2004 US Bus Sturdibus Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2004 US Bus Sturdibus, 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
- Body & structure1100.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
ON TWO IDENTICAL 2004 U. S. BUS STURDIBUS SCHOOL BUSES ON CHEVROLET C5500 CHASSIS: WE NOTICED THAT THE FLOOR WAS BUBBLING AND SAGGING NEAR THE BACK END OF THE 36 PASSENGER BUS. THE BUS WITH MORE MILES WAS WORSE THAN THE OTHER ONE. THE ENTIRE FLOORING UNDERNEATH THE STUDENT SEATS HAD TO BE TORN OUT AND REPLACED. WHEN THE OLD FLOOR WAS PULLED UP, THE REASON WAS CLEAR: THERE WERE HUGE HOLES IN THE FLOOR, PUDDLES OF WATER STILL THERE AFTER THE BUS SAT ALL SUMMER AND THE WOOD WAS MOSTLY ROTTED. IT COULD BE SEEN THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO PREVENT WATER FROM THE ROADWAY FROM COMING UP AND SOAKING INTO THE PLYWOOD FLOOR. THE WOOD IS THIS FLOOR WAS UNTREATED AND OF POOR QUALITY AS WELL. IN SOME PLACES THE WOOD WAS NOT FASTENED DOWN AND HAD SLID OFF SUPPORT BEAMS. THESE CROSS BEAMS WERE INSUFFICIENT TO HOLD THE WEIGHT OF THE FLOOR AND, ON ONE BUS, THEY HAD ALL SNAPPED. FORTUNATELY, THE BUS WAS NOT INVOLVED IN A CRASH THAT WOULD HAVE TESTED THE INTEGRITY OF THE FLOOR STRUCTURE! THE FACT THAT BOTH BUSES HAD THIS PROBLEM TELLS ME IT MAY BE A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM THAT NEEDS INVESTIGATING -AS THERE MAY BE A LOT MORE OUT THERE IN THIS CONDITION. WE DO NOT EVER RUN A HOSE TO CLEAN OUR FLOORS INSIDE THE BUSES. WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY WARRANTY OR COMPENSATION FOR THE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS SPENT TO REPAIR AND STRENGTHEN THE FLOORING ON THESE BUSES! THE DEALER WHO SOLD THE BUSES TO US IS EITHER UNWILLING OR UNABLE TO HELP RECOVER OUR LOSSES. *TR
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
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .