The defect
Blue Bird Bus Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Vision, All American Front Engine, and All American Rear Engine school buses. An exterior roof joint may have been manufactured with insufficient strength that can allow the roof panels to separate in a crash. 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
Roof panels that separate during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect the roof panel joints and install additional rivets as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 17, 2024. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by OVSC
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Blue Bird ALL American | 2019 |
| Blue Bird ALL American School Bus | 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 |
| Blue Bird Vision | 2019 |
| Blue Bird Vision School Bus | 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 |
Components: STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
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 | 2019 | 2 | 26 |
| Blue Bird ALL American School Bus | 2020 | 4 | 20 |
| Blue Bird ALL American School Bus | 2021 | 0 | 18 |
| Blue Bird ALL American School Bus | 2022 | 2 | 10 |
| Blue Bird ALL American School Bus | 2023 | 2 | 6 |
| Blue Bird Vision | 2019 | 0 | 41 |
| Blue Bird Vision School Bus | 2020 | 0 | 29 |
| Blue Bird Vision School Bus | 2021 | 1 | 26 |
| Blue Bird Vision School Bus | 2022 | 0 | 17 |
| Blue Bird Vision School Bus | 2023 | 1 | 14 |
Other structure recalls in 2024
73 of the 950 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2024 concerned the structure; Blue Bird Body Company filed 162 campaigns in all.
| 24V824000 30 Dec 2024 | Winnebago Industries, Inc. |
| 24V968000 23 Dec 2024 | Storyteller Overland |
| 24V963000 20 Dec 2024 | Orange EV |
| 24V964000 20 Dec 2024 | Orange EV |
| 24V922000 11 Dec 2024 | Great Dane Trailers |
| 24V918000 10 Dec 2024 | Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) |
| 24V916000 10 Dec 2024 | Grand Design RV, LLC |
| 24V901000 28 Nov 2024 | McLaren Automotive Incorporated |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2024