The defect
Nova Bus (US) Inc. (Nova Bus) is recalling certain 2016-2018, 2020, 2022-2023 LFS and 2019-2020 LFS Artic transit buses. The driver's seat belt tension-reliving device may fail to disengage without manual intervention. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
The risk
Failure of the tension-reliving device may prevent the seat belt from properly restraining the driver, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
The remedy
Nova Bus will remove the seat belt tension-reliving device, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 22, 2026. Owners may contact Nova Bus customer service at 1-450-472-6410. Nova Bus' number for this recall is CR5873. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 23, 2026.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Nova Bus LFS | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 |
| Nova Bus LFS Artic | 2019, 2020 |
Components: SEAT BELTS:FRONT
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nova Bus LFS | 2016 | 0 | 17 |
| Nova Bus LFS | 2017 | 0 | 18 |
| Nova Bus LFS | 2018 | 0 | 16 |
| Nova Bus LFS | 2020 | 0 | 21 |
| Nova Bus LFS | 2022 | 0 | 34 |
| Nova Bus LFS | 2023 | 2 | 33 |
| Nova Bus LFS Artic | 2019 | 0 | 17 |
| Nova Bus LFS Artic | 2020 | 0 | 15 |
Other seat belts recalls in 2026
26 of the 666 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2026 concerned the seat belts; Nova Bus (US) Inc. filed 55 campaigns in all.
| 26V674000 14 Oct 2026 | PACCAR Incorporated |
| 26V636000 2 Oct 2026 | Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC |
| 26V615000 24 Sept 2026 | Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC |
| 26V579000 9 Sept 2026 | Ford Motor Company |
| 26V510000 6 Aug 2026 | Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) |
| 26V495000 30 Jul 2026 | Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) |
| 26V452000 14 Jul 2026 | Hyundai Motor America |
| 26V425000 1 Jul 2026 | Nissan North America, Inc. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2026