FL970 Loss of Steering from Missing Tie Rod Fastener – 2023-2024 Thomas Built School Buses

April 7, 2023 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 23V259000

Loss of Steering from Missing Tie Rod Fastener

A detached steering arm can result in a sudden loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V259

Manufacturer Daimler TruckseBay logo North America, LLC

Components STEERING

Potential Number of Units Affected 48

 

Summary

Daimler TruckseBay logo North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER C2, SAF-T-LINER Jouley, 2023 SAF-T-LINER EFX Chassis, HDX Chassis, and SAF-T-LINER MVP-EF school buses. The tie rod may be missing a fastener, allowing the steer arm to detach.

 

Remedy

DTNA will inspect and repair or replace the tie rod assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2023. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA’s number for this recall is FL970.

 

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

 

Check for Daimler Trucks North America Recalls

 


August 2023
FL970 (D23R6)
NHSTA #23V-238 (Non-School Bus)
NHTSA #23V-259 (School Bus)
Transport Canada #2023-206 (Non-School Bus)
Transport Canada #2023-219 (School Bus)

Subject: Steer Axle Castle Nut and Cotter Pin
Models Affected: 2, 3 & 5 DETROITTM Front Steer Axles

 

General Information

Daimler TruckseBay logo North America LLC, on behalf of its DETROITTM Powertrain Division is initiating Recall Campaign D23R6 to check the tie rod end castle nut torque on some model 2, 3 and 5 front steer axles built between December 15, 2020 and April 14, 2021.

Replacement parts from your facing Parts Distribution Center may now be ordered. Refer to “Table 1” for the applicable part or kit number. If our records show that your dealership has ordered any vehicle(s) involved in campaign D23R6, a list of the customers and vehicle identification numbers will be available on the DTNA Portal. Please refer to this list when ordering parts for this recall.

There are approximately 410 units affected by recall campaign – D23R6 in U.S. and Canada.

 

Additional Repairs

Dealers must complete all outstanding Recall and Field Service campaigns prior to the sale or delivery of a vehicle. A Dealer will be liable for any progressive damage that results from its failure to complete campaigns before sale or delivery of a vehicle. Owners may be liable for any progressive damage that results from failure to complete campaigns within a reasonable time after receiving notification. Please contact Warranty Campaigns for consideration of additional charges prior to performing the repair.

 

Travel Time and Mileage

Due to the complexity of this safety-related repair and the tools required, this campaign does not qualify for travel time and mileage reimbursement. The repairs for this campaign need to be completed at an Authorized DTNA Service Facility.

 

Work Instructions

Please refer to the attached work instructions. Prior to performing the recall campaign, check the vehicle for a completion sticker (Form WAR260).

 

 


Chronology :

Mid-February 2023, DTNA received a report on an incident involving failed tie rod assembly and opened a preliminary investigation. Upon returned failed part analysis, it was determined that the driver’s side tie rod disengaged from the steering arm during low speed maneuvering. Around late February 2023 through early March 2023, DTNA identified that the subject vehicle experiencing the failure, was re-worked at a different station due to certain requirements, and was not manufactured through standard process involving multiple inspection points. In about mid-March 2023, DTNA identified a population of certain axles, that were manufactured at a rework station. DTNA opened an official investigation immediately following receiving this notice of a possible presence of a defect, and on March 29, 2023, out of an abundance of caution, DTNA decided to initiate a new voluntary safety recall to campaign all the listed vehicles. As of March 31st 2023, DTNA is aware of 1 field report and 0 warranty claims related to missing front steer axle tie rod castle nut cotter pin.

DTNA is not aware of any accidents or injuries due to this defect condition. On April 7 2023, DTNA finalized the affected population after further determining precise vocational application of the vehicles. On May 30, 2023,

DTNA amended the Defect Information Report to clarify and consolidate the model listing (to facilitate reading comprehension with no change to the population).

DTNA developed a final remedy for this issue and on June 23, 2023, DTNA updated the description of the remedy section of its Defect Information Report.

 


7 Affected Products

Vehicles

MAKEMODELYEAR
THOMAS BUILT BUSESHDX2023
THOMAS BUILT BUSESSAF-T-LINER C22023-2024
THOMAS BUILT BUSESSAF-T-LINER C2 JOLEY2023-2024
THOMAS BUILT BUSESSAF-T-LINER EFX2023
THOMAS BUILT BUSESSAF-T-LINER MVP-EF2023

 


18 Associated Documents

Recall Acknowledgement

RCAK-23V259-4335.pdf 645.671KB

 


Defect Notice 573 Report

RCLRPT-23V259-1907.PDF 216.121KB

 


Defect Information Report

RMISC-23V259-8113.pdf 731.266KB

 


Recall 573 Report – April 20, 2023

RCLRPT-23V259-6669.PDF 216.182KB

 


Recall 573 Report – April 29, 2023

RCLRPT-23V259-2373.PDF 216.221KB

 


Recall 573 Report – May 31, 2023

RCLRPT-23V259-9486.PDF 216.365KB

 


Amended Defect Information Report

RMISC-23V259-3142.pdf 731.082KB

 


Manufacturer Notices(to Dealers,etc)

RCMN-23V259-4838.pdf 1101.015KB

 


ISSUED Interim Owner Notification Letter(Part 577)

RIONL-23V259-1983.pdf 249.901KB

 


Recall 573 Report – June 23, 2023

RCLRPT-23V259-5781.PDF 216.558KB

 


Amended Defect Information Report

RMISC-23V259-0677.pdf 322KB

 


Manufacturer Notices(to Dealers,etc)

RCMN-23V259-7537.pdf 169.659KB

 


Manufacturer Notices(to Dealers,etc)

RCMN-23V259-8872.pdf 1104.449KB

 


Body Builder Release Notice

RMISC-23V259-1027.pdf 184.581KB

 


ISSUED Owner Notification Letter(Part 577)

RCONL-23V259-3665.pdf 648.002KB

 


Recall Quarterly Report #1, 2023-3

RCLQRT-23V259-3517.PDF 211.281KB

 


Recall Quarterly Report #2, 2023-4

RCLQRT-23V259-7211.PDF 211.389KB

 


Recall Quarterly Report #3, 2024-1

RCLQRT-23V259-7240.PDF 211.467KB

 


Latest Recalls Documents

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/documentList.xhtml?docId=23V259&docType=RCL

 


 

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