- Vehicles
- 37,656
- Built between
- Feb 1988 – Oct 1996
- Models
- 8
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 6 January 1999
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between February 1988 and October 1996. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1991-1997 Amtran GenesisBuilt January 1991 to October 1996
- 1989-1990 Amtran PresidentBuilt January 1989 to October 1990
- 1996-1997 Amtran REBuilt May 1995 to October 1996
- 1988-1997 Amtran VanguardBuilt February 1988 to October 1996
- 1991-1997 Amtran VolunteerBuilt February 1988 to October 1996
- 1988-1990 Ward PatriotBuilt February 1988 to December 1990
- 1990-1992 Ward SenatorBuilt January 1990 to January 1992
- 1988-1990 Ward VolunteerBuilt February 1988 to October 1996
What the defect is
Vehicle description: school buses. The emergency door hinges that consist of steel pin fittings and/or lacklubrication can bind from rust and/or corrosion.
What could happen
This could cause difficulty in opening the doors in the event of an emergency.
What gets fixed
OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH A REPAIR KIT AND INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtFebruary 1988 to October 1996
- Recall reported to NHTSA1 December 1998
- Owners notified6 January 1999
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 1 December 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
The owners can contact an amtran dealer for assistance if they so desire.
Official source
- Recalling manufacturer
- AMERICAN TRANSPORTATION CORP.
- 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
Owner notification began january 6, 1999. 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 am-tran at 1-800-843-5615.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.