The problem
Daimler Trucks North America (Daimler) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Thomas Built Buses Minotour dual rear wheel non-school buses manufactured October 21, 2011, through January 16, 2014, and equipped with certain 3-passenger IMMI or S3C brand seats installed in the rear section of the bus. In the affected vehicles, the floor reinforcement channels that provide additional support for the seat mounting were omitted during manufacturing.
The risk
Without the floor reinforcement channels, in a crash, the floor may flex and the seat occupants may not be adequately restrained, increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupants.
The fix
Daimler will notify owners, and dealers will install the missing floor reinforcement channels, free of charge. The recall began on April 17, 2014. Owners may contact Daimler at 1-800-385-4537. Daimler's number for this recall is FL-659.
Contacts
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 Thomas Built Buses dealer will do the repair free, whether or not you bought the vehicle there. Quote campaign 14V075000.
- 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.