After picking up a bus load of students from the school the bus driver noticed a burning smell on his bus. Driver pulled his bus into a parking lot and the bus started smoking from underneath the side switch panel. After the students exited the bus the plastic dash started to burn which resulted in a significant amount of damage. It appears the fire started from the electrical connections on the body solenoid.
The worst 2002 Thomas Conventional problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Electrical1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Electrical1
Recalls 2
Other: school bus stop arm assembly
- What is wrong
- Certain 2002-2005 my thomas built minotour, conventional, mvp-er, er, hdx, and mvp-ef model school buses manufactured between january 8, 2002, and march 8, 2005, equipped with specialty mfg "5" series stop arms 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 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
- For those buses operated in or near any of the states listed above, thomas built is encouraging the bus owners to obtain the replacement switch. For those buses operated in the warmer states, dealers will replace the switch upon owner request. For those customers who request the remedy, thomas built 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 recall began on september 14, 2005. Owners may contact thomas built's customer support office at 336‑889‑4871.
Recall number 05V347000 · Recall details
Other: school bus stop arm assembly
- What is wrong
- Certain 2002-2005 my thomas built minotour, conventional, mvp-er, er, hdx, and mvp-ef model school buses manufactured between january 8, 2002, and march 8, 2005, equipped with specialty mfg "5" series stop arms 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
- Thomas built will notify its owners 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 september 14, 2005. Owners may contact thomas built's customer support office at 336‑889‑4871.
Recall number 05V340000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2002 Thomas Conventional 1
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
What 2002 Thomas Conventional owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Compare the 2002 Thomas Conventional
Other model years
20012002
Questions about the 2002 Thomas Conventional
Is the 2002 Thomas Conventional reliable?
Owners have filed 1 complaint about the 2002 Thomas Conventional, close to a typical Conventional model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2002 Thomas Conventional?
Electrical system, with 1 complaint.
How many recalls does the 2002 Thomas Conventional have?
2 recalls, covering other.
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