FL929 – Misrouted Battery Cable May Cause Electrical Short – 2019-2023 Thomas Built Bus HDX Commercial Buses

April 22, 2022 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 22V272000

Misrouted Battery Cable May Cause Electrical Short

An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.

 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V272

Manufacturer Daimler TruckseBay logo North America, LLC

Components ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Potential Number of Units Affected 138

 

Summary

Daimler TruckseBay logo North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Thomas Built Bus HDX commercial buses. The positive battery cable may be routed improperly, allowing it to chafe against the transmission oil cooler hoses, which can cause an electrical short circuit.

 

Remedy

Dealers will inspect and repair the cable routing, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 20, 2023. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA’s number for this recall is FL929.

 

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

 


January 2023
FL928 AB
NHTSA #22V-271 (School Bus)
NHTSA #22V-272 (Non-School Bus)
Transport Canada #2022-207 (School Bus)
Transport Canada #2022-208 (Non-School Bus)

 

Subject: TBB HDX Battery Cables

Models Affected: Specific model year 2019-2023 Thomas Built Buses (TBB) HDX model buses, manufactured March 8, 2018, through March 24, 2022.

 

General Information

Daimler Truck North America LLC (DTNA), on behalf of its wholly owned subsidiary, Thomas Built Buses (TBB), has decided that a defect that relates to motor vehicle safety exists on the vehicles mentioned above.

On certain TBB HDX model buses, the battery cables may chafe on the transmission oil cooler hoses, which can cause an electrical short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.

The battery cable routing will be repaired to prevent contact with the transmission oil cooler hoses.

There are approximately 3,107 vehicles involved in this campaign.

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.

 

Routing & Clipping of Power Cables & Transmission Cooler Hoses

NOTE: The affected population for this recall includes vehicles with both CumminseBay logo and Detroit Diesel engines, integrated with Allison 2000-series and 3000-series transmissions. The work instructions are predominantly identical for all, unless mentioned otherwise.

1. Park the vehicle on a level surface, shut down the engine, and set the parking brake. Chock the tires.

NOTE: The main power disconnect switch (MPDS) is located in the battery box compartment.

2. Turn the MPDS to the OFF position.

3. Disconnect the negative battery cables at the batteries.

4. Open the engine compartment door.

WARNING

Do not use bottle jacks to raise the vehicle. Always use floor jacks. Bottle jacks can slip, allowing the vehicle to fall, which could result in damage to the axle, serious injury, or death.

5. Raise the vehicle, and support it with appropriate jack stands.

NOTE: The transmission cooler hoses and the power cables are located under the rear of the vehicle.

6. Inspect for any blemishes caused due to interference (rubbing) between the power cables and the transmission cooler hoses. See Fig. 1 and Fig. 2.

 

NOTE: Excessive movement of cables and hoses can lead to unwanted cable chaffing due to the vibration.

7. Inspect the power cables and the transmission cooler hoses for excessive movement.

8. Perform a pull-push test to check the amount of movement available to cables. Grip the cables firmly and check for excessive movement, if any.

9. If required, secure the cables with the help of cable ties. For instructions regarding routing and clipping of the cables, see Thomas Built Buses Service Bulletin 00-008 – Routing and Clipping Tips for Extending School Bus Life.

10. Figure 3 and Figure 4 show the ideal positioning of the power cables, clamps, and transmission cooler hoses.

 

11. For vehicles equipped with an Allision 3000-series transmission:
If so equipped, remove and discard the clamp securing the transmission cooler hoses, shown in Fig. 5, by removing the mounting fastener.

 

NOTE: Removing the clamp allows the adjustment of the transmission cooler hoses as instructed in step 12.

12. If necessary, loosen the transmission cooler hose fittings at the transmission, then position the hoses to maintain clearance between the hose and the hose fitting as shown in Fig. 6.

 

13. For vehicles equipped with an Allison 2000-series transmission:
Route and secure the cooler hoses as shown in Fig. 7.

14. If necessary, loosen the transmission cooler hose fittings, and rotate the hoses slightly to ensure zero contact between the power cables and the cooler hoses.

 

15. Connect the negative battery cables at the batteries.

16. Turn the MPDS to the ON position.

17. Start the engine to verify the repair.

 


Chronology :

In mid-February of 2022, DTNA received a report from the field of a potential thermal event on a three-yearold HDX school bus; according to the best of DTNA’s knowledge, no injuries or deaths occurred in this event. DTNA immediately began an investigation into the issue. No additional field reports or warranty claims of fire or similar symptoms were found. In early March of 2022, as soon as reasonably practicable to investigate the vehicle, DTNA’s Cause and Origin investigator examined the suspect bus and determined the origin of the thermal event was likely at the battery cable crossing over the transmission cooler hoses. Within that same month and lasting into April, DTNA began a comprehensive review of warranty data and field reports. Upon reviewing information more closely for this defect, DTNA found 17 total warranty claims ranging from November of 2018 to December of 2020 for the battery cables rubbing or contacting the transmission oil cooler hoses. None of these claims indicated any evidence of a fire or similar thermal event. Nonetheless, in April 2022, out of an abundance of caution DTNA decided to conduct a voluntary recall on certain Thomas Built Bus HDX chassis. There are no injuries or deaths reported. In early May of 2022, in an effort to reduce the administrative burdens and to simply the reporting requirements, DTNA decided to merge recalls FL928 (22V271 – School Bus) and FL929 (22V272 Non School Bus). There are, materially speaking, no differences in the recalls except for the vocations of the population. To further clarify, the newly merged recall population will be designated as FL928A (22V271) for school bus vocations and FL928B (22V272) will be designated for commercial bus vocations. In addition, per a request from the Agency, a more concise description was added to the Involved Components section of the DIR filing.

 


5 Affected Products

Vehicle

MAKEMODELYEAR
THOMAS BUILT BUSESSAF-T-LINER HDX2019-2023

 


9 Associated Documents

Defect Information Report

RMISC-22V272-8879.pdf 769.988KB

 


Recall Acknowledgement

RCAK-22V272-7103.pdf 645.458KB

 


Defect Notice 573 Report

RCLRPT-22V272-3896.PDF 214.116KB

 


Recall 573 Report – May 23, 2022

RCLRPT-22V272-4269.PDF 214.464KB

 


Amended Defect Information Report

RMISC-22V272-5551.pdf 774.963KB

 


Interim Owner Notification Letter(Part 577)

RIONL-22V272-5294.pdf 119.823KB

 


Manufacturer Notices(to Dealers,etc)

RCMN-22V272-8115.pdf 402.816KB

 


ISSUED Owner Notification Letter(Part 577)

RCONL-22V272-5693.pdf 420.285KB

 


Manufacturer Notices(to Dealers,etc)

RCMN-22V272-3105.pdf 1035.583KB

 


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