1998 Amtran Re problems

What is wrong

Certain commercial buses equipped with t-slide oval windows fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 217, "bus emergency exits and window retention and release." incorrect side emergency exit windows were installed.

Risk

Passengers could be prevented from exiting the bus, which could result in personal injury or death.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the windows. Owner notification began december 18, 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 amtran at 1‑800‑843‑5615.

Recall number 04V012000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Ce model school buses which fail to comply to federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 221, school bus body joint strength. The roof top sheet may be improperly located, reducing the material edge distance at the rivet line.

Risk

In the event of a vehicle crash, the joint strenght could fail possibily resulting in injuries to the vehicle occupants.

Remedy

Ic will notify its customers and will provide inspection and repair instruction. The recall began on january 25, 2005. 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 ic customer service at (we do not yet have a telephone number for this campaign.)

Recall number 03V354000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Vehicle description: certain school and transit buses were built with a poor quality heater/defroster blower switch. In some cases this has caused the melting of the heater harness connector at the switch terminals or the high-speed wire insulation at the connector. Also, some of the units had improper circuit protection size installed in the heater defroster circuit.

Risk

If an operator detects smoke or the smell of melting wire insulation from the blower control panel, the operation of the heater/defroster at high speed should be discontinued until the repair is made.

Remedy

Owners will be provided with instructions and parts to replace the switch and switch harness with a new switch, switch harness, relay and relay harness. For the re units built prior to january 1, 1999, the kit will also include a 20-ampere manual circuit breaker. Owner notification began december 15, 2001. Owners who do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact amtran at 800‑843‑5615.

Recall number 01V241000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Vehicle description: school and transit buses. Some certification labels displayed the incorrect tire pressure for the tire specified to meet the gross axle weight rating for the front and/or rear axles. This does not meet the certain requirements of fmvss no. 120, "tire selection and rims for motor vehicles other than passenger cars," and 49 cfr part 567, "certification."

Risk

Under or over-inflated tires can cause or contribute to premature tire failure, possibly resulting in a sudden blowout or other failure which could result in a loss of control of the vehicle.

Remedy

New certification labels are being provided to owners. Owner notification began march 16, 2001. Owners who do not receive the free certification label within a reasonable time should contact amtran at 1‑800‑993‑7686.

Recall number 01V057000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Vehicle description: school buses built with bendix air ABS with an ec-17 1030r electronic control unit (ecu). There have been reports of unwanted ABS activation at low speeds caused by 1) chafed ABS wheel speed sensor wires on rotating parts or 2) a damaged component at the wheel end that generates a certain type of erratic sensor signal.

Risk

This condition could cause the ABS ecu to exhaust the air at the air brake modulators for one or more of the wheels. This could result in extended braking distances and a possible crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the ABS ecu.

Recall number 00V232101 · Recall details

What is wrong

Vehicle description: school buses. Some rear emergency exit windows do not meet the vertical opening requirements as specified by fmvss no. 217, "bus window retention and release."

Risk

In the event of a crash, personal injury could occur.

Remedy

Owners will be provided with instructions on how to identify the defect and repair procedures. If the owner prefers, an amtran dealer can perform the remedy for them.

Recall number 99V146000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Vehicle description: school buses equipped with flip seats at the emergency exits. The seat cushion hinge on the combination flip seat is located in such a manner that it is within easy reach of the passenger sitting in the seat located behind the combo flip seat.

Risk

The hinges on the combo flip seat can cause a pinching condition, resulting in personal injury.

Remedy

Owners will be notified and sent kits to remedy these seats.

Recall number 99V061000 · Recall details

This investigation was prompted by a school bus fleet alleging that a bus driver could not steer while attemping to make a turn.a second fleet contacted odi and indicated they were having similar problems. Odi examined the buses and found the steering boot gets twisted around the steering shaft, creating highsteering wheelefforts when trying to make a turn. As a result of the agency's investigation into this matter, international has agreed to initiate a safety recall campaign and correct this condition on 24,134 buses built from 10/29/93 through 5/21/03.the action taken by international is sufficient to resolve the issue raised by this investigation. Campaign number assigned is 03v‑264. A copy of the safety recall is attached. Accordingly, this investigation is closed.the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.

PE03023