2004 Blue Bird Vision problems

What is wrong

Blue bird is recalling certain model year 2004 through 2006 vision conventional style school buses manufactured from june 26, 2003, through december 9, 2004. The starter cable may contact and potentially chafe against the steel braided power steering hose thereby creating a direct short.

Risk

A short could result in a fire.

Remedy

Blue bird will notify owners and dealers will inspect the subject buses for proper clearance between the starter cable and the power steering hose. Buses found to have insufficient clearance will have a clamp installed to prevent further contact. Any damaged power steering hoses or starter cables will be replaced free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or about may 10, 2011. Owners may contact blue bird at 1‑478‑822‑2242.

Recall number 11V218000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Blue bird is recalling certain model year 2004 through 2006 vision conventional style non school buses manufactured from june 26, 2003, through december 9, 2004. The starter cable may contact and potentially chafe against the steel braided power steering hose thereby creating a direct short.

Risk

A short could result in a fire.

Remedy

Blue bird will notify owners and dealers will inspect the subject buses for proper clearance between the starter cable and the power steering hose. Buses found to have insufficient clearance will have a clamp installed to prevent further contact. Any damaged power steering hoses or starter cables will be replaced free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or about may 10, 2011. Owners may contact blue bird at 1‑478‑822‑2242.

Recall number 11V219000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Blue bird is recalling certain model year 2004 through 2009 vision school buses manufactured from january 30, 2003 through september 24, 2008. The power cables running to the power distribution unit stud and driver's control module stud may have been installed with the lug (eyelet) flat side up. When this condition exists, vibration may wear the insulation permitting direct contact between the bare lug and the pdu or dcm which could cause a direct short in the electrical system.

Risk

This condition could result in a fire.

Remedy

Blue bird will notify owners and repair the buses as necessary free of charge. The safety recall began may 26, 2020. Owners may contact blue bird at 1‑478‑822‑2242.

Recall number 10V169000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Blue bird is recalling certain model year 2004 through 2009 vision non-school buses manufactured from september 19, 2003 through july 2, 2008. The power cables running to the power distribution unit stud and driver's control module stud may have been installed with the lug (eyelet) flat side up. When this condition exists, vibration may wear the insulation permitting direct contact between the bare lug and the pdu or dcm which could cause a direct short in the electrical system.

Risk

This condition could result in a fire.

Remedy

Blue bird will notify owners and repair the buses as necessary free of charge. The safety recall began on may 26, 2020. Owners may contact blue bird at 1‑478‑822‑2242.

Recall number 10V170000 · 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

The hydraulic brake hoses from the master cylinder to the chassis frame may have been improperly routed or retained on certain 2004 through 2009 my blue bird vision conventional school and transit buses manufactured from january 11, 2004 through april 22, 2008.

Risk

Improper routing or retention of the hydraulic brake hoses may result in brake hoses chaffing against the bus body and/or chassis components which could cause a leak in the hydraulic brake system resulting in reduced braking capacity which could result in a crash.

Remedy

Blue bird will notify owners and inspect and repair the buses free of charge. The recall began on august 8, 2008. Owners may contact blue bird at 1‑478‑822‑2242.

Recall number 08V312000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Certain blue bird my 2004 through 2007 vision school and transit buses manufactured between october 9, 2003, and september 21, 2006, equipped with parker single check vavles (scv) provided by bendix. The defect exists in the parker scv that connects with the supply port of the sr-7 spring brake modulating valve. After prolonged use of the parker scv, the valve body retainer may become excessively worn and eventually break apart. Pieces of the parker scv can become lodged inside the sr-7 spring brake modulating valve, potentially causing either leakage out of the sr-7 valve or preventing air from properly exhausting from the sr-7 valve.

Risk

This condition can cause a delay in the application of the spring brakes to park the vehicle after the operator pulls the dash valve button. These conditions can occur without warning, leading to unintended vehicle rollaway, brake drag, or in the case of loss of primary circuit, inability to modulate the spring brakes.

Remedy

Blue bird will notify owners and provide a free remedy. The recall began on september 30, 2007. Owners can contact blue bird at 478‑822‑2242.

Recall number 07V258000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Certain 2004-2007 my vision school buses manufactured between august 5, 2003, and june 13, 2006, equipped with option 40280-02 ammeter shunt. The power cable originally installed between the toe board and the shunt may be too short and may break due to engine vibration.

Risk

Should the power cable break while the bus is in use, the bus could become stranded in an active lane which could possibly result in a vehicle crash.

Remedy

Blue bird will notify owners and replace the short power cable with a longer one free of charge. The recall began on august 31, 2006. Owners may contact blue bird at 478‑822‑2242.

