The worst 2000 Thomas MVP Ef 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 11
Seat belts
- What is wrong
- Certain my 1994 through 2002 thomas built minotour, fs-65, mvp-ef, er, and hdx-ef school buses manufactured between january 23, 1994, and april 15, 2002. The seat belt may chafe on the edge of a metal bracket and wear prematurely.
- Risk
- In the event of a vehicle crash, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained, possibly resulting in personal injury.
- Remedy
- Thomas built will notify owners and replace any chafed seat belts and replace or modify the retainer strip to prevent any further chafing. The recall began on february 8, 2008. Owners may contact thomas built at 336‑889‑4871 or contact freightliner at 800‑547‑0712.
Recall number 07V142000 · Recall details
Fuel system, diesel
- What is wrong
- Certain 1998-2003 my freightliner fs-65 school bus chassis and mb-45, mb-55, and xb shuttle bus chassis, and thomas built bus: mvp-er and mvp-ef school bus and non-school bus models equipped with cummins isb diesel engines and equipped with federal-mogal 12 and 24 volt fuel lift pumps. The fuel pump could fail to transfer fuel appropriately creating an engine stall condition.
- Risk
- Should the engine stall while the vehicle is in use, a possible vehicle crash could occur.
- Remedy
- Cummins will notify the customers of freightliner and thomas built and replace the fuel lift pump free of charge. Owners may contact cummins at 1-800-diesels.
Recall number 05V205000 · Recall details
Electrical system: alternator/generator/regulator
- What is wrong
- On certain thomas school buses, the alternator cable can pinch between the air conditioning compressor and engine block.
- Risk
- This can result in damage to wire insulation and potentially cause a short circuit.
- Remedy
- Dealers will re-route the cable. Owner notification began july 28, 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 freightliner/thomas built at
Recall number 03V205000 · Recall details
Seat belts
- What is wrong
- On certain school or transit buses with passenger seat belts with retractors, the cover halves for the retractable portion of the belt can separate completely and release the seat belt connector. If this occurs, one of the load bearing pins in the connector could separate from the connector and render the seat belt unusable. In the event of a crash, the seat occupant would not be properly restrained resulting in an injury. The seat belt supplier, amsafe, will provide a snap on "over-cover" to owners to prevent the seat belt cover from separating.
- Risk
- If this occurs, one of the load bearing pins in the connector could separate from the connector and render the seat belt unusable. In the event of a crash, the seat occupant would not be properly restrained resulting in an injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will provide a plastic outer cover that snaps over the existing cover on units in the field and will replace broken seat belts free of charge. 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 thomas built at 336‑841‑5924 or amsafe at 574‑266‑8330.
Recall number 02V160009 · Recall details
Wheels: lugs/nuts/bolts/studs
- What is wrong
- On certain school and transit buses, the wheel lug nut may not tighten completely.
- Risk
- The wheel could loosen increasing the risk of loss of control of the vehicle.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install new wheel studs. Owner notification began february 28, 2002. 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 thomas built at 336‑889‑4871.
Recall number 02V221000 · Recall details
Structure: body
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: certain school buses fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 217, "bus emergency exits and window retention and release." a third roof hatch must be added to meet the standard requirements. Only vehicles located in the state of washington are involved.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash, the bus occupant may not be able to exit the bus quickly.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a third roof hatch. Owner notification began may 1, 2002. 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 thomas built at 336‑889‑4871.
Recall number 01V378000 · Recall details
Seat belts: front: buckle assembly
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: school and transit buses equipped with safety belt assemblies produced by am-safe. On some seat belts, the buckle and connector may unlatch during a collision.
- Risk
- Serious injury or death could occur if the vehicle occupant is not properly restrained.
- Remedy
- Am-safe notified thomas built's customers to return their vehicle to an authorized dealer to have the seat belts repaired free of charge. Owner notification began september 21, 2000. 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 thomas built at 1‑336‑889‑4871.
Recall number 01V097009 · Recall details
Steering: linkages
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: school and transit buses equipped with air brakes and a trw steering gear. The pinch bolt on the pitman arm contacts the exhaust port on the air brake treadle valve during steering maneuvers.
- Risk
- This could result in increased steering effort or an over-steer condition.
- Remedy
- Dealers will add a spacer under the brake valve to provide sufficient clearance.
Recall number 00V428000 · Recall details
Seats
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: certain school buses and transit buses equipped with national seating's series 93b-sb driver seat. A bracket attaching the gas spring shock to the height adjuster of the seat can deform and break. This bracket is located at the top of the height adjuster.
- Risk
- If the bracket is not replaced after deforming, and is allowed to break, its breaking will result in a sudden drop of the driver's seat, increasing the risk of loss of control of the vehicle and a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the seat base and add reinforcement to the seat assembly
Recall number 00V362000 · Recall details
Service brakes, air: antilock
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: heavy duty trucks and school bus chassis 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 00V232002 · Recall details
Service brakes, air: antilock
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: school bus chassis and emergency vehicles 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 00V232011 · Recall details
See all 11 recalls for the 2000 Thomas MVP Ef
Defect investigations
Emergency door handle failure
The office of defects investigation opened this preliminary evaluationafterbecoming aware that fleets were having handle failures on the rear emergency door exit.the failure resulted in the door handle separating from thedoor latch mechanism.when the handle fails, the rear emergency exit door can not be opened from outside the bus.the failure results from corrosion of the exterior door handle around the securing roll pin and square drive latch mechanism, causing the protective finish to chip and flake.continued corrosion weakens the handle and eventually the handle may break while trying to open the exit door.odi was concerned that during an emergency, a person outside of the bus would break the door handle while trying to open the emergency exit door,potentially delaying evacuation of the bus.under the safety recall, the aluminum handles will be replaced with a more robust handle.the recall action resolves the issues raised by this investigation. Accordingly, this investigation is closed.
PE07054
School bus lighting failures
See attached four page technical report for details.
EA04014
Technical service bulletins for the 2000 Thomas MVP Ef 1
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
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Questions about the 2000 Thomas MVP Ef
Is the 2000 Thomas MVP Ef reliable?
Owners have filed 0 complaints about the 2000 Thomas MVP Ef.
What is the most common problem with the 2000 Thomas MVP Ef?
There are not enough complaints to tell.
How many recalls does the 2000 Thomas MVP Ef have?
11 recalls, covering seat belts, fuel system, diesel and electrical system.
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