2006 Blue Bird All American problems

What is wrong

Blue bird is recalling certain model year 2006 through 2012 all american, 2006 through 2011 vision, and 2006 conventional school buses manufactured between september 19, 2005, and may 3, 2011, equipped with 2-passenger seats installed forward of the 39" barrier. In the event of a crash, the barrier may make contact with the 2-passenger seat installed forward of the barrier. Accordingly, these buses fail to conform with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 222, "school bus passenger seating and crash protection."

Risk

The seat occupants may be seriously injured in the event of a crash.

Remedy

Blue bird will notify owners, and dealers will repair the buses free of charge. The safety recall began on january 18, 2012. Owners may contact blue bird at 1‑478‑822‑2242.

Recall number 11V499000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Blue bird is recalling certain model year 2004 through 2010 all american, vision, micro bird, and conventional school buses manufactured between january 30, 2003 and may 7, 2009. Incorrect offset leg barrier pads or 2/3 seat back pads may have been installed. Buses with incorrect pads installed fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 222, "school bus passenger seating and crash protection."

Risk

In the event of a crash, there is an increased risk of injury to the seat occupant(s).

Remedy

Blue bird will notify owners and the buses will be repaired free of charge. The safety recall began on september 18, 2009. Owners may contact blue bird at 1‑478‑822‑2242.

Recall number 09V328000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Blue bird is recalling 2,203 model year 2003 through 2010 all american rear engine school buses equipped with optional plug style vandal locks manufactured from july 16, 2003 through april 10, 2009. The plug style vandal lock is not wired to inhibit the starter at the ignition switch when the vandal lock is in the locked position. These buses fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 217, "bus emergency exits and window retention and release."

Risk

The vehicles can be started and driven even when an owner may think they cannot.

Remedy

Blue bird will notify owners and repair the buses free of charge. The safety recall began on june 25, 2009. Owner may contact blue bird at 1‑478‑422‑2242.

Recall number 09V205000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Blue bird is recalling 2,503 my 2006-2008 all american, conventional, and micro bird school and transit buses equipped with ricon platform style wheelchair lifts. These lifts fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 403, "platform lift systems for motor vehicles." the anti-stow interlock may not detect the presence of a wheelchair or mobility aid user. The pressure sensing switch that detects the presence of weight on the platform was not adjusted to the necessary sensitivity level. The lift could stow even though someone or something is still on the lift.

Risk

A lift occupant can be injured should the lift begin to stow unintentionally.

Remedy

Blue bird is working with ricon to correct the wheelchair lifts (please see 07e097). The recall began on september 30, 2008. Owners may contact ricon at 1‑818‑267‑3000 or blue bird at 1‑478‑822‑2242.

Recall number 08V395000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Blue bird is recalling 23,464 my 2005 through 2009 all american and vision school and transit model buses manufactured from january 22, 2004, and march 28, 2008, and my 2004 through 2007 all american school buses and conventional model school buses manufactured from march 6, 2003, through june 16, 2006. The rivet pattern may be incorrect in sections of the rear roof sheet joint that attaches to the rear roof cap. Without the appropriate amount of roof rivets, the buses fail to conform with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no 221, "joint strength."

Risk

In the event of a crash, these panels may separate exposing the occupants to increased risk of injury.

Remedy

Blue bird will notify owners and inspect and repair the buses by adding additional rivets. The recall began on september 18, 2008. Owners may contact blue bird at 478‑822‑2242.

Recall number 08V229000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Blue bird is recalling 2,129 my 2006-2008 all american, conventional, and micro bird school and transit buses manufactured between may 3, 2005 and february 15, 2008, equipped with ricon model 1200, 2000, and 5500 platform style wheel chair lifts. These buses fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 404, "platform lift installations in motor vehicles." the threshold warning system may not detect the presence of a wheelchair or mobility aid user in a certain spot within the defined threshold area.

Risk

The user of the lift could be injured should the lift move unintentionally.

Remedy

Blue bird is working with ricon to correct the wheelchair lifts free of charge (please see 07e095). The recall is expected to begin on or about april 28, 2008. Owners may contact ricon at 1‑800‑322‑2884 or blue bird at 1‑478‑822‑2242.

Recall number 08V163000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Blue bird is recalling 607 my 2004-2007 all american rear engine school buses and my 2006-2007 xcel 102 commercial series transit buses equipped with cummins isc engines. The high pressure fuel line may crack, allowing high pressure diesel fuel into the engine compartment.

Risk

This condition creates the potential for a risk of fire in the engine compartment should the atomized diesel fuel vapor contact an ignition source.

Remedy

Owners will be advised to contact their cummins dealers to have the repair work performed as soon as possible. The recall began on february 28, 2008. Owners may contact blue bird at 1‑478‑822‑2242.

Recall number 08V077000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Certain 2006 and 2007 my blue bird all american, conventional, and micro bird school buses manufactured from july 16, 2005 through august 29, 2006, equipped with model 900 series wheelchair lifts manufactured by the braun corporation. The threshold warning system may not activate as designed which fails to conform to federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 404, platform lift installations for motor vehicles.

Risk

Should the threshold warning system fail to operate, the lift user can fall from the vehicle and be seriously injured.

Remedy

Owners will be notified by blue bird instructing them to contact braun for free repair. The recall january 16, 2008. Owners can contact either blue bird at 478‑822‑2242 or braun product support at 1‑800‑946‑7513.

Recall number 07V556000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Certain my 2006 through 2008 blue bird all american rear engine school and transit buses manufactured from january 14, 2005, through march 13, 2007, equipped with emergency push out windows. The subject buses were manufactured with incorrect number of emergency exits which does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 217, bus emergency exits and window retention and release.

