The defect
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2027 Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER HDX2 school buses. Front and mid-body interior joints 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 a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will add fasteners to secure the joints, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, are expected to be mailed July 2, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in August 2026. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-574-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is F1034.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner HDX2 | 2027 |
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 HDX2 | 2027 | 0 | 6 |
Other structure recalls in 2026
49 of the 666 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2026 concerned the structure; Daimler Trucks North America, LLC filed 166 campaigns in all.
| 26V677000 15 Oct 2026 | Volvo Trucks North America |
| 26V665000 9 Oct 2026 | Altec Industries, Inc. |
| 26V637000 2 Oct 2026 | Altec Industries, Inc. |
| 26V635000 1 Oct 2026 | Daimler Trucks North America, LLC |
| 26V631000 1 Oct 2026 | Mack Trucks, Inc. |
| 26V613000 24 Sept 2026 | Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC |
| 26V608000 23 Sept 2026 | Forest River, Inc. |
| 26V584000 10 Sept 2026 | Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2026