The worst 1997 Blue Bird TC2000 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
Recalls 8
Structure: body
- What is wrong
- Certain school buses fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 221, "school bus body joint strength." one or more of the bolts attaching the driver's platform to the floor structure was omitted.
- Risk
- The rear of the driver's platform may not be properly retained in the event of a crash which could increase the risk of injury or death to passengers.
- Remedy
- Blue bird will notify its customers and inspect and repair the affected units. Owner notification began on november 20, 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 blue bird at 478‑822‑2242.
Recall number 03V363000 · Recall details
Equipment: other: labels
- What is wrong
- Certain transit buses fail to comply with requirements of federal motor vehicle standard no. 101, "controls and displays." this standard requires specific labeling for "engine start" and "engine stop." the wording of the labels on these vehicles do not meet the requirements of the standard.
- Risk
- The operator could place the engine switch in a position other than that intended, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Owners will be provided with new decals and installation instructions. Owner notification began august 29, 2002. Owners who do not receive the free label and installation instructions within a reasonable time should contact blue bird at 1‑478‑822‑2242.
Recall number 02V185000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: school and transit buses equipped with rear mounted engines. The 12-volt power supply cable(s) may be chaffed by hoses, harnesses, frame components, or clamps.
- Risk
- This condition can result in power failure and/or risk of fire in the engine compartment.
- Remedy
- Dealers will remove and inspect the 12-volt power cable(s) from the battery to the starter and, if necessary, will replace the cables. Owner notification began july 30, 2001. 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 blue bird at 1‑912‑822‑2242.
Recall number 01V191000 · Recall details
Structure: body
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: school buses. These buses fail to meet the 60 percent joint strength requirements of fmvss no. 221, "school bus body joint strength."
- Risk
- In the event of a vehicle crash, the roof may not be supported sufficiently, causing personal injury to bus occupants.
- Remedy
- Owners will be contacted and advised to inspect each roof joint. Owners will install repair rivets in each joint found to have insufficient quantity of rivets in each examined 8 inch section.
Recall number 00V219000 · Recall details
Service brakes, air: controls: foot control/valve
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: school and transit buses equipped with bendix air brakes. Bendix changed the internal design of the qr1c relay valve by adding a hole in the internal diaphragm. When the hole in the diaphragm aligns with the hole in the valve body, the brake application time increases.
- Risk
- Under certain conditions, such as parked on an incline, driver activates the parking brake but removes foot from the threadle valve, the bus could roll before the parking brake is fully engaged.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the diaphragms with holes with solid diaphragms for the qr1c valves.
Recall number 00V162000 · Recall details
Seats
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: school buses. The wall side attaching bolts for some of the passenger seats may have been installed too close to the edge of the seat ledge and in the wrong attaching hole resulting in weakening of the seat ledge at the attachment points.
- Risk
- In the event of a frontal crash, the rear attaching bolt of these seats could pull out of the seat ledge increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant.
- Remedy
- Blue bird will furnish to distributors and owners, parts and instructions necessary to strengthen the passenger seat attachment at the wall side.
Recall number 99V018000 · Recall details
Fuel system, other: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: rear engine school buses equipped with option 04888 dedicated compressed natural gas (cng) fuel package. The 24" long stainless steel braided fuel hoses can leak at the hose end fittings.
- Risk
- These hoses can fracture allowing cng fuel leakage increasing the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace these hoses with conductive thermoplastic hoses.
Recall number 98V110000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: front and rear engine school buses equipped with 60 gallon side mounted fuel tank barriers. These buses do not comply with the requirements of fmvss no. 301, "fuel system integrity."
- Risk
- In the event of a vehicle crash, the fuel tank could be damaged, leaking fuel, possibly resulting in a vehicle fire.
- Remedy
- Blue bird will ship instructions and modification kits to the owners of these buses.
Recall number 97V197000 · Recall details
See all 8 recalls for the 1997 Blue Bird TC2000
Defect investigations
Compressed natural gas (cng) leakage
Alleged leakage of cng occurred from one of the crimped connection fittings of a fuel hose connected to the right rear cng storage cylinder
PE98026
Mismatched brake actuation chambers
Alleged that the bus pulls to the left when braking
PE98011
Technical service bulletins for the 1997 Blue Bird TC2000 3
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
Compare the 1997 Blue Bird TC2000
Other model years
Questions about the 1997 Blue Bird TC2000
Is the 1997 Blue Bird TC2000 reliable?
Owners have filed 0 complaints about the 1997 Blue Bird TC2000.
What is the most common problem with the 1997 Blue Bird TC2000?
There are not enough complaints to tell.
How many recalls does the 1997 Blue Bird TC2000 have?
8 recalls, covering structure, equipment and electrical system.
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