RoadVitals

2009 Thomas Built Buses Ef

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

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.
0
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 no NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2009 Thomas Built Buses Ef. 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.

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
PE09021ClosedPreliminary Evaluation

SIDE WHEELCHAIR DOOR AJAR

Opened May 4, 2009
Closed Aug 7, 2009

THIS INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED AFTER ODI LEARNED THAT DURING IN SERVICE INSPECTIONS CONDUCTED BY THE NEW YORK DOT, THEY IDENTIFIED BUSES ON WHICH THE SIDE WHEELCHAIR DOORWOULD BECOME AJAR DURING THE DRIVING PORTION OF THE INSPECTION.ALLEGEDLY, UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, WHEN THE DOOR BECOMES AJAR, THE SERVICE BRAKES APPLY AND THE BUS CANNOT BE MOVED UNTIL THE DRIVER GETS OUT OF THE BUS AND SECURES THE DOOR. DAIMLER STATES THAT THE ISSUE STEMS FROM A MISADJUSTED DOOR LATCH SWITCH WHICH RESULTS IN AN OVERLY SENSITIVE AND FALSE LATCH SIGNAL. THIS CONDITION WOULD CAUSE THE BUZZER IN THE DRIVER'S COMPARTMENT TO SOUND, BUT WOULD NOT CAUSE THE VEHICLE'S BRAKES TO BE APPLIED WHILE THE BUS IS BEING OPERATED.FIELD WORK SHOWS THE DOOR IS NOT ACTUALLY OPEN, RATHER IT IS IN A POSITION THAT WOULD ACTIVATE THE SWITCH AND SEND A FALSE DOOR AJAR WARNING. THIS WAS THE RESULT OF AN IMPROPERLY ADJUSTED DOOR LATCH INTERLOCK SWITCH.FIELD WORK ALSO SHOWS THAT THE BRAKES WILL NOT APPLY UNLESS THE DRIVER SHIFTS THE VEHICLE OUT OF DRIVE INTO NEUTRAL AND IS GOING LESS THAN 5 MILES PER HOUR.DAIMLER REPORTED THATALLDOORS AND SWITCHES ON THE NEW YORKFLEET HAVE BEEN INSPECTED AND ADJUSTED AS NEEDED. BASED ON DAIMLER'S DATA AND FURTHER REVIEW INTO THIS ISSUE, A SAFETY RELATED DEFECT HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME AND FURTHER USE OF THE AGENCY RESOURCES ARE NOT CURRENTLY WARRANTED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT NO SAFETY DEFECT EXISTS.THE AGENCY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FURTHER ACTION ON THE VEHICLES IF WARRANTED.

STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR

Recent owner complaints

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

No owner complaints recorded for this model year

Either none have been filed with NHTSA, or this vehicle is too new for reports to have accumulated.

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—
2009Viewing002—
2008102—
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.