Structural Composites Industries: Fuel System, Other › Storage
Structural Composites Industries reported this defect to federal regulators on May 20, 2004 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 2,030. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
CERTAIN COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS FUEL CONTAINERS, MODEL ALT823D, P/N 1273147, EQUIPPED ON CERTAIN 2003 AND 2004 ORION VII BUSES. THE NVG CONTAINER'S PRESSURE RELIEF DEVICES FAIL TO TIMELY AND FULLY ACTIVATE AS REQUIRED BY FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 304, COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS FUEL CONTAINER INTEGRITY.
The risk
IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE FIRE WITH THE FUEL SYSTEM ROOF ENCLOSURE REMOVED OR OPENED, THE FUEL CONTAINER'S PRESSURE RELIEF DEVICES MAY NOT ACTIVATE AS THEY ARE DESIGNED TO DO AND THE FUEL CONTAINER COULD RUPTURE AND EXPLODE. SUCH AN EXPLOSION, IF IT WERE TO OCCUR, COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURIES OR DEATH TO OCCUPANTS OF THE BUS OR TO PERSONS OUTSIDE THE BUS.
The remedy
STRUCTURAL COMPOSITES WILL REPLACE THE PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE FREE OF CHARGE. STRUCTURAL COMPOSITES IS EXPECTED TO NOTIFY THE OWNERS OF AFFECTED ORION VII BUSES IN JUNE 2004. THE RECALL BEGAN FEBRUARY 2005.
2 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Orion Orion Vii | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 Orion Vii | 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 04E038000.
Full record for the 2003 Orion Orion Vii → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →