The defect
GIRARDIN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008 G5 AND MB II SCHOOL BUSES MANUFACTURED BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 1, 2008, AND OCTOBER 31, 2008, EQUIPPED WITH SPECIALTY MANUFACTURING, INC. (SMI) 000290 LED LIGHT KITS. A CHANGE TO THE WIRE USED IN THE LED LIGHT KITS MAY REDUCE THE EFFECTIVE LIFE OF THE LIGHTS USED ON THE STOP ARMS AND, AS A RESULT, THE LIGHTS MAY STOP FUNCTIONING WITHOUT WARNING.
The risk
SHOULD THE LED LIGHTS STOP FUNCTIONING, VISIBILITY OF A STOPPED BUS AND THE STOP ARM WOULD BE DECREASED, THEREBY INCREASING THE RISK OF A PASSING VEHICLE STRIKING A CHILD OR OTHER PERSON ENTERING OR LEAVING THE BUS.
The remedy
GIRARDIN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND THE BUSES WILL BE REPAIRED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 20, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SMI WARRANTY SERVICE AT 1-800-951-7867 OR GIRARDIN AT 1-819-477-2012.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Girardin G5 | 2008 |
| Micro Bird MB II School Bus | 2008 |
Components: OTHER:SCHOOL BUS STOP ARM ASSEMBLY
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Girardin G5 | 2008 | 0 | 16 |
| Micro Bird MB II School Bus | 2008 | 0 | 15 |
Other other recalls in 2009
4 of the 491 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2009 concerned the other; GIRARDIN MINIBUS INC. filed 25 campaigns in all.
| 09V394000 2 Oct 2009 | DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA |
| 09V335000 25 Aug 2009 | BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY |
| 09V293000 28 Jul 2009 | NAVISTAR, INC |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2009