- The problem
- Blue bird is recalling certain model year 2004 through 2006 vision conventional style non school buses manufactured from june 26, 2003, through december 9, 2004. The starter cable may contact and potentially chafe against the steel braided power steering hose thereby creating a direct short.
- The risk
- A SHORT COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
- The fix
- Blue bird will notify owners and dealers will inspect the subject buses for proper clearance between the starter cable and the power steering hose. Buses found to have insufficient clearance will have a clamp installed to prevent further contact. Any damaged power steering hoses or starter cables will be replaced free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or about may 10, 2011. Owners may contact blue bird at 1-478-822-2242.
Vehicle safety record
2004 Blue Bird Vision Problems, complaints & recalls
No owner complaints about the 2004 Blue Bird Vision have been filed with NHTSA. It is covered by 17 recalls, the latest in April 2011 for the cables.
NHTSA data checked
BFewer problems than a typical Vision year, for its age
- Complaints
- 0
- Recalls
- 17
- Crashes
- 0
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Deaths
- 0
2004 Blue Bird Vision recalls 17
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
- Blue bird is recalling certain model year 2004 through 2006 vision conventional style school buses manufactured from june 26, 2003, through december 9, 2004. The starter cable may contact and potentially chafe against the steel braided power steering hose thereby creating a direct short.
- The risk
- A SHORT COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
- The fix
- Blue bird will notify owners and dealers will inspect the subject buses for proper clearance between the starter cable and the power steering hose. Buses found to have insufficient clearance will have a clamp installed to prevent further contact. Any damaged power steering hoses or starter cables will be replaced free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or about may 10, 2011. Owners may contact blue bird at 1-478-822-2242.
- The problem
- Blue bird is recalling certain model year 2004 through 2009 vision non-school buses manufactured from september 19, 2003 through july 2, 2008. The power cables running to the power distribution unit stud and driver's control module stud may have been installed with the lug (eyelet) flat side up. When this condition exists, vibration may wear the insulation permitting direct contact between the bare lug and the pdu or dcm which could cause a direct short in the electrical system.
- The risk
- THIS CONDITION COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
- The fix
- Blue bird will notify owners and repair the buses as necessary free of charge. The safety recall began on may 26, 2020. Owners may contact blue bird at 1-478-822-2242.
- The problem
- Blue bird is recalling certain model year 2004 through 2009 vision school buses manufactured from january 30, 2003 through september 24, 2008. The power cables running to the power distribution unit stud and driver's control module stud may have been installed with the lug (eyelet) flat side up. When this condition exists, vibration may wear the insulation permitting direct contact between the bare lug and the pdu or dcm which could cause a direct short in the electrical system.
- The risk
- THIS CONDITION COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
- The fix
- Blue bird will notify owners and repair the buses as necessary free of charge. The safety recall began may 26, 2020. Owners may contact blue bird at 1-478-822-2242.
- The problem
- Blue bird is recalling certain model year 2004 through 2010 all american, vision, micro bird, and conventional school buses manufactured between january 30, 2003 and may 7, 2009. Incorrect offset leg barrier pads or 2/3 seat back pads may have been installed. Buses with incorrect pads installed fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 222, "School bus passenger seating and crash protection."
- The risk
- In the event of a crash, there is an increased risk of injury to the seat occupant(s).
- The fix
- Blue bird will notify owners and the buses will be repaired free of charge. The safety recall began on september 18, 2009. Owners may contact blue bird at 1-478-822-2242.
- The problem
- The hydraulic brake hoses from the master cylinder to the chassis frame may have been improperly routed or retained on certain 2004 through 2009 my blue bird vision conventional school and transit buses manufactured from january 11, 2004 through april 22, 2008.
- The risk
- Improper routing or retention of the hydraulic brake hoses may result in brake hoses chaffing against the bus body and/or chassis components which could cause a leak in the hydraulic brake system resulting in reduced braking capacity which could result in a crash.
- The fix
- Blue bird will notify owners and inspect and repair the buses free of charge. The recall began on august 8, 2008. Owners may contact blue bird at 1-478-822-2242.
- The problem
- Certain blue bird my 2004 through 2007 vision school and transit buses manufactured between october 9, 2003, and september 21, 2006, equipped with parker single check vavles (scv) provided by bendix. The defect exists in the parker scv that connects with the supply port of the sr-7 spring brake modulating valve. After prolonged use of the parker scv, the valve body retainer may become excessively worn and eventually break apart. Pieces of the parker scv can become lodged inside the sr-7 spring brake modulating valve, potentially causing either leakage out of the sr-7 valve or preventing air from properly exhausting from the sr-7 valve.
