Certain freightliner trucks and thomas school buses equipped with holland/neway air suspension systems, a transverse beam casting may fracture under normal loads. If a casting breaks when the vehicle is traveling on a roadway there is the potential for...
1977-2011 · 28 model years
Thomas School Bus Problems by year
Owners have filed 21 complaints about the Thomas School Bus across 28 model years, and it has 22 recalls. The 1999 has the most complaints once its age is allowed for (3), while 1997, 2010, 2011 have far fewer than a typical year. The most reported problem area is the lights, followed by the seats & seat belts.
- Complaints
- 21
- Recalls
- 22
- Crashes
- 1
- Fires
- 3
- Injuries
- 11
- Deaths
- 0
School Bus complaints by model year
Highlighted: the year with the most complaints for its age. Older vehicles have had more time to collect complaints - the Safety Index grade allows for that.
Most common School Bus problems
Thomas School Bus recalls 22
The door hinges were not shielded and can snag exiting children's clothing or accessories.
The fasteners used to secure the mounting foot of either forward or rearward handrails could be installed in such a manner as to allow the possibility that the nut used in nhtsa's handrail inspection procedure will catch between the fasteners.
Passenger's clothing can unknowingly become caught in the handrails at bus doors when exiting the bus.
The hole in the bolt portion of the vandalock was drilled in an incorrect location, allowing the pin to be inserted with the bolt in the locked position while bypassing the starter interlock. This can result in the engine starting system operating while the...
Covers1994 Thomas School Bus
A cable installed to temporarily bypass the neutral switch to enable the engine to be started was not removed at delivery. The cable allows the bus to be started while in a forward or reverse drive gear.
A decal warning of the potential danger in using starting fluid to start the engine was omitted.
Passengers clothing can unknowingly become caught in the handrails at bus doors when exiting the bus.
The safety belt anchorage bolts do not comply with the requirements of fmvss 210, "seat belt assembly anchorages". The seat anchorages could not maintain load of 5,000 lbs for 10 seconds.
The current production stationary window assemblies allow the glass to disengage from the rubber and/or frame.
Incorrect screws were used to attach the plywood seat back to the seat frame.
A brake air line plumbing error causes the spring brakes to be applied without brake application when the air pressure in the primary tank drops to a level which automatically activates the spring brake system.
Latest School Bus complaints
I was driving thomas rear engine hdx bus with 38 passengers on 3/19/20. My left foot ,steel toe boot,was positioned in front of and possibly under brake pedal as I moved to be comfortable while driving. I approached a stop light using engine brake to slow down on a 50mph hwy no injuries when I tried to apply foot brake I couldn't find it. Ultimately rear ended a 2007 gmc yukon please see recreated picture . I'm concerned this could happen to others in more serious accident. Thomas has now changed operators compartment but there were about five years of this brake pedal hazard my video must be too large to send
Broken seat backs. 14 Out of 28 seat backs broken. Busses do not have seat belts this is the safety barrier for the children. Something needs to be done. The seat manufacturer is doing nothing to correct the issue. Every bus we pull in has multiple seats broken. This is only a 4 year old bus!! *Tr
Student seats broken. Five out of fifteen of the seats on this bus have broken seat backs. The sheet metal backing in the interior construction of the frame is breaking around the spot welds where it is welded to the steel tube frame. There is a serious problem with these seats manufactured by syntec inc. Most busses running down the road have broken seat backs if they have not already been repaired. The seats are the safety barrier for the students in the event of a crash and this could be affecting the student safety. *Tr
Seat backs broken, sheet metal backing breaking around the spot welds where it is secured to the tube frame. Syntec seat - manufacturer. *Tr
Seat backs broken, sheet metal backing breaking around the spot welds where it is secured to the tube frame. Syntec seat - manufacturer. *Tr
On the syntec school bus seats the sheet metal backing is breaking away from the tube frame. The sheet metal is breaking around the spot welds. This particular bus had 6 broken seats. *Tr
Questions about the Thomas School Bus
Which Thomas School Bus years have the most problems?
Which Thomas School Bus years have the fewest complaints?
What are the most common Thomas School Bus problems?
Across every model year, owners report problems with the lights (5), seats & seat belts (5), electrical system (3) most often.
How many recalls does the Thomas School Bus have?
NHTSA lists 22 recalls across all Thomas School Bus model years. Each year's page lists the recalls for that year; check your own vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether the repair has been done.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data