The defect
Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain model year 2008-2013 All American rear engine school buses manufactured April 3, 2007, to December 15, 2012. Due to the design of the thermostat, a heater hose may rupture which could result in hot coolant entering the passenger compartment.
The risk
Hot coolant leaking into the passenger compartment increases the risk of injury to the passengers.
The remedy
Blue Bird will notify owners, and dealers will replace the thermostat and change the passenger compartment heater supply hose, free of charge. The recall began on July 15, 2014. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R14XF.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Blue Bird ALL American | 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 |
Components: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
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 ALL American | 2012 | 0 | 30 |
| Blue Bird ALL American | 2013 | 1 | 28 |
Other engine and engine cooling recalls in 2014
48 of the 770 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2014 concerned the engine and engine cooling; Blue Bird Body Company filed 162 campaigns in all.
| 14V771000 3 Dec 2014 | Prevost Cars, Inc. |
| 14V762000 1 Dec 2014 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
| 14V764000 1 Dec 2014 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC - DBA Sprinter |
| 14V664000 22 Oct 2014 | Spartan Motors, Inc. |
| 14V666000 22 Oct 2014 | Elgin Sweeper Company Inc. |
| 14V574000 19 Sept 2014 | Navistar, Inc. |
| 14V562000 12 Sept 2014 | Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. |
| 14V551000 10 Sept 2014 | Mack Trucks, Inc. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2014