2003 Thomas MVP Er problems

What is wrong

Daimler trucks is recalling 18,198 my 2003-2009 thomas built er, mvp-er, hdx, and mvp-ef school and transit buses equipped with a dual power switch and manufactured from february 1, 2002 through october 17, 2008. Solid state circuit breakers may trip unnecessarily potentially resulting in a loss of power to the bus chassis and body electrical circuits causing an unexpected loss of engine power and exterior lighting.

Risk

Unexpected loss of engine power and exterior lighting could result in a vehicle crash.

Remedy

Thomas built bus dealers will replace the solid state dual power switch with a mechanical circuit production (mega fuse). The recall is expected to begin during april 2009. Owners may contact thomas built at 1‑336‑889‑4871.

Recall number 08V622000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Daimler trucks is recalling 243,435 my 1995-2008 thomas built school buses manufactured between january 1994, and march 10, 2008. (additional buses have been added to this recall campaign. Please see supplemental report no. 4) the emergency exit door handle begins corroding around the securing roll pin and square drive mechanism causing the protective finish to chip and flake. Continued corrosion and pitting weakens the handle. Handles weakened by corrosion may break while trying to open the door from the exterior.

Risk

In the event of an emergency, a person on the outside of the bus may break the door handle trying to open the emergency exit potentially delaying evacuation and increasing the risk of personal injury to the vehicle's occupants.

Remedy

Daimler trucks will notify owners and will replace the handles with a more robust handle free of charge. Repairs will be performed by thomas built buses dealerships. The recall began on august 18, 2008, and notification for the revised population is expected to begin on or about april 29, 2009. Owners may contact thomas built at 336‑889‑4871.

Recall number 08V087000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Certain 2001 through 2008 thomas built fs-56, er, mvp er, hdx, and mvp ef school buses manufactured from october 23, 2000, through january 24, 2006, equipped with tyco pc board and type ii auto reset circuit breakers. Type ii auto reset circuit breaker temperatures may exceed the rating of the tyco pc board causing the boards to melt potentially resulting in a vehicle fire.

Risk

A vehicle fire can occur possibly resulting in a crash.

Remedy

Thomas built will notify owners and repair the buses by replacing the type ii auto reset circuit breakers with manual circuit breakers, and the jumper cable. The recall began on march 28, 2008. Owners may contact thomas built customer support office at 336‑889‑4871.

Recall number 07V544000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Certain my 2000 through 2003 thomas built hdx and mvp-er school buses manufactured between april 23, 2000, and november 14, 2003. The service air brake pedal, for both non-adjustable and adjustable brake pedals, may contact the front structure on the bus, limiting the maximum brake force available.

Risk

Insufficient air brake pressure may cause extended stopping distances without prior warning, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.

Remedy

Thomas built will notify owners and repair the affected buses free of charge. The recall began on september 14, 2007. Owners can contact thomas built at 336‑889‑4871 or contact freightliner at 800‑547‑0712.

Recall number 07V137000 · Recall details

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

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

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

What is wrong

Certain 2001-2004 my thomas built mvp-ef, er transit, mvp-er, hd, and hdx school buses manufactured between september 24, 2000, and march 4, 2004. The tie rod assembly can fracture and fail, possibly resulting in complete separation.

Risk

Tie rod failure can possibly result in complete wheel separation and a vehicle crash could occur.

Remedy

Thomas built will notify its customers and will replace the tie rod assembly free of charge. The recall began september 6, 2005. Owners may contact thomas built at (we do not yet have a telephone number).

Recall number 05V137000 · Recall details

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

The office of defects investigation (odi) opened this investigation after becoming aware of two school bus fires that started in the side mounted electrical fuse panel on a pair of thomas built school buses.thefleet owner had reported the bus interiors filled with smoke, certain electrical devices became inoperative, and the buses stalled. The two buses involved in the fire incidents have consecutive VIN numbers and the fires were similar, but not identical to a previous recall (06v‑136) conducted by thomas built.these buses were not included in the prior recall, which involved a defective power distribution module (pdm).after further technical evaluation, freightliner decided they would conduct a safety recall to correct deficiencies in theprevious recall and also expand the population to capture all affected buses.the corrective action freightliner plans to take will be forwarded to odi when available. Accordingly, this investigation is closed.

PE07029

Odi was contacted by the new york dot who reportedseveral buses failed braking tests when being tested during an annual inspection. The subject school buses are optioned with an adjustable foot pedal positioning device that allows the driver to raise and lower the brake pedal height to suit his/her seating position.when the lowest pedal position is selected (by a button on the dashboard), nydot reported that the brake pedal bottomed out on the floor, thus preventing a full brake pedal application.this resulted in a reduction of brake torque at the wheel ends.freightliner will conduct a safety recall to correct this problem.the remedy calls for a longer pedal push rod being installed in- place of the original push rod. They also increased the population to include the mvp-er model buses.this resolves the issue raised by this investigation. Accordingly, this investigation is closed.

PE07008

This investigation was prompted by complaints from two separate school busfleets.both fleets alleged that while maneuvering in a parking area, the tie-rod tube disconnected from one of the tie-rods.dana, freightliner and thomas built buses recently completed extensive tesing and determined that a crack may initiate on the internal thread root of the tie rod.this condition is due to inadequate dampening in the chassis system to account for normal brake-induced vibration.these cracks may lead to separation of the tie rod from the assembly.approximately 5,839 dana steer axles equipped with a certain trw tie rod assembly utilizing a cut thread design are involved:a.1320 axle applications, thomas part number 61110702 and 61110705 installed on thomas buses with 6" brakes and 30" air chambers;b.1460 axle applications, thomas bus part number 61110707 and 61110708 installed with 6" brakes and 30" air chambers. Thomas built bus will replace the existing tie rod assemblies which contain the cut thread design with a new tie rod assembly that utilizes a rolled thread design.a rolled thread provides less stress on the critical area of the tie rod. A copy of the defect report is attached. This action resolves the issues raised by this investigation.accordingly,this investigation is closed.

PE04062