The defect
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER C2 and 2021-2023 Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER C2 Jouley school buses. A rear interior joint may have been manufactured incorrectly, resulting in 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 with insufficient joint strength may not adequately protect passengers in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will add additional fasteners to secure the joints, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 19, 2023. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-574-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL973.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2 | 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2 Jouley | 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 C2 | 2021 | 0 | 15 |
| Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2 | 2022 | 1 | 12 |
| Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2 | 2023 | 0 | 12 |
| Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2 | 2024 | 0 | 14 |
| Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2 Jouley | 2021 | 0 | 5 |
| Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2 Jouley | 2022 | 0 | 4 |
| Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2 Jouley | 2023 | 0 | 4 |
Other structure recalls in 2023
80 of the 894 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2023 concerned the structure; Daimler Trucks North America, LLC filed 166 campaigns in all.
| 23V891000 22 Dec 2023 | Winnebago Towable |
| 23V874000 21 Dec 2023 | Daimler Vans USA, LLC |
| 23V869000 21 Dec 2023 | General Motors, LLC |
| 23V875000 21 Dec 2023 | Daimler Vans USA, LLC |
| 23V876000 21 Dec 2023 | Daimler Vans USA, LLC |
| 23V872000 21 Dec 2023 | Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC |
| 23V860000 19 Dec 2023 | Airstream, Inc. |
| 23V854000 15 Dec 2023 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2023