Risk

The purpose of this standard is to minimize the likelihood of occupants being thrown from the bus and to provide a means of readily accessible emergency egress.

Remedy

Blue bird will notify owners and install additional emergency exit windows on each side of the subject buses free of charge. The recall began on april 7, 2008. Owners can contact blue bird at 478‑822‑2242.

Recall number 07V292000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Certain my 2006 all american school and transit buses and 2006 conventional vision school buses manufactured between july 7 and november 8, 2005, equipped with ricon s and k series platform style wheelchair lifts . The vertical support arms for the lifts were improperly welded allowing the lift to stow improperly.

Risk

In the event this condition occurs during passenger operations it may not be possible to close the lift door causing the vehicle interlocks to remain engaged preventing movement of the vehicle or the ability to load or unload passengers with disabilities from the vehicle.

Remedy

Blue bird will notify its customers and repair the buses free of charge. The recall began on may 5, 2006. Owners may contact blue bird at 478‑822‑2242.

Recall number 06V112000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Certain 2001 through 2006 my blue bird all american, tc2000, and vision transit school buses manufactured between january 5, 2001, and july 15, 2005. These buses are equipped with a battery disconnect switch that has connections that may be loose on the battery switch studs creating the potential for the bus to shut down while in operation.

Risk

Should the bus shut down while in operation, a vehicle crash could occur.

Remedy

Blue bird will notify its owners and instruct them on how to repair the switch. The recall began on october 19 , 2005. Owners may contact blue bird at 478‑822‑2242.

Recall number 05V382000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Certain school buses 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 stop arm 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.

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.

Remedy

Blue bird will notify its customers and replace the original switch 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 on august 12, 2005. Owners may contact blue bird at 478‑822‑2242.

Recall number 05V239000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Certain blue bird 2002 through 2006 my all american, conventional, minibird, microbird, vision, and tc2000 school buses originally sold in or currently registered in states other than 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.

Risk

Should the stop arm not perform properly, a child or pedestrian may be endangered by passing motorists should the motorist not stop at the correct location.

Remedy

Blue bird will notify all its customers of this campaign. For those buses operated in or near any of the states listed above, blue bird is encouraging the bus owners to obtain the replacement switch. For those buses operated in the warmer states, blue bird will replace the switch upon owner request. For those customers who request the remedy, blue bird will replace the original switch with a switch pack that is not sensitive to extreme cold weather and will inspect to ensure the microswitch heater wiring is properly connected. The safety improvement campaign began on august 12, 2005. Owners may contact blue bird at 478‑822‑2242.

Recall number 05V251000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Certain my 2006 blue bird all american and vision school buses manufactured between february 9 and april 15, 2005. Seat spacing in front of the side emergency door flip up seat exceeds the maximum allowed spacing as required by federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 222, school bus passenger seating and crash protection.

Remedy

All the affected buses have been repaired by blue bird distributors. Therefore, it will not be necessary for blue bird to mail out owner notification letters to customers.

Recall number 05V211000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Certain blue bird my 2006 all american front and rear engine school buses manufactured from december 6, 2004, through april 8, 2005. The interior side wall panels fail to conform to the joint strength requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 221, school bus body joint strength.

Risk

In the event of a crash, the panels can separate exposing the passengers to serious injury.

Remedy

Blue bird will notify its customers and repair the affected buses free of charge. The recall began may 26, 2005. Owners may contact blue bird at 478‑822‑2242.

Recall number 05V190000 · Recall details

This investigation was opened after odi received notification from two fleets (totaling seven complaints) alleging the air lines connecting to the dash air gauge were leaking air and setting off the low pressure air buzzer. During the course of this investigation, odi interviewed the involved fleets, conducted field trips to examine similar buses, visited dealers and reviewed data furnished by blue bird in response to an information request.while bird bird was unable to determine a definitive cause for the reported failures, they believe the lownumber of complaints indicates an anomaly and the leaks may have been caused by the unintentional positioning of the hose during dash installation.blue bird theorizes that as the 1/4 dash gauge air line tubing was installed behind the dash, the tubing entering the push-in quick disconnect fittingmay have been positioned at an angle putting stress on the plastic movable part of the fitting. Over time this stress may have caused the plastic part of the fitting to deteriorate,resulting in an air leak.based on the results of an air brake system test conducted by blue bird, complete disconnection of the ? Air line at the dash air gauge does not deplete the brake air system to the point where the brakes will not operate as designed. The test showed that even with the air line disconnected, normal operation of the bus will continue to charge the air system reservoir, allowing for safe operation until the bus can be checked. Nevertheless, although blue bird's test data and customer information confirms there is no loss of brakes when the dash air gauge lines leak or become disconnected, blue bird intends to develop a service bulletin to inspect this air line connection. The service bulletin will be sent to owners of all 2006 and 2007 model year blue bird all american school buses.based on this information, a safety related defect trend does not exist at this time and further use of agency resources is not warranted. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that no safety defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances. This investigation is closed.

PE07050

This investigation was opened after odi received a complaint from a school bus fleet reporting that three separate buses had stalled unexpectedly while they were loaded with children.reportedly, each time the failure occurred the master battery shut-off switch was identified as being defective.odi opened this investigation to gather specific information and details into these allegations.as a result of odi?s investigation, blue bird has agreed to initate a safety recall to replace the standard nut on the 10/32 stud with a locking nut, check for proper wiring installation , and reposition the wires so that they do not stress the stud.a copy of the recall is attached.blue bird's action resolves the issues raised by this investigation and therefore, this investigation is closed.

PE05028