The defect
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Thomas Built Saf-T-Liner HDX school buses. The rear exterior side-body panel was manufactured with insufficient joint strength. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 221, "School Bus Body Joint Strength."
The risk
A school bus panel with insufficient joint strength may separate during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will add additional mechanical fasteners to secure the joints, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 11, 2022. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall FL953.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner HDX | 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 |
Components: STRUCTURE:BODY
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 SAF-T-Liner HDX | 2020 | 0 | 18 |
| Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner HDX | 2021 | 0 | 16 |
| Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner HDX | 2022 | 0 | 11 |
| Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner HDX | 2023 | 0 | 8 |
Other structure recalls in 2022
62 of the 933 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2022 concerned the structure; Daimler Trucks North America, LLC filed 166 campaigns in all.
| 22V957000 29 Dec 2022 | Indian Motorcycle Company |
| 22V935000 16 Dec 2022 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC |
| 22V933000 15 Dec 2022 | Airstream, Inc. |
| 22V923000 14 Dec 2022 | General Motors, LLC |
| 22V915000 11 Dec 2022 | Braun Ambulances |
| 22V904000 8 Dec 2022 | Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) |
| 22V897000 6 Dec 2022 | Porsche Cars North America, Inc. |
| 22V883000 29 Nov 2022 | Winnebago Towable |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2022