The problem
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2, Saf-T-Liner HDX, Saf-T-Liner EFX, and Minotour DRW school buses manufactured from May 1, 2015, through November 16, 2015, equipped with certain Transpec T6000, T6100, and T7000 series school bus stop arms. The affected stop arms have a reflective decal that may peel loose from the stop arm. As such, these stop arms fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 131, "School Bus Pedestrian Safety Devices."
The risk
Without a reflective decal, the stop arms would have reduced visibility to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix
DTNA will notify owners, and the stop arm blade assemblies will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on April 11, 2016. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-745-8000 or Transpec at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-700.
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 16V080000.
- 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.