The defect
CERTAIN SCHOOL BUSES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD (FMVSS) NO. 221, "SCHOOL BUS BODY JOINT STRENGTH." THE ENTRANCE DOOR STEPWELL VERTICAL JOINTS WERE BUILT WITH AN INADEQUATE NUMBER OF FASTENERS.
The risk
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS JOINT DURING A CRASH COULD BE REDUCED ALLOWING SEPARATION OF THE JOINTS WHICH COULD RESULT IN AN OPENING OR PROTRUSION OF METAL EDGES IN THE STEPWELL AREA, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY.
The remedy
OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH REPAIR INSTRUCTIONS AND PARTS FREE OF CHARGE. ADDITIONAL FASTENERS WILL BE ADDED TO THE VERTICAL JOINTS OF THE STEPWELL. OWNER NOTIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN AUGUST 22, 2002. OWNERS WHO DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REPAIR INSTRUCTIONS AND PARTS WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT IC AT 1-800-843-5615.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Amtran RE | 2001, 2002, 2003 |
Components: STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amtran RE | 2001 | 1 | 8 |
| Amtran RE | 2002 | 0 | 7 |
| Amtran RE | 2003 | 0 | 7 |
Other structure recalls in 2002
14 of the 434 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2002 concerned the structure; IC CORPORATION filed 21 campaigns in all.
| 02V295000 14 Nov 2002 | WABASH NATIONAL CORP. |
| 02V292000 8 Nov 2002 | DIAMOND COACH CORPORATION |
| 02V273000 4 Oct 2002 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
| 02V247000 13 Sept 2002 | AIRSTREAM, INC. |
| 02V237000 9 Sept 2002 | MONACO COACH CORP. |
| 02V173000 12 Jul 2002 | IC CORPORATION |
| 02V167000 25 Jun 2002 | HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY |
| 02V116000 17 Apr 2002 | SUPREME CORP. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2002