2009 Blue Bird All American 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 2009 Blue Bird All American, 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
- Interior & seats266.7%
- Engine133.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
WE HAVE BLUE BIRD BUSSES WITH CE WHITE STUDENT SAFETY SEATS WITH THREE POINT SEAT BELTS. THE SEAT BACKS HAVE STYROFOAM IN THEM FOR SOME OF THE PADDING THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE BIGGER STUDENTS DON?T FIT IN THE SMALL SPACE BETWEEN SEATS AND THEIR KNEES BREAK THE STYROFOAM UP AFTER A SHORT TIME, LEAVING THE FOAM BROKE UP IN LITTLE PIECES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SEAT. I DON?T THINK THESE ARE FMVSS 222 COMPLIANT WITH THE STYROFOAM IN THE BOTTOM ONE THIRD OF THE SEAT. WE PURCHASE NEW ONES BUT THEY ARE THE SAME THING AND BREAK UP AFTER A SHORT TIME. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO BLUE BIRD AND CE WHITE AND SENT PICTURES. THEY SAID THEY WILL LOOK INTO IT AND THE SEAT IS UNDER WARRANTY FOR ONE YEAR. MY LAST CORRESPONDENCE WAS MARCH 6TH OF 2013; THEY STILL SELL THE SAME CUSHION. THERE NEEDS TO BE A DIFFERENT MATERIAL BESIDES STYROFOAM FOR THE PADDING IN THESE SEAT BACKS. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 BLUE BIRD ALL AMERICAN SCHOOL BUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FOAM FROM ALL OF THE SEATS WAS COMING UNDONE FROM BEHIND THE SEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED FOR THE FAILURES OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 22,250. UPDATED 04/12/11*LJ UPDATED 04/29/11
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
2009 BLUEBIRD ALL AMERICAN RE BUS. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ENGINE PROBLEMS. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED SIX BUSES WERE EQUIPPED WITH THE CATERPILLAR C-7 ENGINE AND ACERT TECHNOLOGY. THE TECHNOLOGY WAS USED TO MAKE THE ENGINES COMPLY WITH THE EMISSION STANDARDS. HOWEVER, WHENEVER THE SYSTEM HAD A PROBLEM, THERE WAS REDUCED POWER FROM THE ENGINE, WHICH HAPPENED AT ANY GIVEN TIME. OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS, THE BUSES HAVE BEEN OUT OF SERVICE OVER 1100 DAYS. THE BUSES WOULD BE PICKED UP FROM THE DEALER AND WOULD BREAK DOWN BEFORE BEING RETURNED TO THE SCHOOL.
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 .