The defect
DAIMLER TRUCKS IS RECALLING 15,686 MY 2005 THROUGH 2009 FCCC AND THOMAS BUILT SCHOOL AND TRANSIT BUSES MANUFACTURED BETWEEN MARCH 2005 AND MAY 2008 EQUIPPED WITH A CERTAIN BRAKE LAMP AIR PRESSURE SWITCH. THE CONTACTS IN THE PRESSURE SWITCH FOR THE LOW CURRENT BRAKE LAMP SIGNAL TO THE CHASSIS ECU MAY HAVE BECOME CONTAMINATED BY SILICONE DURING ASSEMBLY CAUSING INSULATING DEPOSITS TO BUILD UP OVER TIME PREVENTING THE BRAKE LAMPS FROM OPERATING.
The risk
INOPERATIVE BRAKE LAMPS WOULD NOT PROVIDE A SIGNAL TO FOLLOWING DRIVERS THAT THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED AND A CRASH MAY OCCUR.
The remedy
DAIMLER TRUCKS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE PRESSURE SWITCH FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR ABOUT MARCH 18, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DAIMLER TRUCKS AT 1-800-547-0712 OR THOMAS BUILT BUSES AT 1-336-889-4871.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Fccc B2 | 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 |
| Freightliner S2 | 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 |
| Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2 | 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 |
Components: EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fccc B2 | 2005 | 0 | 5 |
| Fccc B2 | 2006 | 0 | 5 |
| Fccc B2 | 2007 | 1 | 8 |
| Fccc B2 | 2008 | 0 | 9 |
| Fccc B2 | 2009 | 0 | 7 |
| Freightliner S2 | 2005 | 0 | 1 |
| Freightliner S2 | 2006 | 0 | 1 |
| Freightliner S2 | 2007 | 0 | 3 |
| Freightliner S2 | 2008 | 0 | 1 |
| Freightliner S2 | 2009 | 0 | 1 |
| Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2 | 2005 | 0 | 16 |
| Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2 | 2006 | 2 | 21 |
| Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2 | 2007 | 1 | 25 |
| Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2 | 2008 | 5 | 27 |
| Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2 | 2009 | 2 | 21 |
Other exterior lighting recalls in 2008
21 of the 683 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2008 concerned the exterior lighting; DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA filed 134 campaigns in all.
| 08V688000 23 Dec 2008 | MACK TRUCKS, INC |
| 08V680000 19 Dec 2008 | MITSUBISHI MOTORS NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 08V628000 2 Dec 2008 | ROADTREK MOTORHOMES INC. |
| 08V539000 15 Oct 2008 | MONACO COACH CORPORATION |
| 08V520000 6 Oct 2008 | KAWASAKI MOTORS CORP., U.S.A. |
| 08V503000 26 Sept 2008 | FLEETWOOD ENTERPRISES, INC. |
| 08V417000 15 Aug 2008 | DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA |
| 08V371000 31 Jul 2008 | KEYSTONE RV COMPANY |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2008