Other: school bus stop arm assembly
- Component
- Other: school bus stop arm assembly
- Manufacturer
- COLLINS BUS CORPORATION
- Vehicles affected
- 1,345
- Reported to NHTSA
- 2005-08-01
- Owners notified
- 2005-10-12
Defect description
CERTAIN 2002-2005 MY COLLINS BANTAM, SUPER BANTAM, AND GRAND BANTAM SCHOOL BUSES EQUIPPED WITH SPECIALTY MFG "5" SERIES STOP ARMS ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE FOLLOWING STATES: ALASKA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEVADA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW MEXICO, NEW YORK, NORTH DAKOTA, OHIO, OREGON, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH DAKOTA, TENNESSEE, UTAH, VERMONT, VIRGINIA, WASHINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, WYOMING, AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. IN EXTREMELY COLD WEATHER, THE MICROSWITCHES USED INTERNALLY TO POSITION THE SIGN IN THE OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS MAY MALFUNCTION, CAUSING THE SIGN TO OPEN OR CLOSE IN AN IMPROPER POSITION, OR TO NOT OPEN AT ALL.
Safety risk
SHOULD THE STOP ARM NOT PERFORM PROPERLY, A CHILD OR PEDESTRIAN MAY BE ENDANGERED BY PASSING VEHICLES SHOULD THE MOTORIST NOT STOP AT THE CORRECT LOCATION.
Manufacturer remedy
COLLINS BUS WILL NOTIFY ITS CUSTOMERS AND THE ORIGINAL SWITCH WILL BE REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE WITH A SWITCH PACK THAT IS NOT SENSITIVE TO EXTREME COLD WEATHER AND WILL INSPECT TO ENSURE THE MICROSWITCH HEATER WIRING IS PROPERLY CONNECTED FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN OCTOBER 12, 2005. CUSTOMERS MAY CONTACT COLLINS BUS CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-533-1850 OR SPECIALTY MANUFACTURING AT 1-800-951-7867.