- The problem
- 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.
- The 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.
- The fix
- 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.
Vehicle safety record
2003 Blue Bird Conventional Problems, complaints & recalls
Owners have filed 1 complaint about the 2003 Blue Bird Conventional with NHTSA, most often about the body, doors & structure (1). Those complaints describe 1 crash and 3 injuries. It is covered by 6 recalls, the latest in May 2005 for the school bus stop arm assembly. For comparison, the 2002 has 0 and the 2004 has 0.
NHTSA data checked
FFar more problems than a typical Conventional year, for its age
#427 most complained-about 2003 vehicle
- Complaints
- 1
- Recalls
- 6
- Crashes
- 1
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 3
- Deaths
- 0
Most common 2003 Blue Bird Conventional problems
Share of all 1 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.
2003 Blue Bird Conventional recalls 6
Recall repairs are free. Your dealer fixes them whether or not you bought the car there - check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if yours is done. What to do
- The problem
- 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.
- The 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.
- The fix
- 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.
- The problem
- Certain 2002-2006 my blue bird all american school and transit buses, conventional school buses, and commercial series transit buses manufactured between december 21, 2002, and february 24, 2005. These buses are equipped with webasto coolant heaters, model dbw 2010, assembled with webasto burner tubes, p/n 303046/26533a manufactured between november 2002 and february 2005. The stainless steel burner tube is made out of a material that is not to specification and could fail prematurely.
- The risk
- Should the burner tube fail, the coolant heater could overheat, possibly resulting in a fire.
- The fix
- Blue bird will notify its customers and replace the burner tubes free of charge. The recall began on march 31, 2005. Owners may contact blue bird at 478-822-2242.
- The problem
- Certain my 2003 thru 2005 blue bird micro bird and conventional school buses. These buses do not have the tire load range on both the tire information label and certification decal as required by federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 120, Tire selection and rims for motor vehicles other than passenger cars.
- The risk
- Omission of the tire load range may lead to the installation of tires with load ranges not appropriate for vehicle use. A failure occurring in tires due to inappropriate load range may result in loss of control of the vehicle and a crash can occur.
- The fix
- Blue bird will mail to final stage manufacturers, certification decals with the tire load rating indicated to its customers. The recall began on may 6, 2005. Owners may contact blue bird at 478-822-2242.
- The problem
- 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.
- The risk
- In the event of a vehicle crash, the wheelchair may not be adequately secured possibly resulting in injuries.
- The fix
- 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.
- The problem
- On certain school buses equipped with optional seat belts or seat belt "ready" seats, some belts were installed with only two bolts rather than the required three (3) bolts.
- The risk
- These seats could detach from the wall side attachment points in the event of a vehicle crash, increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant.
- The fix
- Blue bird will furnish to distributors and owners, parts and instructions necessary to install the missing bolt free of charge. Owner notification is expected to on november 3, 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.
What owners say
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1 complaints about the 2003 Blue Bird Conventional
Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners.
The purpose of this complaint is to call attention to a design defect of the 2003 blue bird conventional/cv200 school bus that has resulted in both major injuries and death. The design defect is that during rear end collisions, passenger compartment intrusion is more likely due to the relatively high bumper height of 24.5 Inches. This means that if a vehicle collides with the rear of the bus, serious injury is likely to occur when the incoming vehicle wedges underneath the bus. In general, school buses make...
Read the full complaint
frequent stops along the flow of traffic so the conditions for this defect as well as potential serious injury and death are alarmingly favorable. To my knowledge, nothing has been done to correct this 'failure' in design. *Dt
Blue Bird Conventional: every year compared
All Conventional years2003 Blue Bird Conventional vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Blue Bird Conventional | 1 | 6 | F | |
| 2003 Blue Bird All American | 2 | 11 | C | Compare |
| 2003 Blue Bird A3RE | 1 | 0 | A | Compare |
| 2003 Blue Bird Csfe | 1 | 0 | C | Compare |
More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.
Questions about the 2003 Blue Bird Conventional
Does the 2003 Blue Bird Conventional have any recalls?
Yes - NHTSA lists 6 recalls for the 2003 Blue Bird Conventional: school bus stop arm assembly (May 2005); school bus stop arm assembly (May 2005); engine and engine cooling (March 2005); markings (February 2005) and more. Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours has been fixed.
What are the most common problems with the 2003 Blue Bird Conventional?
By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the body, doors & structure (1).
How many complaints has the 2003 Blue Bird Conventional had?
1 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on March 22, 2010 and the latest on March 22, 2010. Of these, 1 describe a crash and 0 a fire, and together they report 3 injuries and 0 deaths.
Is the 2003 Blue Bird Conventional a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 23 out of 100 (grade F: far more problems than a typical Blue Bird Conventional year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.
Which Blue Bird Conventional years have the most complaints?
1991 (7), 2018 (2), 2003 (1). See every Blue Bird Conventional year compared.
What should I do if my 2003 Blue Bird Conventional has a problem?
If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data