Seat belts: rear/other: buckle assembly
- Component
- Seat belts: rear/other: buckle assembly
- Manufacturer
- Blue Bird Body Company
- Vehicles affected
- 146
- Reported to NHTSA
- 2013-11-20
- Owners notified
- 2013-12-17
Defect description
Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain model year 2014 Vision and All American model non-school buses manufactured August 23, 2013, through November 6, 2013 and equipped with IMMI-brand L9 driver's seat belts. When the button is pressed to release the seat belt, the latch plate can become partially engaged with the buckle, making the seat belt difficult to unlatch. Thus, this equipment fails to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies."
Safety risk
If the latch plate remains partially engaged after the button is pressed, egress from the vehicle could be hindered which would increase the risk of injury in the event of an emergency.
Manufacturer remedy
Blue Bird will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat belt buckle, and if necessary, replace the seat belt buckle, free of charge. The recall began on December 17, 2013. Owners may contact Blue Bird at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird recall number R13WS.