RoadVitals

2025 New Flyer Xcelsior

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
+1 complaint in 30 days
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 Aug 22, 2025
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 2025 New Flyer Xcelsior, most frequently naming the seat belts 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

  • Seat belts1100.0%

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
25V542000

STRUCTURE:EMERGENCY:ESCAPE/EGRESS/EXIT

Aug 22, 2025
2,354 units potentially affected
The defect: New Flyer of America, Inc. (New Flyer) is recalling certain 2012-2025 Xcelsior buses. The buses may have been built without enough emergency exits or the exits may be in an incorrect location. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 217, "Bus Emergency Exits and Window Retention and Release."
The risk: An insufficient number, or incorrectly located, of emergency exits can prevent or delay passengers from exiting during an emergency, increasing their risk of injury.
The remedy: New Flyer will mail instructions and necessary parts to add additional emergency egress windows, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 8, 2025. Owners may contact New Flyer's customer service at 1-800-241-2947.
New Flyer of America, Inc.View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

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

Seat belts
Filed Sep 8, 2026

In this model year bus, they have reduced the thickness of the seatbelt, but they did not reduce the shoulder bushing slot so it keeps getting doubled-over/tangled in the bushing, and failing to retract. We have 26 of these buses, all with identical problems.

NHTSA ID
11762789
Incident
Sep 8, 2026

Manufacturer communications

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

TSIB 26-08

SERVICE BRAKES

This bulletin introduces new improved banjo bolts for buses equipped with a Haldex tandem air dryers. The updated banjo bolts feature enhanced corrosion resistance and are designed to replace the current banjo bolts to help minimize corrosion-related issues that may affect air dryer performance and reliability.

ITS61783

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Instructions for uploading a program to move existing J1939 message routing from DPS instrument cluster to PVSG.

TSIB 26-06

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Bulletin to follow when replacing LV batteries on buses equipped with certain Vanner battery equalizers.

TSIB 25-03

SERVICE BRAKES

This TSIB identifies the special procedures necessary when the bus is not in regular use and the air compressor is operated at a low duty cycle.

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

New Flyer Xcelsior by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2025Viewing110—
2024010—
2023010—
2022110—
2021110—
2020010—
2019010—
2018110—
2017010—
2016010—
2015010—
2014010—
2013010—
2012010—
2011000—
2010000—
2009000—
2008000—

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.