- Vehicles
- 385
- Built between
- May 1994 – May 1998
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 2 July 1998
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between May 1994 and May 1998. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1994-1998 Blue Bird Micro BirdBuilt May 1994 to May 1998
- 1994-1998 Blue Bird VctaBuilt May 1994 to May 1998
What the defect is
Vehicle description: school buses. These buses were not equipped with a positive hold open device (retainer) for the rear emergency door. This does not meet the requirements of FMVSS no. 217, "bus window retention and release."
What could happen
The rear emergency door would not stay open until it was released, increasing the risk of personal injury in the event of an emergency.
What gets fixed
OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH FREE PARTS AND INSTRUCTIONS TO INSTALL THE REAR EMERGENCY DOOR RETAINER.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtMay 1994 to May 1998
- Recall reported to NHTSA18 May 1998
- Owners notified2 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 18 May 1998.
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.
Manufacturer contact
Owners can contact their dealers and have them install the retainer if they so desire.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY
- Safety standard
- FMVSS 212
- 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 july 2, 1998.OWNERS who do not receive the free kit and installation instructions 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 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
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.