Freightliner LLC: Other › School Bus Stop Arm Assembly
Freightliner LLC reported this defect to federal regulators on Aug 3, 2005 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 5,954. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
CERTAIN 2002-2005 MY THOMAS BUILT MINOTOUR, CONVENTIONAL, MVP-ER, ER, HDX, AND MVP-EF MODEL SCHOOL BUSES MANUFACTURED BETWEEN JANUARY 8, 2002, AND MARCH 8, 2005, EQUIPPED WITH SPECIALTY MFG "5" SERIES STOP ARMS ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN STATES OTHER THAN THE FOLLOWING STATES: ALASKA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEVADA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW MEXICO, NEW YORK, NORTH DAKOTA, OHIO, OREGON, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH DAKOTA, TENNESSEE, UTAH, VERMONT, VIRGINIA, WASHINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, WYOMING, AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. IN EXTREMELY COLD WEATHER, THE MICROSWITCHES USED INTERNALLY TO POSITION THE STOP ARM SIGN IN THE OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS MAY MALFUNCTION, CAUSING THE SIGN TO OPEN OR CLOSE IN AN IMPROPER POSITION, OR TO NOT OPEN AT ALL.
The risk
SHOULD THE STOP ARM NOT PERFORM PROPERLY, A CHILD OR PEDESTRIAN MAY BE ENDANGERED BY PASSING VEHICLES SHOULD THE MOTORIST NOT STOP AT THE CORRECT LOCATION.
The remedy
FOR THOSE BUSES OPERATED IN OR NEAR ANY OF THE STATES LISTED ABOVE, THOMAS BUILT IS ENCOURAGING THE BUS OWNERS TO OBTAIN THE REPLACEMENT SWITCH. FOR THOSE BUSES OPERATED IN THE WARMER STATES, DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SWITCH UPON OWNER REQUEST. FOR THOSE CUSTOMERS WHO REQUEST THE REMEDY, THOMAS BUILT WILL REPLACE THE ORIGINAL SWITCH WITH A SWITCH PACK THAT IS NOT SENSITIVE TO EXTREME COLD WEATHER AND WILL INSPECT TO ENSURE THE MICROSWITCH HEATER WIRING IS PROPERLY CONNECTED. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT THOMAS BUILT'S CUSTOMER SUPPORT OFFICE AT 336-889-4871.
24 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 Thomas ER | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 Thomas HDX | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 Thomas Minotour | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 Thomas MVP EF | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 Thomas MVP ER | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 Thomas Conventional | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 Thomas ER | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 Thomas HDX | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 Thomas Minotour | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 Thomas MVP EF | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 Thomas MVP ER | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 Thomas Conventional | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 Thomas ER | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 Thomas HDX | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 Thomas Minotour | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 Thomas MVP EF | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 Thomas MVP ER | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 Thomas Conventional | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2002 Thomas ER | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 Thomas HDX | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 Thomas Minotour | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 Thomas MVP EF | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 Thomas MVP ER | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 Thomas Saf-T-Liner Conventional | 0 | 6 | 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 05V347000.
Full record for the 2005 Thomas ER → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →