RoadVitals

2021 Blue Bird Vision 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.
1
Latest Feb 1, 2023
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.
26
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 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 2021 Blue Bird Vision School Bus, most frequently naming the brakes category. 26 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 10 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

  • Brakes1100.0%

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

Safety recalls

26 campaigns cover this model year

View all 26

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
24V599000

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

Aug 12, 2024
8,294 units potentially affected
The defect: Blue Bird Bus Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Vision school buses equipped with 6.8L gasoline engines. The coating on the fuel lines may have been improperly applied, which can result in a fuel leak.
The risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
The remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the fuel lines as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 10, 2024. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242.
Blue Bird Body CompanyView 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

Recent owner complaints

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

Brakes
Filed Feb 1, 2023

There is an issue with the braking systems on the Bluebird buses which cause the brake lights to illuminate constantly, fail to illuminate, limit acceleration, and/or receive a "loss of brake input" warning message on the dash cluster. We have 43 Buses of like Year Models ranging from 2021 - 2022 Bluebird, Vision, that we have documented 38 separate repairs for 28 buses in our fleet related to the braking system. The brake pedal experiences excessive back travel that causes damage to the brake switch (part number 10026469). The cause of the excessive back travel is a gap between the pedal stop, rubber bumper, and switch mounting bracket. There is not enough adjustment area in the switch mounting bracket to prevent the excessive brake pedal back travel. Once the brake switch becomes damaged multiple issues become possible. There is potential for constant brake light illumination, no brake light illumination, a loss of brake input warning message, and sudden stopping of vehicle acceleration. The brake light illumination is not found consistently during the pre-trip inspection process due to the usage of the pre-trip lighting sequence button that provides false confidence that the brake lights are working properly. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The brake switch failed parts are being returned to Bluebird for Warranty parts replacement. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The multiple symptoms listed above produce various safety issues for the buses and other vehicles on the road. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, Multiple vehicles have experienced the same issue and the switches are being replaced as a repair. Multiple vehicles have reoccurring issues with the replaced switches. The local dealer has gone to the manufacturing facility and addressed the issue them.

NHTSA ID
11504844
Incident
Jan 25, 2023

Manufacturer communications

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

S26DZ

SERVICE BRAKES

The mechanical brake switch & bracket design has a potential for cumulative at-limit stack up clearances to exceed the limitations of the mechanical switch. As a result, a preventative maintenance adjustment procedure is necessary and, at times, settings can be difficult to achieve.

SI10-800-160

Suspect Population: Certain 2021 through 2026 Blue Bird BBCV buses, equipped with a 217” WB flat floor & Ford 7.3L powered engine. Condition:Chassis web fractures in or around the vicinity of the LF shock mount Root Cause Identification and Justification: • FEA modeling shows elevated regions of stress in proximity of the upper fastener hole for the LH shock mount resulting from several external influences. The highest stress stemming from shock extension forces in curb hop scenarios. • Bearing in mind the absence of this failure mode on standard floor chassis designs with substantially higher usage, the projected stress in this region of 4582 PSI is used as an objective bench mark of the acceptable upper limit. • Two corrective solutions are being executed as pragmatic countermeasures to correct this failure mode, based on the severity and frequency of the crack, if present. Repair plate 1 being the latest evolution. FEA analysis & ref chart below • Installation of this repair plate decreases the stress in this region to less than the standard floor chassis baseline allowing us to predict this solution to last the expected life of the chassis.

SM 23-01

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING; POWER TRAIN; POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES

A motor high temperature error can display on the instrument cluster when the OEM coolant valve in the closed position restricting coolant flow through the high voltage propulsion motor.

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 Vision School Bus by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2027060—
2026070—
2025020—
2024160—
20231140—
20220170—
2021Viewing1260—
20200291—

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.