Blue Bird Body Company: Power Train › Axle Assembly
Blue Bird Body Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Dec 20, 2007 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 58. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
ON CERTAIN MY 2005-2007 WANDERLODGE 450 LXI MOTOR HOMES EQUIPPED WITH ARVIN MERITOR AND TRW TIE ROD ENDS, THE TIE ROD ASSEMBLIES WERE PRODUCED WITH STEEL TUBING THAT DID NOT MEET DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS WHICH COULD RESULT IN FAILURE OF THE TIE ROD ASSEMBLY WHEN COACH MILEAGE APPROACHES OR EXCEEDS 100,000 MILES. ALSO THE FRONT AXLE CURB WEIGHT MAY EXCEED THE SPECIFIED 16,000 POUNDS WEIGHT RATING.
The risk
THE EXISTING TIE ROD ASSEMBLIES MAY NOT PERFORM AS DESIGNED AND MAY DEFORM OR FRACTURE WHICH MAY REDUCE STEERING CONTROL AND COULD RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH. IN ADDITION, INSUFFICIENT FRONT TIRE INFLATION PRESSURE REDUCES THE WEIGHT RATING OF THE FRONT TIRES; AND IMPROPER ALIGNMENT OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION CAN CAUSE PREMATURE TIRE WEAR AND SUBSEQUENT DEGRADATION OF THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF ONE OR BOTH OF THE FRONT TIRES.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LEFT AND RIGHT HAND FRONT TIE ROD ENDS ALONG WITH A CERTIFICATION LABEL STATING THE CORRECT WEIGHT LIMITS. APPROPRIATE REPLACEMENT TIRES WILL BE PROVIDED AND THE FRONT STEERING ALIGNMENT WILL BE CHECKED AND CORRECTED, IF NECESSARY. NEW TIRE DATA DECALS WILL ALSO BE SUPPLIED. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 14, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BLUE BIRD AT 478-825-2021.
3 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 Blue Bird Wanderlodge M450 Lxi | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 Blue Bird Wanderlodge M450 Lxi | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2005 Blue Bird Wanderlodge M450 Lxi | 2 | 2 | 1 | 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 07V586000.
Full record for the 2007 Blue Bird Wanderlodge M450 Lxi → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →