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Thomas Built Parent DTNA to Recall Over 50K School Buses Due to Seating Issue

The recall applies to some 2014 to 2020 model year Saf-T-Liner EFX, Minotour, Saf-T-Liner C2, and Saf-T-Liner HDX buses equipped with seats that may not provide enough impact absorption in some areas.

Nicole Schlosser
Nicole SchlosserFormer Executive Editor
October 21, 2019
Thomas Built Parent DTNA to Recall Over 50K School Buses Due to Seating Issue

Daimler Trucks North America, the parent company of Thomas Built Buses, is recalling some of the manufacturer’s school buses due to a potential seating issue. Shown here is a Saf-T-Liner EFX model bus. File photo courtesy Thomas Built Buses

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Daimler Trucks North America, the parent company of Thomas Built Buses, is recalling some of the manufacturer’s school buses due to a potential seating issue. Shown here is a Saf-T-Liner EFX model bus. File photo courtesy Thomas Built Buses

HIGH POINT, N.C. — Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA), the parent company of Thomas Built Buses, is recalling some of the manufacturer’s school buses due to a potential seating issue.

The recall applies to some 2014 to 2020 model year Saf-T-Liner EFX, Minotour, Saf-T-Liner C2, and Saf-T-Liner HDX school buses equipped with SynTec S3B or S3C seats, according to the recall information posted on the National Highway Transportation Safety Admistration’s (NHTSA’s) website. The recall summary states that the seats in these buses may have been built with styrene blocks that may not provide sufficient impact absorption in some areas around the steel seat frame of the back support, and therefore do not comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 222 requirements.

DTNA will notify owners and dealers about the recall, according to the NHTSA website, and will install additional material to increase the level of absorption free of charge. The recall is planned to start Dec. 2. For more information, go here.

The recall may impact 53,528 school buses, according to NHTSA’s website.

DTNA released a statement on Friday that said that “There have been no reported injuries or accidents related to this non-compliance recall.”

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