NHTSA safety recall
Recall 26V702000: STRUCTURE:BODY
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC · Reported to NHTSA Oct 22, 2026
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.govWhat this recall covers
NHTSA's campaign record, quoted as published
The defect
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2023-2027 Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER C2 Jouley, 2025-2027 Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER C2, 2026-2027 Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER HDX2, and Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER EFX2 school buses. The wheelhouse body interior joints may have been manufactured incorrectly, resulting in insufficient joint strength. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 221, "School Bus Body Joint Strength."
The risk
A school bus with insufficient joint strength may not adequately protect passengers in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will add fasteners to secure the joints, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 21, 2026. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-574-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is F1044.
A 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.
Campaign details
Identifiers and dates as filed with NHTSA
- Manufacturer
- Daimler Trucks North America, LLC
- Manufacturer's campaign number
- F1044
- NHTSA campaign number
- 26V702000
- Units potentially affected
- 13,593
- Report received
- Oct 22, 2026
- Production range
- Nov 18, 2024 – Sep 2, 2026
- Campaign type
- Vehicle
- Federal safety standard (FMVSS)
- 221
Vehicles covered
12 model years across 4 models
- Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2
- Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley
- Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner EFX2
- Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner HDX2
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.