Daimler Trucks North America announced a recall this week of 2,342 model year 2010 school buses that could suddenly experience a loss of steering.

The affected Saf-T-Liner C2 school buses were manufactured from Oct. 23, 2008 through April 20 of last year and are equipped with TRW IGEN3 intermediate steering columns. Daimler said the weld around the steering shaft tube that secures the spline tube to the intermediate tube may be improperly located. The weld should be fully over the seam created when the tubes are pressed together.

Mislocated welds can result in torsional and axial strength falling below acceptable levels, which can lead to separation of the steering column, loss of steering control and a vehicle crash.

Daimler said it will notify owners for the free repairs by the beginning of October.