2002 Blue Bird A3RE Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2002 Blue Bird A3RE, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Body & structure150.0%
- Suspension150.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
DURING ANNUAL INSPECTION BY THE STATE HIGHWAY PATROL, AN APPROXIMATELY 2" LONG HORIZONTAL LINE OF RUST WAS DISCOVERED NEAR THE DRIVER-SIDE SHOCK MOUNT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FRAME RAIL. IT WAS DETERMINED THIS WAS A HAIRLINE CRACK. INSPECTORS MENTIONED THIS HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER BLUE BIRD SCHOOL BUSES IN NW OHIO. AFTER CALLING OTHER SCHOOLS, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT SOME NEARBY HAD EXPERIENCED THIS ON ALL AMERICAN FORWARD ENGINE UNITS. IN SPEAKING WITH THE BLUE BIRD DEALERSHIP, IT WAS STATED THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED ON OTHER BLUE BIRD UNITS; THE DEALERSHIP ALSO EXPRESSED OBVIOUS APPREHENSION ABOUT MAKING THE REPAIR TO THE BUS. ANOTHER ENTITY WAS LOCATED TO MAKE THE REPAIR AT A COST OF NEARLY $1,000. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
DURING ANNUAL INSPECTION BY THE STATE HIGHWAY PATROL, AN APPROXIMATELY 2" LONG HORIZONTAL LINE OF RUST WAS DISCOVERED NEAR THE DRIVER-SIDE SHOCK MOUNT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FRAME RAIL. IT WAS DETERMINED THIS WAS A HAIRLINE CRACK. INSPECTORS MENTIONED THIS HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER BLUE BIRD SCHOOL BUSES IN NW OHIO. AFTER CALLING OTHER SCHOOLS, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT SOME NEARBY HAD EXPERIENCED THIS ON ALL AMERICAN FORWARD ENGINE UNITS. IN SPEAKING WITH THE BLUE BIRD DEALERSHIP, IT WAS STATED THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED ON OTHER BLUE BIRD UNITS; THE DEALERSHIP ALSO EXPRESSED OBVIOUS APPREHENSION ABOUT MAKING THE REPAIR TO THE BUS. ANOTHER ENTITY WAS LOCATED TO MAKE THE REPAIR AT A COST OF NEARLY $1,000. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .