ORIENTATION DESCRIBED IN THE RENOTIFICATION LETTER, THE OWNER WILL BE INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE THE EXISTING CONTROL AND THE ORIGINAL RECALL REPAIR PART, REOIRIENT THE DOOR CONTROL, AND REINSTALL THE RECALL REPAIR PART.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtApril 1977 to July 1996
- Recall reported to NHTSA25 July 1997
- Owners notified6 October 1997
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 25 July 1997.
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
Owner notification began october 6, 1997.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.