The defect
ON CERTAIN THOMAS SCHOOL BUSES, THE ALTERNATOR CABLE CAN PINCH BETWEEN THE AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR AND ENGINE BLOCK.
The risk
THIS CAN RESULT IN DAMAGE TO WIRE INSULATION AND POTENTIALLY CAUSE A SHORT CIRCUIT.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL RE-ROUTE THE CABLE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 28, 2003. 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 FREIGHTLINER/THOMAS BUILT AT
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Thomas MVP EF | 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 |
| Thomas Built Buses MVP-EF | 2003 |
Components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas MVP EF | 1998 | 3 | 8 |
| Thomas MVP EF | 1999 | 0 | 10 |
| Thomas MVP EF | 2000 | 0 | 11 |
| Thomas MVP EF | 2001 | 0 | 10 |
| Thomas MVP EF | 2002 | 0 | 9 |
| Thomas Built Buses MVP-EF | 2003 | 0 | 3 |
Other electrical system recalls in 2003
42 of the 527 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2003 concerned the electrical system; FREIGHTLINER CORPORATION filed 151 campaigns in all.
| 03V528000 12 Dec 2003 | DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION |
| 03V532000 12 Dec 2003 | GULF STREAM COACH, INC. |
| 03V494000 2 Dec 2003 | BUELL MOTORCYCLE CO. |
| 03V495000 2 Dec 2003 | AMERICAN SUZUKI MOTOR CORP. |
| 03V490000 1 Dec 2003 | AUTOCAR, LLC |
| 03V489000 1 Dec 2003 | TRAILEX, LES REMORQUES DE RIMOUSKI INC |
| 03V483000 25 Nov 2003 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE |
| 03V484000 19 Nov 2003 | SUPERIOR MANUFACTURING, INC. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2003