The defect
CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2000 THROUGH 2009 THOMAS BUILT SCHOOL BUSES MANUFACTURED FROM APRIL 17, 2000, THROUGH DECEMBER 21, 2009, WERE EQUIPPED WITH AN INCORRECT TIRE LOAD CERTIFICATION LABEL. THE CERTIFICATION LABELS LIST "D" LOAD RANGE TIRES WITH A RECOMMENDED COLD TIRE INFLATION PRESSURE GREATER THAN 65 PSI. THE BUSES ARE EQUIPPED WITH LOAD RANGE "E" TIRES THAT REQUIRE A HIGHER MINIMUM TIRE PRESSURE. ACCORDINGLY, THESE BUSES FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 120, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES OTHER THAN PASSENGER CARS."
The risk
INCORRECT TIRE INFORMATION MAY LEAD TO VEHICLE OVERLOADING THAT CAN RESULT IN A TIRE FAILURE WHICH MAY LEAD TO A VEHICLE CRASH.
The remedy
DTNA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE INCORRECT LABEL WITH A CORRECT LABEL FREE OF CHARGE OR, IF THE OWNER WISHES, THEY MAY REPLACE THE LABEL THEMSELVES. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT DTNA AT 1-800-547-0712 OR THOMAS BUILT AT 1-336-889-4871 TO OBTAIN THE LABEL IF THEY WISH TO AFFIX IT THEMSELVES. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR ABOUT MAY 28, 2011.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Thomas Built Buses Conventional | 2002 |
| Thomas Built Buses FS-65 | 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 |
| Thomas Built Buses Minotour | 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 |
| Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2 | 2006, 2007, 2008 |
Components: EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Built Buses Conventional | 2002 | 0 | 1 |
| Thomas Built Buses FS-65 | 2001 | 0 | 4 |
| Thomas Built Buses FS-65 | 2003 | 0 | 5 |
| Thomas Built Buses FS-65 | 2005 | 0 | 9 |
| Thomas Built Buses FS-65 | 2006 | 1 | 11 |
| Thomas Built Buses FS-65 | 2007 | 2 | 9 |
| Thomas Built Buses Minotour | 2000 | 0 | 4 |
| Thomas Built Buses Minotour | 2001 | 0 | 3 |
| Thomas Built Buses Minotour | 2002 | 0 | 7 |
| Thomas Built Buses Minotour | 2003 | 0 | 9 |
| Thomas Built Buses Minotour | 2004 | 0 | 12 |
| Thomas Built Buses Minotour | 2005 | 1 | 14 |
| Thomas Built Buses Minotour | 2006 | 0 | 22 |
| Thomas Built Buses Minotour | 2007 | 0 | 23 |
| Thomas Built Buses Minotour | 2008 | 0 | 20 |
| Thomas Built Buses Minotour | 2009 | 0 | 18 |
| Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2 | 2006 | 2 | 21 |
| Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2 | 2007 | 1 | 25 |
| Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2 | 2008 | 5 | 27 |
Other equipment recalls in 2011
113 of the 597 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2011 concerned the equipment; DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA filed 134 campaigns in all.
| 11V604000 28 Dec 2011 | JAGUAR LAND ROVER NORTH AMERICA, LLC |
| 11V600000 21 Dec 2011 | ALTEC INDUSTRIES INC. |
| 11V588000 14 Dec 2011 | GULF STATES TOYOTA, INC. |
| 11V575000 8 Dec 2011 | GILLIG CORPORATION |
| 11V581000 8 Dec 2011 | KINGMOR SUPPLY, INC. |
| 11V571000 1 Dec 2011 | STARCRAFT BUS |
| 11V560000 30 Nov 2011 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing |
| 11V561000 22 Nov 2011 | KEYSTONE RV COMPANY |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2011