The defect
ON CERTAIN TRANSIT BUSES EQUIPPED WITH DIESEL OR LIQUID NATURAL GAS (LNG) FUEL SYSTEMS ONLY, IN THE AREA OF THE REAR AXLE LOWER RADIUS ROD ATTACHMENT TO THE SUSPENSION SUPPORT (OR "C" FRAME), A WELDING PROBLEM EXISTS.
The risk
IF A CRACK WERE TO DEVELOP AND PROPAGATE AROUND THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE BUSHING, THE RADIUS ROD ATTACHMENT COULD BECOME LOOSE AND ALLOW MOVEMENT BETWEEN THE LOWER RADIUS ROD AND THE REAR AXLE. SHOULD THIS HAPPEN, THE REAR AXLE POSITION COULD SHIFT DURING ACCELERATION, DECELERATION, OR IN TURNS, AND COULD AFFECT THE HANDLING OF THE VEHICLE.
The remedy
OWNERS ARE BEING REQUESTED TO INSPECT THEIR BUSES FOR CRACKS AND TO REMOVE THE BUSES FROM SERVICE THAT HAVE CRACKS EXCEEDING SPECIFIC CRITERIA. NABI WILL ARRANGE TO REPAIR ALL THE VEHICLES. OWNER NOTIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON DECEMBER 31, 2002. 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 NABI AT 1-888-424-5844, EXTENSION 7900.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Nabi 35LFW | 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 |
| Nabi 40LFW | 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 |
Components: SUSPENSION:REAR
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nabi 35LFW | 1998 | 0 | 2 |
| Nabi 35LFW | 1999 | 0 | 2 |
| Nabi 35LFW | 2000 | 0 | 2 |
| Nabi 35LFW | 2001 | 0 | 2 |
| Nabi 35LFW | 2002 | 1 | 2 |
| Nabi 40LFW | 1998 | 0 | 4 |
| Nabi 40LFW | 1999 | 0 | 3 |
| Nabi 40LFW | 2000 | 0 | 3 |
| Nabi 40LFW | 2001 | 0 | 4 |
| Nabi 40LFW | 2002 | 0 | 4 |
Other suspension recalls in 2002
21 of the 434 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2002 concerned the suspension; NORTH AMERICAN BUS INDUSTRIES filed 9 campaigns in all.
| 02V341000 20 Dec 2002 | HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY |
| 02V320000 2 Dec 2002 | FREIGHTLINER CORPORATION |
| 02V317000 25 Nov 2002 | VOLVO TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA INC |
| 02V299000 12 Nov 2002 | NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 02V219000 12 Aug 2002 | COUNTRY COACH INC |
| 02V209000 1 Aug 2002 | ELECTRIC TRANSIT, INC. |
| 02V202000 26 Jul 2002 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. |
| 02V172000 12 Jul 2002 | MASTERCRAFT BOAT COMPANY |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2002