Car Problem DataNHTSA records

2009 Thomas School Bus

Routine

Owners filed 3 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the seats. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Seats2
000
Electrical System1
010

What owners reported

Newest filings
Seats
Filed Jun 10, 201442,677 milesMI

STUDENT SEATS BROKEN. FIVE OUT OF FIFTEEN OF THE SEATS ON THIS BUS HAVE BROKEN SEAT BACKS. THE SHEET METAL BACKING IN THE INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE FRAME IS BREAKING AROUND THE SPOT WELDS WHERE IT IS WELDED TO THE STEEL TUBE FRAME. THERE IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THESE SEATS MANUFACTURED BY SYNTEC INC. MOST BUSSES RUNNING DOWN THE ROAD HAVE BROKEN SEAT BACKS IF THEY HAVE NOT ALREADY BEEN REPAIRED. THE SEATS ARE THE SAFETY BARRIER FOR THE STUDENTS IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH AND THIS COULD BE AFFECTING THE STUDENT SAFETY. *TR

Seats
Filed May 30, 201446,558 milesMI

SEAT BACKS BROKEN, SHEET METAL BACKING BREAKING AROUND THE SPOT WELDS WHERE IT IS SECURED TO THE TUBE FRAME. SYNTEC SEAT - MANUFACTURER. *TR

Electrical SystemFire
Filed Nov 27, 201272,354 milesAZ

BUS WAS IN SERVICE AND ON ROUTE WITH STUDENTS ON BOARD. BUS INTERIOR STARTED FILLING WITH SMOKE. DRIVER PULLED OVER AND DID AN EMERGENCY EVACUATION OF STUDENTS. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE A/C 24 VOLT ALT HAD FULL FIELDED AND CAUSED THE WIRING TO COMPLETELY MELT THE SHEATHING ON THE ALT POWER WIRE. BACKFEED THROUGH THE SYSTEM CAUSED THE CONTROLLER TO BURN UP INSIDE THE BUS. CARRIER HAS TOLD US THEY KNOW OF THIS PROBLEM AND THEY HAVE A FIX FOR IT. THIS IS ONE OF AT LEAST 10 WE HAVE HAD HAPPEN. SOMETIME IT BURNS UP THE CONDENSER MOTORS AND THE EVAP MOTORS AS WELL. *TR

3 of 3 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 1998
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20112000Routine
20102000Routine
2009 — this page3010Routine
20041110Routine
20022000Routine
19993000Routine
19985000Routine
19971010Routine
19962200Routine
19950200Routine
19940400Routine
19930400Routine
199201000Routine
199101100Routine
199001200Routine

Compare every School Bus year →

Other Thomas models

All Thomas models →
Thomas 10Mvp EF 7Bus 7Saf-T-Liner 5FS-65 3C2 3

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.