Daimler Trucks North America, LLC: Structure › Body
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC reported this defect to federal regulators on Aug 24, 2026 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 65. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2027 Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER HDX2 and Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER EFX2 school buses. The connector plates for the driver's seat belt anchor and an interior body joint seam may be missing, resulting in insufficient structural reinforcements. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages," and 221, "School Bus Body Joint Strength."
The risk
A seat belt anchor with a missing connector plate may fail to properly restrain the driver and insufficient joint strength may not adequately protect passengers, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the header connectors, as necessary, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed October 21, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated November 2026. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-574-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is F1038.
2 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner EFX2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2027 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner HDX2 | 0 | 7 | 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 26V546000.
Full record for the 2027 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner EFX2 → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →