2020 Thomas Built Buses Minotour Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2008-2021 Thomas Built Buses Minotour school buses. The driver may be able to release the park brake and shift the transmission out of Park and into a drive gear while the wheelchair lift is deployed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 403, "Platform Lift Systems."

Risk: If the vehicle is put into drive while the wheelchair lift is deployed, the vehicle may move forward or backward, increasing the risk of injury.

Fix: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will have the wheelchair lift wiring modified as needed, free of charge. DTNA issued owners an interim notification on January 6, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 19, 2021. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-868.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020 Thomas Built Buses Minotour school buses built on a GMC Savannah or Chevrolet Express chassis. The seatbelt-unfastened warning light will not illuminate for approximately five seconds after the ignition is moved to the "on" or "start" position. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Risk: Without the seatbelt warning reminder, the driver may forget to fasten the seatbelt, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Fix: GM will notify DTNA owners, and GM dealers will reprogram the instrument panel cluster, free of charge. The recall began October 3, 2019. Owners may GM customer service at 1-800-462-8782 contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-833.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020 Thomas Built Buses Minotour school buses. The seatbelt-unfastened warning light will not illuminate for approximately five seconds after the ignition is moved to the "on" or "start" position. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Risk: Without the seatbelt warning reminder, the driver may forget to fasten the seatbelt, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Fix: GM has notified the Thomas Built owners, and GM dealers will reprogram the instrument panel cluster, free of charge. The recall began October 3, 2019. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-833.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2014-2020 Thomas Built Saf-T-Liner EFX, Minotour, Saf-T-Liner C2, and Saf-T-Liner HDX school buses equipped with SynTec S3B or S3C seats. The seats may have been manufactured with styrene blocks that may not provide sufficient impact absorption in certain specific areas around the steel seat frame of the back support. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 222, "School Bus Passenger Seating and Crash Protection."

Risk: The lack of impact absorption increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Fix: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will install additional impact material between the re-bond back and the vinyl back cover to increase the amount of absorption, free of charge. DTNA issued owners an interim notification on November 29, 2019. The recall began June 22, 2020. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-832.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Thomas Built Minotour school buses. The school buses may be missing backup cameras. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."

Risk: The lack of rear visibility increases the risk of a crash.

Fix: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will add a backup camera system, free of charge. DTNA issued owners an interim notification date on October 11, 2019. The recall began December 23, 2019. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-825.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Thomas Built Minotour, Saf-T Liner C2, Saf-T Liner EFX, and Saf-T Liner HDX school buses equipped with Safe Fleet Prolo Roof Escape hatches. Due to a manufacturing issue, the roof hatch external handle may unexpectedly break under reasonable use.

Risk: If the roof hatch external handle breaks, in the event of an emergency, the hatch cannot be easily opened from outside the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.

Fix: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will install a new handle, free of charge. Owners were issued an interim notification on September 13, 2019. The recall began November 15, 2019. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-819.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020 Thomas Built Minotour, 2019-2020 Saf-T Liner C2, and 2019 Saf-T Liner HDX buses equipped with Safe Fleet Roof Escape hatches. Due to a manufacturing issue, the roof hatch external handle may unexpectedly break under reasonable use.

Risk: If the roof hatch external handle breaks, in the event of an emergency, the hatch cannot be easily opened from outside the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.

Fix: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will install a new handle, free of charge. DTNA issued owners an interim notification on September 11, 2019. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-819.