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