- The risk
- This condition can cause a delay in the application of the spring brakes to park the vehicle after the operator pulls the dash valve button. These conditions can occur without warning, leading to unintended vehicle rollaway, brake drag, or in the case of loss of primary circuit, inability to modulate the spring brakes.
- The fix
- Blue bird will notify owners and provide a free remedy. The recall began on september 30, 2007. Owners can contact blue bird at 478-822-2242.
- The problem
- Certain 2004-2007 my vision school buses manufactured between august 5, 2003, and june 13, 2006, equipped with option 40280-02 ammeter shunt. The power cable originally installed between the toe board and the shunt may be too short and may break due to engine vibration.
- The risk
- Should the power cable break while the bus is in use, the bus could become stranded in an active lane which could possibly result in a vehicle crash.
- The fix
- Blue bird will notify owners and replace the short power cable with a longer one free of charge. The recall began on august 31, 2006. Owners may contact blue bird at 478-822-2242.
- 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.
- 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 blue bird my 2004-2006 vision school buses equipped with hydraulic brakes manufactured between march 24, 2003, and april 25, 2005. The hydraulic brake dash warning light was incorrectly labeled with the canadian version which uses symbols rather than words as required by federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 105, Hydraulic and electric brake systems.
- The risk
- The original dash warning light indicator displays an international symbol on the brake warning light indicator whereas fmvss 105 requires the word "brake" to be displayed. The operator may not recognize the international symbol as warning indicating a problem in the hydraulic brake system which could result in a vehicle crash if the warning is not heeded.
- The fix
- Blue bird will mail replacement decals with correct nomenclature for the brake dash warning indicator light. The recall began july 15, 2005. Owners may contact blue bird at 478-822-2242.
- The problem
- Certain 2004-2006 my blue bird vision conventional school and non school buses maunfactured from june 12, 2003, through february 22, 2005. A short can occur in the crossing arm circuit or the 8-way warning light circuit, causing the heavy duty transistor w/built in circuit protect to trip resulting in an inadvertent engine shutdown.
- The risk
- A vehicle crash could occur should the engine shutdown while the bus is in use, possibly resulting in injury or death.
- The fix
- Blue bird will notify its customers and repair the buses by relocating the circuits to a separate circuit protected by a circuit breaker free of charge. The recall began on march 24, 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 conventional style school buses, only those equippped with air brakes, the underhood firewall location of the air brake manifold may permit rainwater entry into the parking brake exhaust port fitting of the manifold. In freezing weather, this water could form ice blocking the exhaust port. When this occurs, the parking brake does not operate as designed.
- The risk
- In the event that this condition should occur and the parking brake failed to apply, the bus could roll away, resulting in property damage or personal injury.
- The fix
- Dealers will modify these vehicles. Owner notification began on december 8, 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
- 2004 My blue bird vision conventional type school buses manufactured from june 12, 2003, through september 24, 2003. The bus bar that connects the ammeter shunt to the engine intake grid heater megafuse was incorrectly installed. The improper installation of this bus bar creates excessive electrical resistance and potential overheating in the grid heater power circuit.
- The risk
- This additional resistance could result in overheating at the megafuse holder with potential for a fire.
- The fix
- Blue bird will notify its customers and provide instructions and parts to repair the buses free of charge. Owner notification began on october 23, 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 478-822-2242.
- The problem
- On certain school buses, the power cables that run from the starter to the power distributor unit may chafe against the bottom corner of the front floor panel, resulting in an electrical short.
- The risk
- An electrical short could result in the shut down of engine parts or result in an underhood fire.
- The fix
- Blue bird will provide owners with parts and instructions to install revised cable mounting brackets. Owner notification began october 23, 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
Be the first Vision owner to share.
Problems or none - your experience is exactly what the next buyer is looking for. Write it now
No complaints about the 2004 Blue Bird Vision 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 Vision: every year compared
All Vision years2004 Blue Bird Vision vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Blue Bird Vision | 0 | 17 | B | |
| 2004 Blue Bird All American | 10 | 15 | D | Compare |
| 2004 Blue Bird Gmcv | 2 | 0 | B | Compare |
| 2004 Blue Bird L4RE | 1 | 1 | 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 2004 Blue Bird Vision
Does the 2004 Blue Bird Vision have any recalls?
Yes - NHTSA lists 17 recalls for the 2004 Blue Bird Vision: cables (April 2011); cables (April 2011); electrical system (April 2010); electrical system (April 2010) 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 2004 Blue Bird Vision had?
None have been filed with NHTSA so far.
Is the 2004 Blue Bird Vision a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 67 out of 100 (grade B: fewer problems than a typical Blue Bird Vision 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 Vision years have the most complaints?
2009 (6), 2015 (4), 2010 (2). See every Blue Bird Vision year compared.
What should I do if my 2004 Blue Bird Vision 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