Blue Bird Body Company: Service Brakes, Air › Controls › Foot Control/Valve
Blue Bird Body Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Jun 12, 2000 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 9,687. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SCHOOL AND TRANSIT BUSES EQUIPPED WITH BENDIX AIR BRAKES. BENDIX CHANGED THE INTERNAL DESIGN OF THE QR1C RELAY VALVE BY ADDING A HOLE IN THE INTERNAL DIAPHRAGM. WHEN THE HOLE IN THE DIAPHRAGM ALIGNS WITH THE HOLE IN THE VALVE BODY, THE BRAKE APPLICATION TIME INCREASES.
The risk
UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, SUCH AS PARKED ON AN INCLINE, DRIVER ACTIVATES THE PARKING BRAKE BUT REMOVES FOOT FROM THE THREADLE VALVE, THE BUS COULD ROLL BEFORE THE PARKING BRAKE IS FULLY ENGAGED.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DIAPHRAGMS WITH HOLES WITH SOLID DIAPHRAGMS FOR THE QR1C VALVES.
20 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Blue Bird All American | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 Blue Bird Commercial | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 Blue Bird LTC 40 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 2000 Blue Bird Q-Bus | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 Blue Bird TC2000 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 Blue Bird All American | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 Blue Bird Commercial Series | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 Blue Bird LTC 40 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 Blue Bird Q-Bus | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 Blue Bird TC2000 | 5 | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| 1998 Blue Bird All American | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 Blue Bird Commercial Series | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 Blue Bird LTC 40 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 Blue Bird Q-Bus | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 Blue Bird TC2000 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 Blue Bird All American | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 Blue Bird Commercial Series | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 Blue Bird LTC 40 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 Blue Bird Q-Bus | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 Blue Bird TC2000 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 00V162000.
Full record for the 2000 Blue Bird All American → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →