The defect
BLUE BIRD HAS NOTIFIED NHTSA ABOUT A DEFECT IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008 THROUGH 2011 ALL AMERICAN, CONVENTIONAL, AND MICRO BIRD SCHOOL BUSES MANUFACTURED FROM DECEMBER 13, 2007 THROUGH JANUARY 18, 2010 EQUIPPED WITH RICON MODEL S OR K SERIES PUBLIC USE WHEELCHAIR LIFTS. THE RESTRAINT BELT ON THESE LIFTS WAS DESIGNED TO PREVENT THE LIFT FROM MOVING, UNLESS THE TONGUE OF THE BELT IS FULLY ENGAGED AND LATCHED IN THE BUCKLE. RICON HAS DISCOVERED, HOWEVER, THAT IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE OPERATOR TO INSERT THE BELT TONGUE INTO THE BUCKLE WITHOUT FULLY ENGAGING THE LATCHING MECHANISM. IN THIS CASE, THE RESTRAINT BELT WOULD APPEAR TO BE LATCHED, AND THE OPERATOR COULD RUN THE LIFT. IF THE RESTRAINT BELT TONGUE IS NOT FULLY ENGAGED INTO THE RESTRAINT BELT BUCKLE, AND LATCHED, THE LIFT MAY OPERATE WITH AN OCCUPANT ON THE PLATFORM.
The risk
THE USER OF THE LIFT COULD BE INJURED SHOULD THE LIFT MOVE WITHOUT THE RESTRAINT BELT PROPERLY BUCKLED.
The remedy
BLUE BIRD IS WORKING WITH RICON AND RICON WILL BE HANDLING THE REMEDY FOR THIS CAMPAIGN. PLEASE SEE RICON'S DEFECT REPORT 09E-060. RICON WILL PROVIDE CUSTOMERS WITH A WARNING DECAL AND A DVD-BASED TRAINING AID. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 27, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT RICON AT 1-818-267-3000 OR BLUE BIRD AT 1-478-822-2242.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Blue Bird ALL American | 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 |
| Blue Bird Conventional | 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 |
| Blue Bird Micro Bird | 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 |
Components: EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
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 | 2008 | 4 | 32 |
| Blue Bird ALL American | 2009 | 3 | 33 |
| Blue Bird ALL American | 2010 | 0 | 42 |
| Blue Bird ALL American | 2011 | 0 | 35 |
| Blue Bird Conventional | 2008 | 1 | 7 |
| Blue Bird Conventional | 2009 | 0 | 2 |
| Blue Bird Conventional | 2010 | 1 | 3 |
| Blue Bird Conventional | 2011 | 1 | 1 |
| Blue Bird Micro Bird | 2008 | 0 | 16 |
| Blue Bird Micro Bird | 2009 | 0 | 14 |
| Blue Bird Micro Bird | 2010 | 0 | 12 |
| Blue Bird Micro Bird | 2011 | 0 | 5 |
Other equipment adaptive/mobility recalls in 2010
50 of the 647 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2010 concerned the equipment adaptive/mobility; BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY filed 251 campaigns in all.
| 10V538000 2 Nov 2010 | DAIMLER BUSES NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 10V354000 30 Jul 2010 | TURTLE TOP |
| 10V353000 30 Jul 2010 | TURTLE TOP |
| 10V351000 27 Jul 2010 | ELDORADO NATIONAL |
| 10V352000 27 Jul 2010 | ELDORADO NATIONAL |
| 10V279000 21 Jun 2010 | STARCRAFT BUS |
| 10V278000 21 Jun 2010 | STARCRAFT BUS |
| 10V264000 15 Jun 2010 | COACH AND EQUIPMENT MFG CORP. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2010