- Vehicles
- 200
- Built between
- Apr 1997 – Jun 1997
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 28 July 1998
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between April 1997 and June 1997. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1997 Thomas ER ModelBuilt April 1997 to June 1997
What the defect is
Vehicle description: transit buses. A burr on the spool bore of the steering gear pumps can result in the loss of oil flow.
What could happen
This condition can cause loss of power steering assist and/or overheating the engine.
What gets fixed
THOMAS BUILT IS REQUESTING OWNERS TO INSPECT THE DATE CODE ON THE STEERING GEAR PUMP. IF THE PUMP IS STAMPED WITH A DATE CODE PRIOR TO 6/1/97 AND DOES NOT HAVE AN "L" OR AN "RL" STAMPED ON THE IDENTIFICATION TAG, THE OWNER WILL BE INSTRUCTED TO REPLACE THE PUMP. OWNERS WILL BE SHIPPED A REPLACEMENT PUMP AND DETAILED REPAIR INSTRUCTIONS. IF THE OWNER SO DESIRES, THOMAS BUILT CAN DO THE INSPECTION AND REPAIR ON THESE BUSES.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtApril 1997 to June 1997
- Recall reported to NHTSA12 September 1997
- Owners notified28 July 1998
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 12 September 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 JULY28, 1998.OWNERS who do not receive a free replacement pump and detailed repair instructions within a reasonable time should contact thomas built at 1-800-889-4871.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.