Freightliner Corporation: Seat Belts
Freightliner Corporation reported this defect to federal regulators on Oct 31, 2002 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 2,371. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
ON CERTAIN SCHOOL OR TRANSIT BUSES WITH PASSENGER SEAT BELTS WITH RETRACTORS, THE COVER HALVES FOR THE RETRACTABLE PORTION OF THE BELT CAN SEPARATE COMPLETELY AND RELEASE THE SEAT BELT CONNECTOR. IF THIS OCCURS, ONE OF THE LOAD BEARING PINS IN THE CONNECTOR COULD SEPARATE FROM THE CONNECTOR AND RENDER THE SEAT BELT UNUSABLE. IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEAT OCCUPANT WOULD NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED RESULTING IN AN INJURY. THE SEAT BELT SUPPLIER, AMSAFE, WILL PROVIDE A SNAP ON "OVER-COVER" TO OWNERS TO PREVENT THE SEAT BELT COVER FROM SEPARATING.
The risk
IF THIS OCCURS, ONE OF THE LOAD BEARING PINS IN THE CONNECTOR COULD SEPARATE FROM THE CONNECTOR AND RENDER THE SEAT BELT UNUSABLE. IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEAT OCCUPANT WOULD NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED RESULTING IN AN INJURY.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL PROVIDE A PLASTIC OUTER COVER THAT SNAPS OVER THE EXISTING COVER ON UNITS IN THE FIELD AND WILL REPLACE BROKEN SEAT BELTS FREE OF CHARGE. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT THOMAS BUILT AT 336-841-5924 OR AMSAFE AT 574-266-8330.
12 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 Thomas Conventional | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 Thomas ER Model | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 Thomas MVP EF | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 Thomas MVP ER | 1 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 2001 Thomas Built Buses Minotour DRW | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 Thomas Built Buses Minotour SRW | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 Thomas Conventional | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 Thomas ER Model | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 Thomas MVP EF | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 Thomas MVP ER | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 Thomas Built Buses Minotour DRW | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 Thomas Built Buses Minotour SRW | 0 | 1 | 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 02V160009.
Full record for the 2001 Thomas Conventional → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →