BLUE BIRD Complaints

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.

Wipers / heater stop working when traveling and hit a bump. Turning on high beams cause the wipers to stop working. I believe the issue is wiring related and localized to a harness under the dash.

Two student seat backs failed in multiple locations. The seat back structures also had welds that did not penetrate and failed and and the metal mesh that forms the seat back broke into pieces. A complaint of a student feeling something poking him led me to investigate the seats and find the failures in two of the seats in the bus. The student safety was put at risk. In the event of an accident a student could have been injured due to the overall structural failure of the seat back. I have contacted the local Blue Bird Dealer and requested a factory representative review the seat. I have owned this vehicle since new and it has not been involved in an accident.

The student seat back failed in multiple locations. On the main frame of the seat welds failed and the seat frame broke. The seat back structure also had weld failures and and the metal mesh that forms the seat back broke into pieces. The student safety was put at risk. In the event of an accident a student could have been impaled in the broken seat frame or injured due to the overall structural failure of the seat back. I have contacted the local Blue Bird Dealer and requested a factory representative review the seat. I have owned this vehicle since new and it has not been involved in an accident.

* Propane Barrier Tank Bracket cracks at fastener locations * Michigan State Police Identified as a violation *Any fuel tank impact protection cage that fails to comply with FMVSS301 * Inspected by Michigan State Police, OEM Bus dealer *No warning, found on safety inspection

* Propane Barrier Tank Bracket cracks at fastener locations * Michigan State Police Identified as a violation *Any fuel tank impact protection cage that fails to comply with FMVSS301 * Inspected by Michigan State Police, OEM Bus dealer *No warning, found on safety inspection

* Propane Barrier Tank Bracket cracks at fastener locations * Michigan State Police Identified as a violation *Any fuel tank impact protection cage that fails to comply with FMVSS301 * Inspected by Michigan State Police, OEM Bus dealer *No warning, found on safety inspection Second Crack 1-2-23 @ 49,401

* Propane Barrier Tank Bracket cracks at fastener locations * Michigan State Police Identified as a violation *Any fuel tank impact protection cage that fails to comply with FMVSS301 * Inspected by Michigan State Police, OEM Bus dealer *No warning, found on safety inspection

* Propane Barrier Tank Bracket cracks at fastener locations * Michigan State Police Identified as a violation *Any fuel tank impact protection cage that fails to comply with FMVSS301 * Inspected by Michigan State Police, OEM Bus dealer *No warning, found on safety inspection Second Crack 2-20-23 @ 51,611

* Propane Barrier Tank Bracket cracks at fastener locations * Michigan State Police Identified as a violation *Any fuel tank impact protection cage that fails to comply with FMVSS301 * Inspected by Michigan State Police, OEM Bus dealer *No warning, found on safety inspection Repaired by dealer cracked 2nd time 3-20-23 @ 37,524