Blue Bird Electrical System: Switch

Blue Bird is recalling about 101 vehicles over a problem with the electrical system. This condition would cause the engine to star and run if the ignition was turned to the "start" position, increasing the risk of a crash.

Campaign
99V234000
Manufacturer
BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY
Reported
23 August 1999
Vehicles
101
Built between
Mar 1999 – Aug 1999
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
26 August 1999
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between March 1999 and August 1999. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1999 Blue Bird ALL AmericanBuilt March 1999 to August 1999

What the defect is

Vehicle description: front engine school buses equipped with allison world transmissions. These buses do not fully comply with the requirements of FMVSS no. 102, "transmission, shift lever sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect." the neutral safety switch is wired incorrectly allowing the starter to engage when the ignition is turned "on," followed by the transmission selector being placed in forward or reverse positions, and then the ignition turned to the "start" position.

What could happen

This condition would cause the engine to star and run if the ignition was turned to the "start" position, increasing the risk of a crash.

What gets fixed

OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH PARTS AND INSTRUCTIONS NECESSARY TO MODIFY THE ENGINE STARTER/TRANSMISSION SHIFT ELECTRICAL CIRCUITRY. IF AN OWNER SO DESIRES, A DEALER CAN PERFORM THE MODIFICATION FOR THEM.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtMarch 1999 to August 1999
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA23 August 1999
  3. Owners notified26 August 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 23 August 1999.

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

Manufacturer's recall number
R99DE
Recalling manufacturer
BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY
Safety standard
FMVSS 102
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 august 26, 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 blue bird at 1-912-822-2242.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.

Same component

Same brand