RoadVitals

2023 Blue Bird All American School Bus

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
2
Latest Oct 7, 2025
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
6
Latest Oct 11, 2024
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2023 Blue Bird All American School Bus, most frequently naming the electrical, engine and interior & seats categories. 6 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 3 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Electrical133.3%
  • Engine133.3%
  • Interior & seats133.3%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

6 campaigns cover this model year

View all 6

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
24V758000

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

Oct 11, 2024
28,479 units potentially affected
The defect: Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2019-2024 Vision and All American school buses. The emergency exit label operating instructions lettering is too small and may be difficult to read. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 217, "Bus Emergency Exits and Window Retention and Release."
The risk: An emergency exit label that is difficult to read can prevent or delay the use of the emergency exit, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy: Dealers will replace the emergency exit label, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 9, 2024. Owners may contact Blue Bird Customer Service at 478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R23CK (SB).
Blue Bird Body CompanyManufacturer number R23CK (SB)View on NHTSA.gov
24V543000

STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

Jul 19, 2024
16,708 units potentially affected
The defect: Blue Bird Bus Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Vision, All American Front Engine, and All American Rear Engine school buses. An exterior roof joint may have been manufactured with insufficient strength that can allow the roof panels to separate in a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 221, "School Bus Body Joint Strength."
The risk: Roof panels that separate during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
The remedy: Dealers will inspect the roof panel joints and install additional rivets as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 17, 2024. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242.
Blue Bird Body CompanyView on NHTSA.gov
24V078000

SEATS

Feb 7, 2024
6,691 units potentially affected
The defect: Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Vision 2020-2023 All American school buses. The convertible seats may have been incorrectly installed, which can result in an unsecured seat. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."
The risk: An unsecured seat may not adequately restrain an occupant, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will inspect and repair the seat, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 04, 2024. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R24CM-SB.
Blue Bird Body CompanyManufacturer number R24CM-SBView on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

ElectricalEngine
Filed Oct 7, 2025

The contact owns a 2023 Blue Bird Conventional Bus. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the instrument panel unexpectedly rebooted. The contact also stated that while attempting to make a turn, the bus experienced a reduction in power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 61,000.

NHTSA ID
11691927
Incident
Oct 7, 2025
Mileage
61,000 mi
Interior & seats
Filed Aug 29, 2025

The complaint was submitted on behalf of the Buna ISD School System. The contact was a certified mechanic for the Buna ISD School System. The contact inspected the 2023 Blue Bird School/Transit Bus and noticed that all the seat knobs were fractured. In addition, the contact inspected the fleet of buses with the same failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID
11683988
Incident
Aug 29, 2025

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

SM2202

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING; POWER TRAIN

SM2022 EV Maintenance and Service Documentation This Service Memorandum is to announce information on Cummins Power Electric buses now available at Quickserve Online. Dealer must have access to Quickserve to obtain these service maintenance and repair procedures.

SM2203

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; POWER TRAIN

SM2203: EV Recommended Starting Procedure This Service Memorandum is to announce the proper starting procedure to be followed for all Cummins EV powered units. The sequence is required due to multiple electronic modules required to wake up and start communicating over the CAN (Controller Area Network) on EV Power Train Product”.

SU2201

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Cummins recently issued Temporary Repair Practice (TRP2484) for certain vehicles with DEF sensor failures in which DEF sensor replacement parts are not available. This provides a temporary ECM calibration that inhibits engine warning messages for communication errors with the DEF sensor allowing continued operation without engine derate. Regulators are allowing for this temporary calibration to be loaded in the engine ECM by a Cummins authorized repair location if the DEF sensor fails. This temporary calibration does not repair the failure therefore a final repair must be performed and the original calibration be re-installed. Field Service has been requesting an ECM image be uploaded within the support ticket as part of the diagnostics and is carried over into Service Update 2201 (SU2201). In order to receive an authorization code and utilize Cummins TRP2484, you must follow the process, as outlined in SU2201. The specific component affected is Assembly Code: 35-300 Emissions Components.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Blue Bird All American School Bus by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2027030—
2026040—
2025020—
2024040—
2023Viewing260—
20222100—
20210180—
20204200—

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.