Electrical system: wiring: fuses and circuit breakers
Manufacturer
DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA
Vehicles affected
18,198
Reported to NHTSA
2008-11-26
Owners notified
2009-07-06
Defect description
DAIMLER TRUCKS IS RECALLING 18,198 MY 2003-2009 THOMAS BUILT ER, MVP-ER, HDX, AND MVP-EF SCHOOL AND TRANSIT BUSES EQUIPPED WITH A DUAL POWER SWITCH AND MANUFACTURED FROM FEBRUARY 1, 2002 THROUGH OCTOBER 17, 2008. SOLID STATE CIRCUIT BREAKERS MAY TRIP UNNECESSARILY POTENTIALLY RESULTING IN A LOSS OF POWER TO THE BUS CHASSIS AND BODY ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS CAUSING AN UNEXPECTED LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AND EXTERIOR LIGHTING.
Safety risk
UNEXPECTED LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AND EXTERIOR LIGHTING COULD RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
Manufacturer remedy
THOMAS BUILT BUS DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SOLID STATE DUAL POWER SWITCH WITH A MECHANICAL CIRCUIT PRODUCTION (MEGA FUSE). THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING APRIL 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT THOMAS BUILT AT 1-336-889-4871.
ON CERTAIN THOMAS SCHOOL BUSES, THE ALTERNATOR CABLE CAN PINCH BETWEEN THE AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR AND ENGINE BLOCK.
Safety risk
THIS CAN RESULT IN DAMAGE TO WIRE INSULATION AND POTENTIALLY CAUSE A SHORT CIRCUIT.
Manufacturer remedy
DEALERS WILL RE-ROUTE THE CABLE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 28, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT FREIGHTLINER/THOMAS BUILT AT
Owner complaints
A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.
No complaints recorded for this model year.
Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.