The defect
Van-Con, Inc. (Van-Con) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Dual Rear-Wheel school buses, model 33803, built on Chevrolet 3500 chassis. The seat belt buckle latch plate assembly, when buckled, may rest across the seated passenger's lap instead of being located to the side of the passenger. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 222, "School Bus Passenger Seating and Crash Protection."
The risk
The incorrectly positioned seat belt assembly may increase the risk of occupant injury in the event of a crash.
The remedy
Van-Con will notify owners and will replace the buckle end of the seat belt with a shorter length buckle end, free of charge. The recall began on December 19, 2017. Owners may contact Van-Con customer service at 1-732-356-8484.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by OVSC
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| VAN-CON 33803 Dual Rear-Wheel | 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 |
Components: SEAT BELTS: REAR/OTHER:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| VAN-CON 33803 Dual Rear-Wheel | 2011 | 0 | 2 |
| VAN-CON 33803 Dual Rear-Wheel | 2012 | 0 | 2 |
| VAN-CON 33803 Dual Rear-Wheel | 2013 | 0 | 2 |
| VAN-CON 33803 Dual Rear-Wheel | 2014 | 0 | 2 |
| VAN-CON 33803 Dual Rear-Wheel | 2015 | 0 | 2 |
| VAN-CON 33803 Dual Rear-Wheel | 2016 | 0 | 3 |
| VAN-CON 33803 Dual Rear-Wheel | 2017 | 0 | 2 |
Other seat belts recalls in 2017
28 of the 810 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2017 concerned the seat belts; Van-Con, Inc. filed 5 campaigns in all.
| 17V826000 18 Dec 2017 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. |
| 17V729000 17 Nov 2017 | Daimler Trucks North America LLC |
| 17V685000 27 Oct 2017 | Eldorado National- California, Inc. |
| 17V659000 18 Oct 2017 | Navistar, Inc. |
| 17V617000 4 Oct 2017 | Hyundai Motor America |
| 17V582000 20 Sept 2017 | Double K Inc. |
| 17V567000 14 Sept 2017 | General Motors LLC |
| 17V542000 31 Aug 2017 | Chrysler (FCA US LLC) |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2017