RoadVitals

2007 Blue Bird Xcel 102

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 May 4, 2009
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.
1
Latest Feb 21, 2008
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 2007 Blue Bird Xcel 102, most frequently naming the other / unspecified category. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year; and 4 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

  • Other / unspecified1100.0%

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

1 campaign cover this model year

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
08V077000

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL

Feb 21, 2008
607 units potentially affected
The defect: BLUE BIRD IS RECALLING 607 MY 2004-2007 ALL AMERICAN REAR ENGINE SCHOOL BUSES AND MY 2006-2007 XCEL 102 COMMERCIAL SERIES TRANSIT BUSES EQUIPPED WITH CUMMINS ISC ENGINES. THE HIGH PRESSURE FUEL LINE MAY CRACK, ALLOWING HIGH PRESSURE DIESEL FUEL INTO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT.
The risk: THIS CONDITION CREATES THE POTENTIAL FOR A RISK OF FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT SHOULD THE ATOMIZED DIESEL FUEL VAPOR CONTACT AN IGNITION SOURCE.
The remedy: OWNERS WILL BE ADVISED TO CONTACT THEIR CUMMINS DEALERS TO HAVE THE REPAIR WORK PERFORMED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 28, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BLUE BIRD AT 1-478-822-2242.
BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANYManufacturer number R08MZView on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

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

Other / unspecified
Filed May 4, 2009

WICHITA FALLS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS SCHOOL BUS, CONTRACTED OUT TO DURHAM TRANSPORTATION. SCHOOL BUS NUMBER 42002, ROUTE 70. 2007 BLUEBIRD SCHOOL BUS. WE (TEACHER AIDES) WERE LOADING A CHILD IN A WHEELCHAIR ON BUS, WHEN THE WHEELCHAIR LIFT BEGAN TO FOLD UP WHILE THE WHEELCHAIR WAS STILL ON IT, I HAD TO MOVE THE WHEELCHAIR ONTO TO BUS FROM THE GROUND AND ALMOST GOT MY ARM CAUGHT IN THE FOLDING LIFT, THE WHEELCHAIR FOOT PEGS WHERE PUSHED BACK BY THE LIFT, THE AIDE ON THE BUS WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE WHEELCHAIR BACK BEFORE THE STUDENT'S FEET WERE CRUSHED. THERE WAS NOBODY AT THE CONTROLS WHEN THIS HAPPEN, THE LIFT STARTED FOLDING ON ITS OWN. IT SEEMS THAT THERE IS A RECALL ON CERTAIN WHEELCHAIR LIFTS ANTI-STOW INTERLOCK NOT ADJUSTED PROPERLY ON CERTAIN SCHOOL BUSES. REF: NHTSA ACTION NUMBER EQ08011 THE RECALL LIST SHOWS RECALLS FOR ONLY 2006 BLUEBIRD BUSES, THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE ON THE 2007 BUSES ALSO. DURHAM TRANSPORTATION CLAIMS THIS INCIDENT WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED IF THERE WAS A QUALIFIED OPERATOR OPERATING THE LIFT CONTROLS, I DOUBT IT CONSIDERING THE LIFT FOLDED WITHOUT ANYBODY AT THE CONTROLS. THE COMPANY ALSO CLAIMS THEY HAVE REPAIRED THE LIFT, BUT STILL WILL NOT DEPLOY DOWN WITHOUT PRESSING THE "DEPLOY" AND THE "DOWN" SWITCHES AT THE SAME TIME, THIS SHOWS THAT THE SENSING SWITCHES ARE STILL NOT WORKING PROPERLY. I AM FAMILAR WITH THIS TYPE OF SYSTEM, IT IS SIMILAR AIRCRAFT CARGO RAMPS LIFT SYSTEMS THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THE SIZES. I OPERATED AND USED TO TROUBLE SHOOT THE RAMP SYSTEM FOR 16 YEARS AND THEN TAUGHT THE THEORY, OPERATIONS AND TROUBLESHOOTING OF THE SYSTEM FOR 6 SIX YEARS AS AN AIR FORCE MASTER INSTRUCTOR. *TR

NHTSA ID
10267695
Incident
Apr 27, 2009

Manufacturer communications

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

SM1608

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

New Blue Bird Support Center - Technical Bus Support: Dealer memo to announce the new on-line Blue Bird Support Center for technical bus support requests.

SM1601

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

Blue Bird Troubleshooting Guides: Blue Bird announcement of the addition of troubleshooting guides for assisting in the service of the Blue Bird products. These troubleshooting guides are available on the Vantage website.

SU-1209

BLUE BIRD: PROCEDURE UPDATE INFORMATION BEING PROVIDED REGARDING REPLACEMENT OF HEATER RESISTORS ON ALL MODELS. NO MODEL OR MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE

SU-S-0604

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

BLUE BIRD BUS: ON CERTAIN BUSES, IF AIRBORNE CONTAMINANTS COMBINE WITH OIL, CAN FORM ABRASIVE COMPOUND WHICH DRASTICALLY SHORTEN ENGINE LIFE IF ALLOWED ENTRY INTO ENGINE. *PE

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 Xcel 102 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2007Viewing110—
2006010—

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.