RoadVitals

2008 Thomas Built Buses Ef

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
Latest Sep 17, 2009
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.
0
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.
2
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 2008 Thomas Built Buses Ef, most frequently naming the driver assistance category. 2 NHTSA investigations name it; and 1 manufacturer communication is 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

  • Driver assistance1100.0%

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

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Safety investigations

NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.

PE09047ClosedPreliminary Evaluation

THROTTLE STICKS ON FLOOR PLATE

Opened Sep 30, 2009
Closed Jan 4, 2010

THIS INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED AFTER AFLEET SUPERVISOR SUBMITTED A VOQ ON A MODEL YEAR 2008 THOMAS BUILT EF SCHOOL BUS AND REPORTED THAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WILL STICK AND WON'T RELEASE. THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED ON ONE OF THE FLEET BUSES AND THE DRIVER HAD TO FREE THE PEDAL BY HAND. ODI CONDUCTED A FIELD VISIT AND CONFIRMED BY INSPECTION THAT PUSHING AT THE PEDAL'S BASE (POSITION NEAREST THE DRIVER) WOULD SOMETIMES ALLOW IT TO STICK AT THE METAL SCUFF PLATE (ON THE FLOOR) WITHOUT RELEASING.A SECOND FLEET WAS CONTACTED AND THEY WERE ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. ODI CONVEYED ITS FIELD FINDINGS TO DAIMLER IN LATE NOVEMBER 2009 AND THEY FILED A SAFETY RECALL (09V-462) ON DECEMBER 1, 2009 OUTLINING THEIRREMEDY PROGRAM.DAIMLER WILL RAISE THE MOUNTING POSITIONOF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL 0.75 INCHES TO RESOLVE THE CLEARANCE ISSUE.DAIMLER IS RECALLING THE SUBJECT VEHICLES PLUS MODEL YEAR 2011.THE ACTION TAKEN BY DAIMLER (THOMAS BUILT)RESOLVES THIS INVESTIGATION.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDALLed to recall 09V462000
PE09004ClosedPreliminary Evaluation

BRAKE HOSE/TUBE ABRADING

Opened Jan 21, 2009
Closed Apr 16, 2009

THIS INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED AFTER ODI RECEIVED A COMPLAINT FROM A FLEET INDICATING THAT THE BRAKE HOSES WERE RUBBING AGAINST THE TRANSMISSION DIPSTICK TUBE.ON APRIL 2, 2009, DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA LLC FILED A SAFETY RECALL TO INSPECTED AND REROUTE THE AFFECTED BRAKE HOSES AND ANYDAMAGED HOSES WILL BE REPLACED. THE RECALL NUMBER ASSIGNED IS 09V-114.THIS RECALL ACTION RESOLVES THE ISSUES RAISED BY THIS INVESTIGATION. ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGSLed to recall 09V114000

Recent owner complaints

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

Driver assistance
Filed Sep 17, 2009

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 THOMAS BUILT BUS ENGINE FRONT (EF). THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS IN THE DEPRESSED POSITION. THE PEDAL ALSO BECAME STUCK IN THAT POSITION. THERE WAS EXTREME PRESSURE APPLIED TO THE BRAKE PEDAL, FOLLOWED BY NO RESPONSE. THE PARKING BRAKE RAPIDLY ENGAGED AND THE GEAR SHIFT WAS PLACED IN THE "NEUTRAL" POSITION IN ORDER TO SLOW DOWN AND STOP THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION WITH CAUTION. A CERTIFIED TECHNICIAN REPAIRED THE VEHICLE AND STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 37.920. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 38,090. UPDATED 10/21/09 *BF UPDATED 10/20/09. *JB

NHTSA ID
10284415
Incident
Sep 16, 2009
Mileage
37,920 mi

Manufacturer communications

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

24-13

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY:SOLENOID

13_Gentech DEF Coolant-Flow Solenoid, Testing and Replacement_24-13

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

Thomas Built Buses Ef by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2012010
2011010
2010003
2009002
2008Viewing102
2007111
2006022
2005011
2004011

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.