The problem
Corp. Micro Bird, Inc. (Micro Bird) is recalling certain model year 2011 and 2012 Micro Bird G5 school buses manufactured from April 1, 2011, through June 26, 2012, equipped with ProLo roof escape hatches made by Specialty Manufacturing, Incorporated. Increased friction between the rear plate assemblies, p/no. 009327, and the nylon rear pop-up support, p/no. 008956, may result in an opening force of the ProLo roof hatches that exceeds Federal standard requirements. Thus, these hatches fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 217, "Bus Emergency Exits and Window Retention and Release."
The risk
In the event of an emergency, egress of the bus may be hindered possibly resulting in injury to the vehicle occupants.
The fix
Micro Bird will notify owners. Specialty Manufacturing, Inc.(SMI) will provide service kits along with repair instructions to dealers and owners, free of charge. The safety recall began on July 31, 2012. Owners may contact Micro Bird at 1-819-477-2012 or SMI at 1-800-951-7867.
Contacts
This is Micro Bird recall number 12-053-RHU. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
What to do
- Check your VIN. Enter it at nhtsa.gov/recalls - it shows whether this recall applies to your vehicle and whether the repair has been done.
- Call a dealer. Any authorized Micro Bird dealer will do the repair free, whether or not you bought the vehicle there. Quote campaign 12V362000.
- Ask about parts and a loaner. If parts aren't available yet, ask what to do in the meantime.
- Keep your paperwork. If you paid for this repair before the recall, you may be able to get reimbursed - here's how.