NHTSA Investigation PE13004

Coolant Leak Resulting in Occupant Burns

ODI is aware of three (3) incidents of heater hose failures on the delivery circuit (high temperature) of the engine coolant system on the subject transit buses.The failure occurs in the vicinity of the air ducts above the street-side passenger compartment.The air ducts may quickly fill with engine temperature fluids that are expelled without warning onto the seats below.ODI is aware of no injuries at this time.The heater hose in question was only installed as original equipment on fifty-two (52) buses in a single fleet.At this time all 52 hoses have had the hose replaced with a standard higher working pressure hose.Daimler Buses NA, the manufacturer of the buses, has gone out of business.Therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize NHTSA's limited resources to accomplish the agency's safety mission, ODI is closing this investigation.The ODI report cited above can be reviewed at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification (ODI) number: 10500221

An investigation is a separate record from a recall and from a manufacturer communication. A manufacturer campaign to repair a safety defect or a failure to meet a federal safety standard.