North American Bus Industries, Inc.: Electrical System
North American Bus Industries, Inc. reported this defect to federal regulators on Sep 19, 2013 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 4,061. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
North American Bus Industries (NABI) is recalling certain model year 2000-2011 LFW, CLFW, BRT, 2007-2009 Blue Bird L4RE, and 2000-2009 Optima Opus transit buses equipped with Sure Power battery equalizers containing a particular epoxy sealing, aka 'potting', compound. The specific potting compound used in the subject products for insulation was found to be capable of conducting electricity after being exposed to heat.
The risk
Once electrically conductive, the material is capable of melting and burning, increasing the risk of a fire.
The remedy
NABI will notify owners, and dealers will replace the equalizers, free of charge. An interim letter was mailed to owners on January 27, 2014. Owners may contact NABI at 1-256-831-4296. NABI's recall number is 20136.
49 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 Nabi BRT | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 Nabi Clfw | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 Nabi LFW | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 Nabi BRT | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 Nabi Clfw | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 Nabi LFW | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 Blue Bird L4re | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 Nabi BRT | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 Nabi Clfw | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 Nabi LFW | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 Optima Opus | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 Blue Bird L4re | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 Nabi BRT | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 Nabi Clfw | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 Nabi LFW | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 Optima Opus | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 Blue Bird L4re | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 Nabi BRT | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 Nabi Clfw | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 Nabi LFW | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 Optima Opus | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 2006 Nabi BRT | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 Nabi Clfw | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 Nabi LFW | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 Optima Opus | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 Nabi BRT | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 Nabi Clfw | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 Nabi LFW | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 Optima Opus | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 Nabi BRT | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 Nabi Clfw | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 Nabi LFW | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 Optima Opus | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 Nabi BRT | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 Nabi Clfw | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 Nabi LFW | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 Optima Opus | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 Nabi BRT | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 Nabi Clfw | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 Nabi LFW | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 Optima Opus | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 Nabi BRT | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 Nabi Clfw | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 Nabi LFW | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 Optima Opus | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 Nabi BRT | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 Nabi Clfw | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 Nabi LFW | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 Optima Opus | 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 13V457000.
Full record for the 2011 Nabi BRT → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →