The defect
BLUE BIRD HAS NOTIFIED NHTSA ABOUT A DEFECT IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 ALL AMERICAN, CONVENTIONAL, AND MICRO BIRD SCHOOL BUSES MANUFACTURED FROM APRIL 24 THROUGH NOVEMBER 14, 2009 EQUIPPED WITH CERTAIN RICON S SERIES AND K SERIES L-MODEL WHEELCHAIR LIFTS. THERE IS A PROBLEM IN THE SOFTWARE THAT CONTROLS THE LIFT'S "UP" FUNCTION. IF THE "UP" SWITCH IS RELEASED BEFORE THE FLOOR LEVEL LIMIT SWITCH IS ACTIVATED, THE LIFT MAY CONTINUE ITS UPWARD TRAVEL FOR APPROXIMATELY 1 SECOND BEFORE STOPPING. THE CONTINUED UPWARD TRAVEL MAY OVERRUN THE FLOOR LEVEL CUT OFF POINT.
The risk
WHEN THE PLATFORM OVERRUNS THE VEHICLE FLOOR LEVEL AND STOPS AT AN ANGLE FROM 15-20 DEGREES, IT IS POSSIBLE FOR A PERSON IN A WHEELCHAIR TO TIP OVER AND FOR SOMEONE STANDING ON THE PLATFORM TO FALL, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN INJURIES.
The remedy
BLUE BIRD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND THE REPAIRS WILL BE PERFORMED BY AUTHORIZED RICON DEALERS FREE OF CHARGE. CURRENTLY RICON IS DEVELOPING A SOFTWARE SOLUTION AND IS NOT AVAILABLE. UNTIL THE SOFTWARE SOLUTION IS AVAILABLE, RICON WILL PROVIDE OWNERS WITH A BULLETIN OUTLINING PROPER WHEELCHAIR LIFT OPERATION AND WILL SHIP OWNERS A DVD-BASED TRAINING AID TO PROMOTE PROPER LIFT OPERATION AT NO COST. PLEASE SEE RICON'S SAFETY RECALL 09E-061. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 4, 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 | 2010 |
| Blue Bird Conventional | 2010 |
| Blue Bird Micro Bird | 2010 |
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 | 2010 | 0 | 42 |
| Blue Bird Conventional | 2010 | 1 | 3 |
| Blue Bird Micro Bird | 2010 | 0 | 12 |
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