- The problem
- 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.
- The risk
- Should the bus shut down while in operation, a vehicle crash could occur.
- The fix
- 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.
Vehicle safety record
2002 Blue Bird TC2000 Problems, complaints & recalls
No owner complaints about the 2002 Blue Bird TC2000 have been filed with NHTSA. It is covered by 11 recalls, the latest in August 2005 for the 12v / 24v / 48v battery.
NHTSA data checked
CAbout as many problems as a typical TC2000 year, for its age
- Complaints
- 0
- Recalls
- 11
- Crashes
- 0
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Deaths
- 0
2002 Blue Bird TC2000 recalls 11
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 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.
- 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 1998 through 2002 blue bird all american, tc2000 school and transit buses, and commercial series buses equipped with cummins isb diesel engines. The fuel pump could fail to transfer fuel appropriately creating an engine stall condition.
- The risk
- Should the engine stall while the vehicle is in use, a possible vehicle crash could occur.
- The fix
- Customers will be notified by cummins to bring their vehicles to an authorized dealer to have the fuel lift pump replaced free of charge. For more information, customers may contact cummins at 1-800-diesels.
- 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.
- The problem
- On certain school and transit buses equipped 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, am-safe, will provide a snap on "over-cover" to owners to prevent the seat belt cover from separating.
- The 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.
- The fix
- Owners will be provided a snap-on "over-cover" to prevent the seat belt cover from separating. Owner notification is expected to begin on or about september 27, 2002. Owners who do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact blue bird at 1-478-822-2242.
- The problem
- Certain transit buses fail to comply with requirements of federal motor vehicle standard no. 101, "Controls and displays." This standard requires specific labeling for "engine start" and "engine stop." The wording of the labels on these vehicles do not meet the requirements of the standard.
- The risk
- The operator could place the engine switch in a position other than that intended, increasing the risk of a crash.
- The fix
- Owners will be provided with new decals and installation instructions. Owner notification began august 29, 2002. Owners who do not receive the free label and installation instructions within a reasonable time should contact blue bird at 1-478-822-2242.
- The problem
- On certain school and transit buses equipped with allison 2000 series transmissions, the "range inhibited" indicator light on the dash was improperly installed and does not function.
- The risk
- The operator will not be alerted that the transmission operation is being inhibited and that the range shifts being requested by the operator may not occur, increasing the risk of a crash.
- The fix
- Distributors and owners will be instructed to remove the dash and activate the indicator "range inhibited" light according to instructions provided. Owner notification began august 16, 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 blue bird at 1-478-822-2242.
- The problem
- Certain school buses equipped with optional high back seats with 9" split sash, pushout windows fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 217, "Bus emergency exits and window retention and release." The affected units have seats located incorrectly with respect to the pushout window openings.
- The risk
- In the event of an emergency, an occupant may not be able to properly exit the vehicle.
- The fix
- Dealers will relocate the seats and pushout windows. Owner notification began july 24, 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 blue bird at 1-478-825-2021.
- The problem
- Vehicle description: school and transit buses. Insufficient torque on the arvin-meritor air brake chamber mounting nuts can allow the nuts to loosen over time.
- The risk
- This condition could reduce braking of the vehicle, possibly resulting in a crash.
- The fix
- Dealers will inspect the torque values on each brake chamber nut and tighten to specifications. Owner notification began november 16, 2001. 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 1-912-822-2242.
What owners say
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No complaints about the 2002 Blue Bird TC2000 yet
No owner has filed a complaint about this vehicle with NHTSA. If yours has a problem, share it here and report it to NHTSA.
Blue Bird TC2000: every year compared
All TC2000 years2002 Blue Bird TC2000 vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 Blue Bird TC2000 | 0 | 11 | C | |
| 2002 Blue Bird Buses | 2 | 0 | D | Compare |
| 2002 Blue Bird All American | 1 | 14 | D | Compare |
| 2002 Blue Bird Gmcv | 1 | 0 | A | Compare |
| 2002 Blue Bird A3RE | 1 | 0 | A | 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 2002 Blue Bird TC2000
Does the 2002 Blue Bird TC2000 have any recalls?
Yes - NHTSA lists 11 recalls for the 2002 Blue Bird TC2000: 12v / 24v / 48v battery (August 2005); school bus stop arm assembly (May 2005); school bus stop arm assembly (May 2005); fuel system, diesel (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.
How many complaints has the 2002 Blue Bird TC2000 had?
None have been filed with NHTSA so far.
Is the 2002 Blue Bird TC2000 a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 53 out of 100 (grade C: about as many problems as a typical Blue Bird TC2000 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 TC2000 years have the most complaints?
1989 (1), 1990 (1). See every Blue Bird TC2000 year compared.
What should I do if my 2002 Blue Bird TC2000 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