The defect
CERTAIN 2002-2006 MY BLUE BIRD ALL AMERICAN SCHOOL AND TRANSIT BUSES, CONVENTIONAL SCHOOL BUSES, AND COMMERCIAL SERIES TRANSIT BUSES MANUFACTURED BETWEEN DECEMBER 21, 2002, AND FEBRUARY 24, 2005. THESE BUSES ARE EQUIPPED WITH WEBASTO COOLANT HEATERS, MODEL DBW 2010, ASSEMBLED WITH WEBASTO BURNER TUBES, P/N 303046/26533A MANUFACTURED BETWEEN NOVEMBER 2002 AND FEBRUARY 2005. THE STAINLESS STEEL BURNER TUBE IS MADE OUT OF A MATERIAL THAT IS NOT TO SPECIFICATION AND COULD FAIL PREMATURELY.
The risk
SHOULD THE BURNER TUBE FAIL, THE COOLANT HEATER COULD OVERHEAT, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A FIRE.
The remedy
BLUE BIRD WILL NOTIFY ITS CUSTOMERS AND REPLACE THE BURNER TUBES FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 31, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BLUE BIRD AT 478-822-2242.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Blue Bird ALL American | 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 |
| Blue Bird Commercial Series | 2004 |
| Blue Bird Conventional | 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 |
Components: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Bird ALL American | 2002 | 1 | 14 |
| Blue Bird ALL American | 2003 | 2 | 11 |
| Blue Bird ALL American | 2004 | 10 | 15 |
| Blue Bird ALL American | 2005 | 1 | 13 |
| Blue Bird Commercial Series | 2004 | 0 | 3 |
| Blue Bird Conventional | 2003 | 1 | 6 |
| Blue Bird Conventional | 2004 | 0 | 7 |
| Blue Bird Conventional | 2005 | 0 | 5 |
| Blue Bird Conventional | 2006 | 0 | 8 |
Other engine and engine cooling recalls in 2005
34 of the 562 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2005 concerned the engine and engine cooling; BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY filed 251 campaigns in all.
| 05V570000 22 Dec 2005 | PACCAR INCORPORATED |
| 05V567000 21 Dec 2005 | INTERNATIONAL TRUCK & ENGINE CORPORATION |
| 05V473000 12 Oct 2005 | GILLIG CORPORATION |
| 05V464000 7 Oct 2005 | NORTH AMERICAN BUS INDUSTRIES, INC. |
| 05V451000 4 Oct 2005 | MITSUBISHI FUSO TRUCK OF AMERICA, INC. |
| 05V421000 22 Sept 2005 | NEW FLYER INDUSTRIES LTD |
| 05V412000 19 Sept 2005 | MAZDA NORTH AMERICAN OPERATIONS |
| 05V411000 15 Sept 2005 | MITSUBISHI FUSO TRUCK OF AMERICA, INC. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2005