2019 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2 Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain Thomas Built Buses 2019-2022 Saf-T-Liner C2, Saf-T-Liner EFX, Saf-T-Liner HDX, Minotour DRW, 2020-2022 Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley, and Minotour SRW school buses. The Emergency Exit Label lettering is too small and may be difficult to read. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 217, "Bus Emergency Exits and Window Retention and Release."

Risk: Emergency exit labels that are difficult to read can prevent or delay the use of the emergency exit, increasing the risk of injury.

Fix: Dealers will correct the lettering, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 5, 2024. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL918.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC. (DTNA) is recalling certain 2019-2024 Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER C2 and 2020-2024 Thomas Built SAF-T-Liner Jouley school buses. The fasteners for the emergency exit door may loosen and detach, which can allow the emergency exit door to open unexpectedly.

Risk: An emergency exit door opening unexpectedly can increase the risk of an injury.

Fix: Dealers will inspect and tighten the fasteners for the emergency exit door, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 1, 2023. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL982.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC. (DTNA) is recalling certain 2019-2024 Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER C2 transit buses. The fasteners for the emergency exit door may loosen and detach, which can allow the emergency exit door to open unexpectedly.

Risk: An emergency exit door opening unexpectedly can increase the risk of an injury.

Fix: Dealers will inspect and tighten the fasteners for the emergency exit door, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 1, 2023. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL982.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2 school buses equipped with Cummins B6.7N engines. The engine control module software may be calibrated incorrectly, causing the engine to not limit engine speed or torque as intended for certain safety-related functions such as vehicle braking, traction and stability control, speed control, or collision avoidance.

Risk: If safety-related functions such as vehicle braking, stability, speed, and collision avoidance do not function properly, it can increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: DTNA will work with the engine manufacturer Cummins Inc. to notify owners, and Cummins dealers will recalibrate the engine control module, free of charge. Owner notifications were mailed on March 29, 2021. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA number for this recall is FL-879.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Thomas Built Saf-T-Liner HDX, EFX, and C2 school buses equipped with air disc brakes. The brake caliper mounting bolts may have been insufficiently tightened.

Risk: Loose brake caliper mounting bolts can reduce brake effectiveness, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and repair the vehicles, free of charge. The recall began May 2, 2020. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-845.

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 2017-2020 Saf-T-Liner C2 school buses equipped with Detroit DD5 engines and Allison transmissions. The Flex-Plate/Torque Converter fasteners may have been insufficiently tightened.

Risk: The loose bolts may lead a disabled school bus and result in a school bus evacuation procedure in an uncontrolled traffic situation, increasing the risk of an injury.

Fix: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and tighten the fasteners, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 19, 2019. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-828.

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.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2010-2020 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2, 2016-2019 HDX, and 2017-2019 EFX school buses equipped with Bendix Air Disc Brakes. The driver side rear brakes may drag.

Risk: The dragging brakes may lead to high temperatures at the wheel end, increasing the risk of smoke and fire, possibly resulting in the bus having to be evacuated, which can increase the risk of injury.

Fix: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will install a new caliper with an updated clearance adjustment mechanism, free of charge. The recall began August 9, 2019. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-818.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2019 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2 equipped with air disc brakes. The brake caliper mounting bolts may have been insufficiently tightened.

Risk: Loose brake caliper mounting bolts may reduce the brake effectiveness, increasing the risk of crash.

Fix: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and repair the vehicles, free of charge. The recall began June 25, 2019. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-816.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Thomas Built C2 Saf-T-Liner school buses built on an FCCC chassis. The clamp for the steering gear return hose may have been improperly installed, allowing the hose to separate from the steering gear.

Risk: If the hose separates from the steering gear, there may be a loss of steering assist which could result in a potentially disabled school bus. If the school bus is occupied when the steering assist is lost, the occupants would need to exit the vehicle and be transferred to another vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.

Fix: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and install power steering hose clamps as needed, free of charge. The recall began May 10, 2019. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-813.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Thomas Built Saf-T-Liner C2 school buses. The affected school buses may have been built without Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) modules. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 121, "Air Brake Systems."

Risk: The operator may not be aware of the absence of ABS function. Unknowingly operating the vehicle without ABS function may increase risk of a crash.

Fix: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the buses and install any missing ABS modules, free of charge. The recall began June 26, 2019. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. The DTNA number for this recall is FL-809.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Thomas Built Saf-T-Liner C2 buses equipped with an optional auxiliary outlet powered by the ignition and accessory power circuits. An electrical overload on the auxiliary circuit may cause the ignition fuse to open and the engine to shut down.

Risk: An engine shutdown without the ability to restart increases the risk of a crash.

Fix: DTNA has notified owners, and dealers will modify the wiring to prevent the power port from affecting the ignition circuit, free of charge. DTNA mailed owners an interim letter on February 1, 2019 to notify them of the issue. The recall began on August 27, 2019. Owners may contact Daimler Trucks North America customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-804.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Thomas Built Saf-T-Liner C2 school buses equipped with an optional auxiliary outlet powered by the ignition and accessory power circuits. An electrical overload on the auxiliary circuit may cause the ignition fuse to open and the engine to shut down.

Risk: An engine shutdown without the ability to restart increases the risk of a crash.

Fix: DTNA has notified owners, and dealers will modify the wiring to prevent the power port from affecting the ignition circuit, free of charge. DTNA mailed an interim letter on February 1, 2019. The recall began August 27, 2019. Owners may contact Daimler Trucks North America customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-804.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Thomas Built Saf-T-Liner HDX, C2, and EFX School Buses, equipped with Detroit Axle axles. The affected vehicles may have loose steering tie rod arm bolts.

Risk: Loose tie rod arm bolts may lead to separation of the tie rod arm, affecting vehicle steering, and increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: DTNA has notified owners, and dealers will inspect the steering arm and tie rod arm bolts for to make sure that they are properly tightened, installing new fasteners as necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 9, 2019. Owners may contact Daimler Trucks at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-802.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2 school buses. The roof adhesive that supports the roof header may not have been properly applied.

Risk: Improperly applied adhesive may affect the roof header joint strength, which, in the event of a rollover crash, can increase the risk of injury.

Fix: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the placement of the roof header adhesive, and install mechanical fasteners, as necessary, free of charge. DTNA issued owners an interim notification on February 1, 2019. The recall began March 25, 2020. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-801.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2 transit buses. The roof adhesive that supports the roof header may not have been properly applied.

Risk: Improperly applied adhesive may affect the roof header joint strength, which, in the event of a rollover crash, can increase the risk of injury.

Fix: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the placement of the roof header adhesive, and install mechanical fasteners, as necessary, free of charge. DTNA issued and interim notification to owners on February 1, 2019. The recall began March 25, 2020. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-801.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Thomas Built school buses Saf-T-Liner C2, Saf-T-Liner HDX and Saf-T-Liner EFX school buses. The brake caliper mounting bolts may have been insufficiently tightened.

Risk: Loose brake caliper mounting bolts can reduce brake effectiveness, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: DTNA has notified owners, and dealers will check and tighten the brake caliper mounting bolts, free of charge. The recall began December 3, 2018. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-794.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2 and Saf-T-Liner HDX school buses, equipped with certain S-Series and K-Series Titanium Wheelchair Lifts, models K200, K201, K550, K551, S200, S2201, S550 and S551. The wheelchair lift positioning input cam may fail while the lift is in use, allowing the platform to travel higher than the vehicle's floor height.

Risk: If the wheelchair lift platform stops above the vehicle floor, the wheelchair user can tip inwards toward the vehicle when exiting the lift, increasing their risk of injury.

Fix: Dealers will replace the injection molded cam with an aluminum machined cam, free of charge. The recall began December 6, 2018. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL785.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2 school buses, equipped with S3B 45" Restraint School Bus Seats. In the event of a crash, the seat's foot may pull through the bolted joint at the bus floor. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."

Risk: In the event of a crash, if the seat detaches from the floor, it can increase the risk of injury.

Fix: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will install a washer between the rear mounting foot, and the bus floor to keep the seat secured, free of charge. The recall began October 17, 2018. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL787.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2, Saf-T-Liner EFX and Saf-T-Liner HDX school buses equipped with air disc brakes. The brake caliper mounting bolts on these vehicles may be insufficiently tightened, allowing the bolts to loosen.

Risk: If the brake caliper mounting bolts come loose, braking performance may be reduced, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake caliper mounting bolts and tighten them as necessary, free of charge. DTNA issued owners an interim notification on July 25, 2018. The recall began September 4, 2018. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-772.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2 transit buses equipped with 2 8D batteries. The battery power cable may have inadequate clearance between the cable and the battery hold down bracket when the battery tray is pulled out for service, causing the cable to rub against the bracket.

Risk: The battery cable rubbing may cause the cable to short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.

Fix: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will be inspect the battery cables and reroute them for proper clearance, as required, free of charge. Daimler issued an interim notification to owners on June 18, 2018. The recall began October 3, 2018. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL768.

Problem: Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2014-2019 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2 school buses equipped with propane engines. The propane fuel line may contact the j-hook body support bracket that could cause chafing resulting in a propane leak.

Risk: A propane leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.

Fix: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the propane line clearance and reroute the line if needed. Any damaged lines will be replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. DTNA issued an interim notification to owners on May 9, 2018. The recall began on July 3, 2018. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-765.