The defect
DAIMLER BUS NORTH CAROLINA (DBNC) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008 AND 2009 SPRINTER BUS TRANSIT BUSES MANUFACTURED BETWEEN JUNE AND DECEMBER 2009 FITTED WITH CERTAIN RICON S SERIES AND K SERIES L-MODEL WHEELCHAIR LIFTS. DUE TO A PROBLEM IN THE SOFTWARE THAT CONTROLS THE LIFT'S "UP" FUNCTION, SHOULD THE "UP" BUTTON BE RELEASED BEFORE THE FLOOR LEVEL LIMIT SWITCH IS ACTIVATED, THE LIFT MAY CONTINUE ITS UPWARD TRAVEL AND 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
DBNC IS WORKING WITH RICON AND RICON WILL BE PERFORMING THE REMEDY FOR THIS CAMPAIGN. A SOFTWARE SOLUTION FOR THIS SAFETY DEFECT IS UNDER INVESTIGATION. 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. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 6, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT RICON AT 1-818-267-3000 OR DBNC AT 1-905-403-7807.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Sprinter Bus 3500 | 2008, 2009 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprinter Bus 3500 | 2008 | 0 | 1 |
| Sprinter Bus 3500 | 2009 | 0 | 1 |
Other equipment adaptive/mobility recalls in 2010
50 of the 647 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2010 concerned the equipment adaptive/mobility; DAIMLER BUSES NORTH AMERICA, INC. filed 16 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