RoadVitals

2018 Blue Bird All American

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

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.
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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.
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Latest Nov 20, 2023
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.
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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.
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Overview

Our database contains no NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2018 Blue Bird All American. 19 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 17 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.

Safety recalls

19 campaigns cover this model year

View all 19

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
23V778000

STRUCTURE

Nov 20, 2023
6,124 units potentially affected
The defect: Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2014-2024 All American school buses equipped with 39" High Back seat restraining barriers. The bolts securing the restraining barriers to the floor may separate when fully loaded. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 222, "School Bus Passenger Seating and Crash Protection."
The risk: An unsecured seat restraining barrier may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing their risk of injury.
The remedy: Dealers will install a longer bolt with rectangular washer and nut, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed January 16, 2024. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R23CU-SB. This recall is an expansion of recall number 23V-777.
Blue Bird Body CompanyManufacturer number R23CU-SBView on NHTSA.gov
23V276000

POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE

Apr 18, 2023
419 units potentially affected
The defect: Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2018-2021 All American and Vision School Buses, equipped with PowerDrive 7000 electric drive systems. The System Control Module (SCM) may activate the anti-rollback feature, causing the vehicle to reverse faster than expected when the vehicle is in reverse and pointing downhill with the brake pedal not applied.
The risk: A vehicle reversing faster than expected can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will update the SCM software calibration, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 10, 2023. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R23CG (SB)
Blue Bird Body CompanyManufacturer number R23CG (SB)View on NHTSA.gov
22V505000

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM

Jul 14, 2022
482 units potentially affected
The defect: Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2018-2022 All American and Vision school buses equipped with Cummins PD7000 Electric Drivetrains containing an electric air compressor. The air compressor housing is improperly grounded, causing electrical voltage greater than 50V AC during operation.
The risk: An improperly grounded air compressor can cause electric shock, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy: Dealers will install an electrical ground strap between the compressor motor housing and vehicle chassis, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 6, 2023. Owners may contact Blue Bird's customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R22BY-SB.
Blue Bird Body CompanyManufacturer number R22BY-SBView on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

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

No owner complaints recorded for this model year

Either none have been filed with NHTSA, or this vehicle is too new for reports to have accumulated.

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.

SU1901

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Models Affected: 2010 thru 2021 All American Subject: This update provides information on the new surge tank fill necks for All American Instructions: There is a new kit available from Part Sales; 10066291 - Kit, Neck, Surge Tank. This kit is available for use with the All American & TX4 surge tanks. Remove and discard existing neck from tank Install new neck using items in Kit 10066291 Kit, Neck, Surge Tank

SM1906

POWER TRAIN

The intent of Service Memorandum SM1906 is to make Blue Bird dealers aware that Cummins has released a calibration update improvement to reduce occurrence of “Engine fault codes 3555 and 3556” on Cummins diesel engines with the following base ECM calibrations, "HC80145 thru HC80250 and HB80104 thru HC80195"

SM1904

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

SM1904: New Ametek Parts & Software New Ametek instrument cluster part numbers and software now listed on the Blue Bird Dealer Vantage website. Also listed is a new Ametek gateway module and applicable software. New Ametek gateway module is only applicable to the Ford Gasoline Vision. Revisions have been made to Ametek instrument cluster software that improve or addresses items noted below. Improved fuel level dampening (only affects diesel fuel systems) Average fuel economy not displaying accurately (only affects diesel fuel systems) High or fast idle set up process on service part replacements (only affects service mode set up) Park brake indicator flashes and audible beep sounds when multiplex module goes in sleep mode (only affects certain Actia to Ametek service part replacements)

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 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
20192260—
2018Viewing0190—
20170100—
20161200—
20153270—
20140260—
20131281—
20120301—
20110351—
20100421—
20093331—
20084321—
20074211—
20062152—
20051131—
200410151—
20032111—
20021141—
20011141—
20000160—
19990160—
1998190—
1997030—
1996060—
19950110—
1994090—
1993071—
19921691—
1991091—
1990091—
19890102—
1988082—
1987051—
1986050—
1985030—
1984040—
1983030—
1982050—
1981040—
1980030—
1979010—
1978010—
1977020—
1976030—
1975020—
1974050—
1973040—
1972040—
1971040—
1970030—
1969040—
1968040—
1967020—
1966010—
1965010—
1964010—
1963010—

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.