The defect
TURTLE TOP IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009 TRANSIT AND SHUTTLE BUSES EQUIPPED WITH CERTAIN RICON S SERIES AND K SERIES L-MODEL WHEELCHAIR LIFTS. THE WHEELCHAIR LIFTS CONTAIN DEFECTIVE SOFTWARE THAT CONTROLS THE LIFT UP FUNCTION. IF THE LIFT SWITCH IS RELEASED BEFORE THE FLOOR LEVEL LIMIT SWITCH IS ACTIVATED, THE LIFT MAY CONTINUE ITS UPWARD TRAVEL FOR APPROXIMATELY 1 SECOND BEFORE STOPPING, AND MAY TRAVEL PAST THE FLOOR LEVEL.
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
TURTLE TOP IS WORKING WITH RICON AND THE REPAIRS WILL BE PERFORMED BY AUTHORIZED RICON DEALERS. PLEASE SEE RICON'S DEFECT REPORT 09E-061. 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. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 8, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT RICON CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-322-2884, OR EMAILING AT WWW.DMATA@WABTEC.COM.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Ford Odyssey | 2009 |
| Ford Odyssey LT | 2009 |
| Ford Van Terra | 2009 |
| Freightliner Odyssey XL | 2009 |
| GM Odyssey | 2009 |
| GM Terra Transport | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Odyssey | 2009 | 0 | 4 |
| Ford Odyssey LT | 2009 | 0 | 3 |
| Ford Van Terra | 2009 | 0 | 2 |
| Freightliner Odyssey XL | 2009 | 0 | 1 |
| GM Odyssey | 2009 | 0 | 2 |
| GM Terra Transport | 2009 | 0 | 2 |
Other equipment adaptive/mobility recalls in 2010
50 of the 647 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2010 concerned the equipment adaptive/mobility; TURTLE TOP filed 14 campaigns in all.
| 10V538000 2 Nov 2010 | DAIMLER BUSES NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 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. |
| 10V271000 15 Jun 2010 | ALL IN ONE MOBILITY, INC. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2010