The defect
CERTAIN SCHOOL BUSES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 217 "BUS EMERGENCY EXITS AND WINDOW RETENTION AND RELEASE." THE REAR DOOR LATCH HAS INSUFFICIENT LUBRICATION, REQUIRING MORE FORCE TO OPEN THE DOOR THAN ALLOWED BY THE STANDARD.
The risk
THE INCREASED OPENING LOAD ON THE LATCH MIGHT PRESENT A PROBLEM IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY.
The remedy
OWNERS ARE BEING ADVISED HOW TO LUBRICATE THE EMERGENCY DOOR LATCH OR, IF THEY PREFER, A DEALER CAN PERFORM THE REMEDY FOR THEM. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN AUGUST 27, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT MID BUS AT 1-877-358-6055.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by OVSC
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| MID Bus Guide | 2001, 2002, 2003 |
Components: STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| MID Bus Guide | 2001 | 0 | 6 |
| MID Bus Guide | 2002 | 0 | 9 |
| MID Bus Guide | 2003 | 1 | 10 |
Other structure recalls in 2003
21 of the 527 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2003 concerned the structure; MID BUS INCORPORATED filed 7 campaigns in all.
| 03V535000 18 Dec 2003 | BIG DOG MOTORCYCLES, LLC |
| 03V533000 12 Dec 2003 | TRAIL KING INDUSTRIES, INC. |
| 03V469000 12 Nov 2003 | BENSON INTERNATIONAL, INC. |
| 03V439000 4 Nov 2003 | GLAVAL BUS DIVISION |
| 03V458000 24 Oct 2003 | CHAMPION BUS, INC. |
| 03V403000 16 Oct 2003 | MID BUS CORPORATION |
| 03V363000 8 Oct 2003 | BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY |
| 03V350000 26 Sept 2003 | AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2003