2002 BLUE BIRD TC2000 Recalls (11)

Campaign:
01V320000 on 10/09/2001
Component:
Service brakes, air:drum:chamber
Manufactured:
02/13/2001 - 10/03/2001
Affected:
1,500
Defect:
Vehicle description: school and transit buses. insufficient torque on the arvin-meritor air brake chamber mounting nuts can allow the nuts to loosen over time.
Consequence:
This condition could reduce braking of the vehicle, possibly resulting in a crash.
Correction:
Dealers will inspect the torque values on each brake chamber nut and tighten to specifications. owner notification began november 16, 2001. 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 1-912-822-2242.
Notes:
Blue bird recall no. r01fk.also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).
Campaign:
02V155000 on 06/12/2002
Component:
Seats
Manufactured:
07/24/2001 - 03/28/2002
Affected:
39
Defect:
Certain school buses equipped with optional high back seats with 9" split sash, pushout windows fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 217, "bus emergency exits and window retention and release." the affected units have seats located incorrectly with respect to the pushout window openings.
Consequence:
In the event of an emergency, an occupant may not be able to properly exit the vehicle.
Correction:
Dealers will relocate the seats and pushout windows. owner notification began july 24, 2002. 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 1-478-825-2021.
Notes:
Customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).
Campaign:
02V177000 on 07/21/2002
Component:
Power train:manual transmission
Manufactured:
12/31/2001 - 06/20/2002
Affected:
3,439
Defect:
On certain school and transit buses equipped with allison 2000 series transmissions, the "range inhibited" indicator light on the dash was improperly installed and does not function.
Consequence:
The operator will not be alerted that the transmission operation is being inhibited and that the range shifts being requested by the operator may not occur, increasing the risk of a crash.
Correction:
Distributors and owners will be instructed to remove the dash and activate the indicator "range inhibited" light according to instructions provided. owner notification began august 16, 2002. 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.
Notes:
Also, customers can contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).
Campaign:
02V185000 on 07/22/2002
Component:
Equipment:other:labels
Manufactured:
11/29/1995 - 04/22/2002
Affected:
408
Defect:
Certain transit buses fail to comply with requirements of federal motor vehicle standard no. 101, "controls and displays." this standard requires specific labeling for "engine start" and "engine stop." the wording of the labels on these vehicles do not meet the requirements of the standard.
Consequence:
The operator could place the engine switch in a position other than that intended, increasing the risk of a crash.
Correction:
Owners will be provided with new decals and installation instructions. owner notification began august 29, 2002. owners who do not receive the free label and installation instructions within a reasonable time should contact blue bird at 1-478-822-2242.
Notes:
Also, customers can contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).
Campaign:
02V160002 on 09/04/2002
Component:
Seat belts:front:retractor
Manufactured:
05/12/2000 - 06/24/2002
Affected:
58
Defect:
On certain school and transit buses equipped with passenger seat belts with retractors, the cover halves for the retractable portion of the belt can separate completely and release the seat belt connector. if this occurs, one of the load bearing pins in the connector could separate from the connector and render the seat belt unusable. in the event of a crash, the seat occupant would not be properly restrained resulting in an injury. the seat belt supplier, am-safe, will provide a snap on "over-cover" to owners to prevent the seat belt cover from separating.
Consequence:
if this occurs, one of the load bearing pins in the connector could separate from the connector and render the seat belt unusable. in the event of a crash, the seat occupant would not be properly restrained resulting in an injury.
Correction:
Owners will be provided a snap-on "over-cover" to prevent the seat belt cover from separating. owner notification is expected to begin on or about september 27, 2002. owners who do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact blue bird at 1-478-822-2242.
Notes:
Also, customers can contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).
Campaign:
03V364000 on 10/09/2003
Component:
Seats
Manufactured:
08/02/2000 - 08/25/2003
Affected:
3,825
Defect:
On certain school buses equipped with optional seat belts or seat belt "ready" seats, some belts were installed with only two bolts rather than the required three (3) bolts.
Consequence:
These seats could detach from the wall side attachment points in the event of a vehicle crash, increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant.
Correction:
Blue bird will furnish to distributors and owners, parts and instructions necessary to install the missing bolt free of charge. owner notification is expected to on november 3, 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.
Notes:
Blue bird recall no. r03hb.also, customers can contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).
Campaign:
04V426000 on 08/30/2004
Component:
Equipment adaptive
Manufactured:
06/12/2001 - 12/01/2002
Affected:
372
Defect:
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.
Consequence:
In the event of a vehicle crash, the wheelchair may not be adequately secured possibly resulting in injuries.
Correction:
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.
Notes:
Also, customers can contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).
Campaign:
05V062000 on 02/27/2005
Component:
Fuel system, diesel
Affected:
18,891
Defect:
Certain 1998 through 2002 blue bird all american, tc2000 school and transit buses, and commercial series buses equipped with cummins isb diesel engines. the fuel pump could fail to transfer fuel appropriately creating an engine stall condition.
Consequence:
Should the engine stall while the vehicle is in use, a possible vehicle crash could occur.
Correction:
Customers will be notified by cummins to bring their vehicles to an authorized dealer to have the fuel lift pump replaced free of charge. for more information, customers may contact cummins at 1-800-diesels.
Notes:
Customers may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov.
Campaign:
05V239000 on 05/25/2005
Component:
Other:school bus stop arm assembly
Affected:
8,894
Defect:
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.
Consequence:
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.
Correction:
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.
Notes:
Customers may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov.
Campaign:
05V251000 on 06/05/2005
Component:
Other:school bus stop arm assembly
Affected:
3,121
Defect:
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.
Consequence:
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.
Correction:
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.
Notes:
Blue bird campaign no. r05jw.this action is deemed a safety improvement campaign and is not being conducted under the safety act.customers can contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236.
Campaign:
05V382000 on 08/30/2005
Component:
Electrical system:battery
Manufactured:
01/04/2001 - 05/30/2005
Affected:
5,863
Defect:
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.
Consequence:
Should the bus shut down while in operation, a vehicle crash could occur.
Correction:
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.
Notes:
Blue bird recall no. r05ka.customers may contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236; (tty:1-800-424-9153); or go to http://www.safercar.gov.

2002 BLUE BIRD TC2000 TSBs (2)

Bulletin:
SM1601
Component:
355200 equipment:other:owners/service/other manual
Summary:
Blue bird troubleshooting guides: blue bird announcement of the addition of troubleshooting guides for assisting in the service of the blue bird products. these troubleshooting guides are available on the vantage website.
Bulletin:
SM1608
Component:
355200 equipment:other:owners/service/other manual
Summary:
New blue bird support center - technical bus support: dealer memo to announce the new on-line blue bird support center for technical bus support requests.

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