American Transportation Corp.: Electrical System › Wiring
American Transportation Corp. reported this defect to federal regulators on Nov 15, 2001 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 307. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: CERTAIN BUSES WERE BUILT WITH AN IMPROPER CONNECTION OF THE HEATER HARNESS FROM THE HEATER SWITCH TO THE CONNECTOR JUST OUTSIDE THE HEATER UNIT. THE ASSEMBLY LEFT A LOOSE HOT WIRE IN THE HEATER HARNESS WITH AN UNPROTECTED TERMINAL THAT COULD CAUSE A DIRECT SHORT. THIS WIRE IS PROTECTED WITH A 20-AMPERE CIRCUIT PROTECTION, BUT IN A RARE CASE COULD CAUSE A FIRE.
The risk
ELECTRICAL COMPONENT FAILURE WITHOUT THE CORRECT PROTECTION IN SOME CASES CAN CAUSE OVERHEATING OF THE COMPONENT.
The remedy
OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO REPAIR THE DEFECT. THE REPAIR PROCEDURE FOR THIS DEFECT WILL REQUIRE PLACING THE CONNECTORS CORRECTLY IN THE TERMINALS TO THE HIGH-SPEED BLOWER RELAY AND HARNESS CONNECTION AT THE HEATER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN DECEMBER 18, 2001. OWNERS WHO DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE INSTRUCTIONS WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT AMTRAN AT 1-800-843-5615.
2 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 Amtran FE | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 Amtran FE | 0 | 12 | 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 01V350000.
Full record for the 2002 Amtran FE → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →