BLUE BIRD Complaints

Durring inspection i observed an exhaust clip making direct contact with a brake line and it had caused some wear to the metal brake line. This vehicle is an active school bus and I found similar failures or evidence of contact on all 3 of my bluebird vision buses equipped with the 7.3 gas V8.

I am an owner of a school bus company with a major concern. After speaking with many of our local contractors with similar failures and who share the same concern, I felt it was my duty to report this. I had a Bluebird Vision break down while crossing a busy highway, fully loaded with students going home. Ford refused to honor the warranty for the transmission due to failed O-rings on the Bluebird radiator. This was an extremely scary incident for our driver and the students and then I had to pay over $9,000.00 for a repair that should've been covered under warranty.

The contact called about a 2020 Blue Bird BB Conventional. The contact was a bus driver for the Coweta School District and stated that while at the diesel fuel pump, diesel spilled out of the spout. The contact stated that the failure occurred after the vehicle was fueled and while closing the fuel cap. The contact stated that approximately two gallons of diesel spilled out of the spout. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked, and the following day, the contact found a diesel fuel spill on the ground. The contact stated that approximately four gallons of diesel were lost. No warning lights were illuminated. A contact notified the fleet mechanic about the issue. The mechanic informed the contact that the described incident was normal for the type of school bus and to continue driving the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure was a recurring failure, and the contact parked the vehicle, and the vehicle was no longer driven due to safety concerns. The contact stated that other bus drivers also complained about similar failures with other Blue Bird School buses. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

The contact owns a 2023 Blue Bird Conventional Bus. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the instrument panel unexpectedly rebooted. The contact also stated that while attempting to make a turn, the bus experienced a reduction in power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 61,000.

The contact's employer owns a 2022 Blue Bird Conventional. The contact stated that upon further inspection, it was noticed that the battery arms were fracturing at the frame of the bolts. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign: 17V100000 (Structure); however, the VIN was not included. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,928.

The complaint was submitted on behalf of the Buna ISD School System. The contact was a certified mechanic for the Buna ISD School System. The contact inspected the 2023 Blue Bird School/Transit Bus and noticed that all the seat knobs were fractured. In addition, the contact inspected the fleet of buses with the same failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Bluebird Next Gen seats continuously break. The seat bottoms break under the weight of a high school aged kid. If the child is sitting in the seat when it breaks it could injure the child. The seat backs also break regularly.

I am writing to bring to your attention several persistent issues we have encountered with the Blue Bird student seating in our buses. The seat backs, constructed from a black mesh material welded at all four corners and secured with a top bar, have repeatedly failed. We have observed that nearly all of our seats have broken seat backs, necessitating multiple repairs at Central States of Lexington. Despite these efforts, we continue to find broken seat frames. This is particularly concerning as, in the event of an accident, these seats would not adequately provide the necessary compartmentalization for student safety. We are in the process of replacing the seat frames in the buses that are currently damaged, but given our experience, we believe that using the same materials will only result in further issues in the near future. To date, we have identified a total of six buses affected by this problem. The Kentucky Department of Education has conducted a review of our district's situation and expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of the seats provided by Blue Bird. This leads us to believe that this issue may not be limited to our district or state. Please advise on how you would like to proceed with the investigation of this complaint. We currently have one bus out of service at our shop, available for in-person inspection. Additionally, I can provide photographs that document the problems we have encountered with the seating in our Blue Bird buses. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. I look forward to your prompt response.

I am writing to bring to your attention several persistent issues we have encountered with the Blue Bird student seating in our buses. The seat backs, constructed from a black mesh material welded at all four corners and secured with a top bar, have repeatedly failed. We have observed that nearly all of our seats have broken seat backs, necessitating multiple repairs at Central States of Lexington. Despite these efforts, we continue to find broken seat frames. This is particularly concerning as, in the event of an accident, these seats would not adequately provide the necessary compartmentalization for student safety. We are in the process of replacing the seat frames in the buses that are currently damaged, but given our experience, we believe that using the same materials will only result in further issues in the near future. To date, we have identified a total of six buses affected by this problem. The Kentucky Department of Education has conducted a review of our district's situation and expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of the seats provided by Blue Bird. This leads us to believe that this issue may not be limited to our district or state. Please advise on how you would like to proceed with the investigation of this complaint. We currently have one bus out of service at our shop, available for in-person inspection. Additionally, I can provide photographs that document the problems we have encountered with the seating in our Blue Bird buses. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. I look forward to your prompt response.

I am writing to bring to your attention several persistent issues we have encountered with the Blue Bird student seating in our buses. The seat backs, constructed from a black mesh material welded at all four corners and secured with a top bar, have repeatedly failed. We have observed that nearly all of our seats have broken seat backs, necessitating multiple repairs at Central States of Lexington. Despite these efforts, we continue to find broken seat frames. This is particularly concerning as, in the event of an accident, these seats would not adequately provide the necessary compartmentalization for student safety. We are in the process of replacing the seat frames in the buses that are currently damaged, but given our experience, we believe that using the same materials will only result in further issues in the near future. To date, we have identified a total of six buses affected by this problem. The Kentucky Department of Education has conducted a review of our district's situation and expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of the seats provided by Blue Bird. This leads us to believe that this issue may not be limited to our district or state. Please advise on how you would like to proceed with the investigation of this complaint. We currently have one bus out of service at our shop, available for in-person inspection. Additionally, I can provide photographs that document the problems we have encountered with the seating in our Blue Bird buses. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. I look forward to your prompt response.