2020 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner EFX Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other SAF-T-Liner EFX years
- Not enough data 2nd of 21 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 8 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
NHTSA has received no owner complaints about the 2020 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner EFX so far. There are 8 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 0owner complaints
- 8safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 0complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
2020 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner EFX recalls (8)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Equipment:other:labels
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.
Structure:body:roof and pillars
Problem: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2011-2023 Thomas Built EFX and HDX school buses. The exterior roof panel was manufactured with insufficient joint strength. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 221, "School Bus Body Joint Strength."
Risk: A school bus exterior roof panel with insufficient joint strength may separate during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will add additional mechanical fasteners to secure the joints, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 2, 2023. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL957.
Seats:mid/rear assembly
Problem: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2014-23 Thomas Built Buses HDX and 2014-22 EFX school buses equipped with 39-inch S3C seat frames and 3-point flex seatbelts. The passenger seat frames may crack and rotate from fatigue.
Risk: Cracked passenger seat frames may not adequately secure passengers in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will secure the seat frames with brackets, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mail December 4, 2023. Owners may contact DTNA's customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL946.
Seats:critical fasteners
Problem: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner EFX School Buses. The passenger seat mounting bolts may break due to improperly placed mounting that allows contact with the chassis cross member bolts. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorage" and 222, "School Bus Passenger Seating and Crash Protection."
Risk: A seat with broken mounting bolts may not properly restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing their risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will add a spacer to provide proper clearance between the passenger seat mounting and chassis cross member bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 2, 2022. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-921.
Electrical system:alternator/generator/regulator
Problem: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Thomas Built EFX and HDX school buses. The nut for the power cable stud on the alternator may not have been tightened properly, which can cause a loose cable connection.
Risk: A loose power cable connection may cause electrical arcing, which can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the alternator power cable connection and tighten it if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on December 17, 2021. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL904.
Service brakes, air:disc:caliper
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.
Seats
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.
Structure:emergency:escape/egress/exit
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.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Other Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner EFX years
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2020 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner EFX?
NHTSA has no owner complaints on file yet.
Was there a recall on the 2020 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner EFX?
Yes, 8 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2020 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner EFX a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other SAF-T-Liner EFX model years, the 2020 has too little data to compare. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.