RoadVitals

2009 Thomas School Bus

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.
3
Latest Jun 10, 2014
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.
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.
1

Overview

Our database contains 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2009 Thomas School Bus, most frequently naming the interior & seats and electrical categories.

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

  • Interior & seats266.7%
  • Electrical133.3%

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.

Recent owner complaints

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

Interior & seats
Filed Jun 10, 2014

STUDENT SEATS BROKEN. FIVE OUT OF FIFTEEN OF THE SEATS ON THIS BUS HAVE BROKEN SEAT BACKS. THE SHEET METAL BACKING IN THE INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE FRAME IS BREAKING AROUND THE SPOT WELDS WHERE IT IS WELDED TO THE STEEL TUBE FRAME. THERE IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THESE SEATS MANUFACTURED BY SYNTEC INC. MOST BUSSES RUNNING DOWN THE ROAD HAVE BROKEN SEAT BACKS IF THEY HAVE NOT ALREADY BEEN REPAIRED. THE SEATS ARE THE SAFETY BARRIER FOR THE STUDENTS IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH AND THIS COULD BE AFFECTING THE STUDENT SAFETY. *TR

NHTSA ID
10597385
Incident
Jun 10, 2014
Mileage
42,677 mi
Interior & seats
Filed May 30, 2014

SEAT BACKS BROKEN, SHEET METAL BACKING BREAKING AROUND THE SPOT WELDS WHERE IT IS SECURED TO THE TUBE FRAME. SYNTEC SEAT - MANUFACTURER. *TR

NHTSA ID
10595064
Incident
May 29, 2014
Mileage
46,558 mi
Electrical
Filed Nov 27, 2012
Fire reported

BUS WAS IN SERVICE AND ON ROUTE WITH STUDENTS ON BOARD. BUS INTERIOR STARTED FILLING WITH SMOKE. DRIVER PULLED OVER AND DID AN EMERGENCY EVACUATION OF STUDENTS. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE A/C 24 VOLT ALT HAD FULL FIELDED AND CAUSED THE WIRING TO COMPLETELY MELT THE SHEATHING ON THE ALT POWER WIRE. BACKFEED THROUGH THE SYSTEM CAUSED THE CONTROLLER TO BURN UP INSIDE THE BUS. CARRIER HAS TOLD US THEY KNOW OF THIS PROBLEM AND THEY HAVE A FIX FOR IT. THIS IS ONE OF AT LEAST 10 WE HAVE HAD HAPPEN. SOMETIME IT BURNS UP THE CONDENSER MOTORS AND THE EVAP MOTORS AS WELL. *TR

NHTSA ID
10486190
Incident
Nov 1, 2012
Mileage
72,354 mi

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Thomas School Bus by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2011200—
2010200—
2009Viewing300—
2004111—
2002202—
1999302—
1998500—
1997100—
1996221—
1995021—
1994041—
1993042—
19920101—
19910111—
19900121—
1989091—
1988081—
1987060—
1986060—
1985060—
1984040—
1983040—
1982041—
1981040—
1980040—
1979030—
1978030—
1977030—

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.