2004 Ic Ce

ODI BECAMEAWARE OF TWOBUS FIRES THAT RESULTED FROM THE BATTERY/STARTER CABLE RUBBING AGAINST THE PARKING BRAKE CABLE. ODIVISITED THE FLEET, INSPECTED THE BUSES, AND FOUND OTHER BUSES WITHEARLY STAGES OF WIRE/CABLE ABRASION. ODICONTACTED ANOTHER FLEET WITH SIMILAR BUSES AND THEY ALSO IDENTIFIEDABRADING WIRE/CABLES. AFTER COMPLETING THEIR EVALUATION, NAVISTAR HAS DECIDED TO CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL TO INSPECT, REPAIR AS NECESSARY, AND REROUTE THE BATTERY CABLE AWAY FROM THE PARKING BRAKE CABLE.THE ACTION TAKEN BY NAVISTAR RESOLVES THIS INVESTIGATION.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.

THIS PE WAS OPENED AFTER ODI BECAME AWARE OF 7 EVENTS ON SCHOOL BUSES WHERE THE FUSE FOR THE ECMOVERHEATED AND BURNED THE FUSE HOLDER AND/OR FUSE HOLDER TERMINALS.ONCE OVERHEATING OF THE FUSE HOLDER OCCURS, THE FUSE BLADES WOULD NO LONGERBE SECURED IN THE PLASTIC HOLDER, THUS INTERRUPTING THE ELECTRICAL FLOW.THE COMPLAINTS CENTERED AROUNDEITHER A NO-START, HARD START, ERRATIC ENGINE PERFORMANCE OR ENGINE STALLING. ODI WAS ALSO AWARE OF REPORTED BATTERY BOX FIRES. THEPE WAS OPENED TO EXAMINE THE SAFETY SIGNIFICANCE AND GAIN A TECHNICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THIS PROBLEM.AFTER DISCUSSIONS WITH ODI AND FURTHER REVIEW OF FIELD INCIDENTS, IC DECIDED THE PROPER WAY TO HANDLE THIS ISSUE WAS TO CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL DURING WHICH THEY WILLREPLACE THE FUSE HOLDERS AND THE POWER ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ON THE AFFECTED VEHICLES.THIS RECALL ACTION RESOLVES THE ISSUES RAISED BY THIS INVESTIGATION. THEREFORE, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.

THIS DEALS WITH WHAT APPEARS TO BE AN INTENTIONAL ONGOING FRAUD AGAINST NHTSA AND OWNERS OF SOME 9,000 INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL BUSES SOLD THROUGHOUT THE U.S. BETWEEN 8/2002 AND 8/2003. AS OF MARCH 2014 IT APPEARS THAT MANY OF THE 9000 BUSES (STANDARD AND HANDICAPPED) INVOLVED IN THIS APPARENT FRAUD CONTINUE TO PUT ALL OCCUPANTS AT RISK OF INJURY AND POSSIBLY DEATH. IN 8/2002 IC CORPORATION (IC) INSTALLED ACQ TREATED PLYWOOD SUBFLOORS IN ITS BUSES KNOWING IT WAS MORE CORROSIVE THAN UNTREATED WOOD TO METAL FASTENERS (PER ITS OWN TESTING). IC INTENTIONALLY CHOSE NOT TO USE PROPERLY PROTECTED FASTENERS, IN PART DUE TO COST. BY 2003 IC WAS AWARE OF UNPRECEDENTED CORROSION OF SEAT BOLTS, WHEELCHAIR TRACKS AND FASTENERS IN ITS BUSES, CAUSING WHEELCHAIR TRACKS AND SEATS TO COME LOOSE. IN 2/2004 IC DECLARED A SAFETY DEFECT AND NOTIFIED NHTSA. IT APPEARS IC INTERNATIONALLY UNDERSTATED THEIR KNOWLEDGE/CONCERNS. IN 3/2004 A NHTSA RECALL WAS ISSUED (NHTSA RECALL # 04V-097) LIMITING THE RECALL TO THOSE CONTAINING A ?SUR-LOC? WHEELCHAIR TRACK, WHICH APPEARED INTENTIONALLY ERRONEOUS, AS ALL FASTENERS WERE/ARE CORRODING PER IC?S OWN REPRESENTATIONS MADE IN LITIGATION THEY FILED AGAINST OTHERS. FURTHER, A NUMBER OF THE BUSES INCLUDED IN THE RECALL WERE NOT REPAIRED/IMPROPERLY REPAIRED BASED ON EYE WITNESS ACCOUNTS DURING REPAIR INSPECTIONS. COUNSEL FOR IC, THREATENED AN INDIVIDUAL BY STATING THAT IF A CERTAIN PARTY DID NOT OFFER SUBSTANTIAL MONIES TO SETTLE THE CASE, THEY WOULD LIKELY NEED TO INCREASE THE RECALL TO SOME 9,000 BUSES, MAKING CLEAR IC KNEW THE RECALL SHOULD HAVE INCLUDED ALL 9,000 BUSES FROM THE OUTSET. TO DATE IC HAS NOT NOTIFIED NHTSA OF THIS CONCERN. THIS WAS TAKEN AS AN ATTEMPT OF BLACKMAIL OR EXTORTION. DISCOVERY TAKEN IN THE TWO SUITS FILED BY IC IN BOTH FEDERAL COURT (INDIANAPOLIS, IN.) AND STATE COURT (CONWAY, AK.) WILL CONFIRM THE ABOVE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10569023

Incident

Aug 12, 2003

IK0500013 - IROS SUSPENSION AUXILIARY LEAF SPRING RATTLE

INTERNATIONAL: BUS ENTRANCE DOOR ADJUSTMENT PROCEDURES. THE FOLLOWING PROCEDURES OUTLINE THE ENTRANCE DOOR BRACKET, CONTROL BAR, ACTUATOR ROD, ELECTRIC DOOR CONTROLLER, AND AIR DOOR CYLINDER AND VALVE ADJUSTMENTS. NO MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE

INTERNATIONAL: THE EMERGENCY EXIT WINDOW SWITCH, ON CERTAIN BUSES, HAD ACTIVATED AND SENT A FALSE WARNING ALARM, DUE TO VARIOUS WINDOW/FRAME TOLERANCES. MODELS 2004-2005 CE,FE,RE. *PE