2017 Thomas Built Saf-T-Liner C2 School Bus Recall

On certain school bus seats, the plastic trim (bezel) where the shoulder seat belt comes out of the seatback may be too hard. Canadian regulations have requirements for anything that is installed in certain areas of the seatback. Note: This only affects school buses equipped with certain Syntec M2K and S3C passenger seats with lap/shoulder seat belts.

While this plastic trim is doesn't technically meet the requirements of Canadian regulations, it's unlikely to cause an injury.

This is not a recall. The company made changes in 2017, and all new seats made after that time have a soft vinyl cover trim for the shoulder seat belt.

This recall affects certain school buses equipped with SynTec S3B and/or S3C passenger seats. On some seats, the protective foam in certain areas of the seatback may not meet the knee impact requirements of Canadian regulations.

A seatback that does not have proper knee impact protection could increase the risk of injury to occupants in a crash.

The company will notify owners by mail and instruct them to take their vehicle to a Daimler Trucks of North America authorized service facility to install additional protective material in the seatbacks.

A problem with the left-rear brake caliper on certain school buses may cause the brake pads to drag and overheat. This could result in high temperatures, smoke, odour, or a possible fire.

A fire could increase the risk of injury. This could also result in an emergency evacuation of a school bus in an uncontrolled environment, which could also increase the risk of an injury.

The company will notify owners by mail and instruct them to take their vehicle to a Daimler Trucks North America authorized service facility to replace the left-rear brake caliper.

On certain school buses, the roof header joints may be improperly bonded due to adhesive not being applied in the correct locations. In the event of a rollover crash, the structure of the vehicle could be affected, increasing the risk of injury to occupants. Correction: Daimler Trucks of North America Authorized Service Facilities will inspect the placement of the roof header adhesive and mechanical fasteners will be added to secure the joints as necessary.

A failure of this component (structure) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain school buses equipped with a Ricon S-Series or K-Series titanium wheelchair lift, the lift positioning input cam may fail. If this happens and the operator continues to press the "up" button, the platform could travel past the vehicle floor height, potentially causing a lift occupant to be tipped inwards toward the vehicle, which could increase the risk of injury. Correction: a Ricon authorized dealer will perform the repairs.

A failure of this component (structure) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain school buses equipped with Syntec S3B restraint seats, under extreme operating conditions, such as adverse road conditions, repetitive shock loads, or occupant abuse, a metal fatigue crack may develop on the rear wall mount bracket of the seat. Over time, this could lead to the wall mount bracket fracturing, which in the event of a crash, could increase the risk of injury to seat occupants. Correction: Daimler Trucks of North America Service Facilities will inspect seats and install an additional wall bracket between the wall rail and the seat as necessary.

A failure of this component (seats and restraints) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain school buses equipped with propane engines, a propane fuel line could interfere and chafe against a j-hook body support bracket and potentially result in a fuel leak. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Daimler Trucks of North America Service Facilities will inspect the propane fuel line for clearance and will reroute as necessary.

A failure of this component (fuel system) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain school buses equipped with Kidde fire extinguishers with black plastic handles and valves, the fire extinguishers may become clogged or require excessive force to activate. Also, the nozzle may detach from the valve assembly with enough force that it could cause injury, and fail to discharge. In case of fire, failure of the extinguisher to function could result in injury and/or property damage. Correction: Owners will be provided with instructions on how to inspect the fire extinguisher to see if it is recalled. Replacement fire extinguishers will be supplied by Kidde directly. Note: For more information about recalled fire extinguishers, please visit www.kidde.com.

A failure of this component (accessories) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

Certain school buses equipped with certain instrument clusters may not comply with Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 101 - Controls and Displays and CMVSS 105 - Brake Systems. The ISO symbol for parking brake applied illuminates if there is a brake malfunction instead of the required brake malfunction ISO symbol, which is contrary to the requirements of the standard. If the incorrect ISO symbol is illuminated, the operator may not be aware that there is a brake malfunction that could lead to a reduction or loss of braking, which could increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Daimler Trucks North America-authorized service facilities will replace the dash cluster with a new dash cluster that display the correct brake ISO symbols.

A failure of this component (lights and instruments) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain school buses equipped with propane engines, a propane fuel line may be routed too close to the transmission yoke. This could allow for the line to contact the yoke and increase the potential for a propane leak, which in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will inspect the routing of the propane fuel plumbing, and re-route as required.

A failure of this component (fuel system) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain buses built with Freedman 3-point belted seats, the seat may not meet anchorage specifications. As a result, in the event of crash, occupants may be at an increased the risk of injury. Correction: Dealers will inspect and reinforcement brackets will be installed as needed.

A failure of this component (seats and restraints) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain buses built with a wheelchair pocket track, the anchorage of the pocket track may not meet anchorage specifications. In the event of of crash, occupants may be at an increased the risk of injury. Correction: Daimler Trucks North America authorized service facilities will install additional fasteners to the wheelchair pocket track to reinforce the anchorage.

A failure of this component (structure) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain school buses equipped with a Ricon S-Series wheelchair lift, the platform could potentially crack due to bent knuckle link arms and/or defective bearing. Overtime, the platform could separate of the rear portion of the pivot plate making the lift inoperable and putting the lift operator at risk of injury. Correction: Owners will need to make an appointment with the local Ricon Dealer to have the lift inspected and repaired.

A failure of this component (accessories) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

Certain school buses may not conform to Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 131 - School Bus Pedestrian Safety Devices. The STOP decal may not adhere properly to the stop sign and could peel off without warning, which could cause it to fail to meet the requirements of the standard. This could increase the risk of injury for the passengers exiting the school bus. Correction: Specialty Manufacturing Inc. will provide owners with a replacement stop sign blade assembly. If owners are not comfortable installing the blade assembly themselves, they can take their vehicle to a dealer for the installation.

A failure of this component (accessories) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

Certain school buses may fail to conform to Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 222 – School Bus Passenger Seating and Crash Protection. The SynTec S3B track seat may not provide sufficient strength to pass the rearward push test specified by the standard. In the event of a crash, the S3B track seat could come in contact with the passengers knees which could increase the risk of injury and/or impede egress. Correction: Dealers will install a “toe-clamp” on the feet of the S3B track mounted seat to meet the requirement of CMVSS 222.

A failure of this component (seats and restraints) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).