The defect
Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2016-2020 Blue Bird Vision transit buses equipped with the Ford 6.8L V10 engines. The hydraulic brake lines or transmission shifter cable may have been improperly routed, causing the brake line to be exposed to excessive heat, and leak hydraulic brake fluid. Additionally, the transmission shifter cable could contact the gasoline fuel supply line to the engine which may result in a fuel leak.
The risk
A hydraulic brake fluid leak or a fuel line failure can increase the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Blue Bird will notify owners, and dealers will install a bracket which will insulate the brake lines from excessive heat, control routing of the brake lines, and secure the transmission shifter cable away from the fuel line, free of charge. The recall began February 7, 2019. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R19ZV-NSB.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Blue Bird Vision | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| Blue Bird Vision Transit Bus | 2020 |
Components: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
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 Vision | 2016 | 2 | 27 |
| Blue Bird Vision | 2017 | 1 | 28 |
| Blue Bird Vision | 2018 | 0 | 35 |
| Blue Bird Vision | 2019 | 0 | 41 |
| Blue Bird Vision Transit Bus | 2020 | 0 | 15 |
Other power train recalls in 2018
44 of the 912 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2018 concerned the power train; Blue Bird Body Company filed 162 campaigns in all.
| 18V944000 31 Dec 2018 | Arcimoto Inc |
| 18V931000 21 Dec 2018 | PACCAR Incorporated |
| 18V903000 19 Dec 2018 | Daimler Trucks North America LLC |
| 18V901000 19 Dec 2018 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing |
| 18V889000 14 Dec 2018 | Autocar, LLC |
| 18V884000 12 Dec 2018 | Blue Bird Body Company |
| 18V879000 11 Dec 2018 | Forest River, Inc. |
| 18V860000 4 Dec 2018 | Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2018