- Vehicles
- 953
- Built between
- Jan 1997 – Oct 1997
- Models
- 3
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 17 October 1997
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between January 1997 and October 1997. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1997 Thomas ER ModelBuilt January 1997 to October 1997
- 1997 Thomas MVPBuilt January 1997 to October 1997
- 1997 Thomas SAF-T-LinerBuilt January 1997 to October 1997
What the defect is
Vehicle description: school and transit buses. If debris becomes trapped between the plastic cup, which seals the opening where the steering column comes through the bus floor and the steering knuckle, the steering linkage can bind.
What could happen
Binding of the steering linkage could cause the driver to over steer the vehicle, possibly resulting in loss of control of the vehicle or a crash.
What gets fixed
OWNERS ARE REQUESTED TO REMOVE THE PLASTIC SEAL WHICH WILL LEAVE AN OPENING BETWEEN THE VEHICLE FLOOR AND THE STEERING COLUMN. THOMAS BUILT IS IN THE PROCESS OF DESIGNING A PROPER SEAL FOR THAT AREA, AND THIS SEAL WILL BE SENT TO OWNERS FOR INSTALLATION.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJanuary 1997 to October 1997
- Recall reported to NHTSA20 October 1997
- Owners notified17 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 20 October 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 17, 1997.OWNERS who do not receive the free repair seal 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.