RoadVitals

2009 Thomas School Bus Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

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
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
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.
1

What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2009 Thomas School Bus, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Reports by component

Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category

  • 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.

Each component in detail

What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words

Interior & seats

Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.

2
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

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 · filed Jun 10, 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 · filed May 30, 2014

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Electrical

Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

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 · filed Nov 27, 2012

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

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.

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .