HIGH POINT, N.C. (March 7, 2008) — In a development first reported by Consumer Affairs.com, Thomas Built Buses will begin a recall of 93,552 buses with model years 2001 through 2008 to fix a design flaw in the exterior handle on the emergency door.
NHTSA opened an investigation into the defect in November after learning of cases where attempting to open the rear emergency door resulted in the door handle snapping off the door mechanism. NHTSA subsequently found that the exit door handle begins corroding around the securing roll pin and square drive mechanism causing the protective finish to chip and flake. If the handle broke, the emergency door would no longer open from the outside. Thomas models found to be manufactured with the same door handle components are the ER, MVP EF, MVP ER, FS-65, HDX, Minotour, and Safe-T-Liner C2.
"In the event of an emergency, a person on the outside of the bus may break the door handle trying to open the emergency exit, potentially delaying evacuation and increasing the risk of personal injury to the vehicle's occupants,” wrote George H. Person, chief of the Recall Management Division in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation Enforcement.
According to a Feb. 21 letter to NHTSA outlining the safety campaign to recall the buses, Nasser Zamani, Daimler's manager of compliance and regulatory affairs, wrote that “door handle PN 640071 38 was released in April 2000. A design change in November 2000 revised the corners in the attachment socket from a small radius to square corner. Aluminum handles will be replaced with a more robust handle.”
Thomas dealers and customers were expected to be begin notifying dealers of the recall campaign by May 2. The NHTSA Recall Action Number is PE07-054, and the NHTSA Recall Campaign Number 08V08700.
"Consistent with its commitment to passenger safety, the company will replace the emergency door handles on these vehicles with new handles that resist corrosion," said a spokesperson with Daimler.