Recall number 06V261000 · 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 blue bird my 2004-2006 vision school buses equipped with hydraulic brakes manufactured between march 24, 2003, and april 25, 2005. The hydraulic brake dash warning light was incorrectly labeled with the canadian version which uses symbols rather than words as required by federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 105, hydraulic and electric brake systems.

Risk

The original dash warning light indicator displays an international symbol on the brake warning light indicator whereas fmvss 105 requires the word "brake" to be displayed. The operator may not recognize the international symbol as warning indicating a problem in the hydraulic brake system which could result in a vehicle crash if the warning is not heeded.

Remedy

Blue bird will mail replacement decals with correct nomenclature for the brake dash warning indicator light. The recall began july 15, 2005. Owners may contact blue bird at 478‑822‑2242.

Recall number 05V204000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Certain 2004-2006 my blue bird vision conventional school and non school buses maunfactured from june 12, 2003, through february 22, 2005. A short can occur in the crossing arm circuit or the 8-way warning light circuit, causing the heavy duty transistor w/built in circuit protect to trip resulting in an inadvertent engine shutdown.

Risk

A vehicle crash could occur should the engine shutdown while the bus is in use, possibly resulting in injury or death.

Remedy

Blue bird will notify its customers and repair the buses by relocating the circuits to a separate circuit protected by a circuit breaker free of charge. The recall began on march 24, 2005. Owners may contact blue bird at 478‑822‑2242.

Recall number 05V075000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Certain blue bird 1999-2005 all american, tc/2000, micro bird, vision, conventional, and commercial series school buses equipped with sure-loc wheelchair securement systems and manufactured between february 17, 1999, and august 13, 2004. Certain sure-lok wheelchair tie-down securement assemblies p/n 8625-13. The sprocket teeth of the retractor assembly may be out of alignment causing the load pawl not to fully seat in the sprocket teeth.

Risk

In the event of a vehicle crash, the wheelchair may not be adequately secured possibly resulting in injuries.

Remedy

Blue bird will notify its customers and replace the defective part free of charge. The recall began september 21, 2004. Owners who take their buses to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact at blue bird at 478‑822‑2242.

Recall number 04V426000 · Recall details

What is wrong

On certain conventional style school buses, only those equippped with air brakes, the underhood firewall location of the air brake manifold may permit rainwater entry into the parking brake exhaust port fitting of the manifold. In freezing weather, this water could form ice blocking the exhaust port. When this occurs, the parking brake does not operate as designed.

Risk

In the event that this condition should occur and the parking brake failed to apply, the bus could roll away, resulting in property damage or personal injury.

Remedy

Dealers will modify these vehicles. Owner notification began on december 8, 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 1‑478‑822‑2242.

Recall number 03V498000 · Recall details

What is wrong

2004 my blue bird vision conventional type school buses manufactured from june 12, 2003, through september 24, 2003. The bus bar that connects the ammeter shunt to the engine intake grid heater megafuse was incorrectly installed. The improper installation of this bus bar creates excessive electrical resistance and potential overheating in the grid heater power circuit.

Risk

This additional resistance could result in overheating at the megafuse holder with potential for a fire.

Remedy

Blue bird will notify its customers and provide instructions and parts to repair the buses free of charge. Owner notification began on october 23, 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 03V401000 · Recall details

What is wrong

On certain school buses, the power cables that run from the starter to the power distributor unit may chafe against the bottom corner of the front floor panel, resulting in an electrical short.

Risk

An electrical short could result in the shut down of engine parts or result in an underhood fire.

Remedy

Blue bird will provide owners with parts and instructions to install revised cable mounting brackets. Owner notification began october 23, 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 1‑478‑822‑2242.

Recall number 03V355000 · Recall details

In april, 2008, odi received a letter from the missouri state highway patrol alleging that their field inspectorswerefinding hydraulic brake hoses that werebeing cut or crushed by the sharp edges of the bus body at the firewall.they also supplied information on one bus that experienced total brake loss due to the brake hose being cut. Further field work by odi increased thenumber of complaints to a total of seven.after discussions with odi and further review of field incidents, blue bird has decided to initiate a safety recall to inspect, replace and or reposition the brake hoses of concern. This recall action resolves the issues raised by this investigation. Accordingly, this investigation is closed.

PE08038

This investigation was opened after odi was notified by the gsa automotive engineering division that they have had three incidents where abattery cable terminal end failed. Gsa reported the positive battery cable as being too short and being stressed during normal operation resulting in a complete separation.this could lead to an engine shut down or possibly a thermal event if thecable shorts to a ground source upon failure.bluebird has filed a safety defect to resolve the issue. The original cable will be removed and replaced with a longer battery cable. The ammeter shunt mounting will also be upgraded on all buses delivered through july 12, 2006.this investigation is close.

PE06026

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