THOMAS BUILT BUSES Complaints

THIS SCHOOL BUS USES A PLASTIC ELBOW TO CONNECT A COOLANT LINE TO REAR HEATER INSIDE THE BUS.THE ELBOW IS CRACKING AND OR FAILING WHICH ALLOWS HOT COOLANT INSIDE THE BUS BODY INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY TO THE PASSENGERS. THE BUS IS GENERALLY IN MOTION AND HEATER ON WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURS.*DT*JB *DT*JB

A 2018 THOMAS BUILT TYPE C SCHOOL BUS WAS TRAVELING AT A SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 42 MPH ON A CITY/URBAN STREET WITH 5 PASSENGERS, PLUS THE OPERATOR ON BOARD. A TREE FELL AND STRUCK THE BUS NEAR, OR ON, THE RIGHT FRONT WINDSHIELD/ROOF AREA. THIS IMPACT CAUSED THE ENTIRE ROOF AREA TO COLLAPSE WITH SEVERE DAMAGE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE BUS.

THERE IS A PLASTIC FITTING AT THE REAR HEATER THAT IS FAILING WHICH CAUSES HOT ANTI-FREEZE TO SPILL INTO THE PASSENGER AREA OF THE SCHOOL BUS. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON THREE BUSES IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS. HOT ANTI-FREEZE CAN CAUSE INJURY TO THE STUDENTS THAT ARE BEING TRANSPORTED.

PASSENGER SEATS BACKS WELDS BREAKING AWAY FROM SEAT FRAME AND LEAVING NO STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY

5 2007 AND 1 2008 THOMAS FRONT ENGINE TRANSIT TYPE SCHOOLS BUSES AT THREE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS IN INDIANA WERE FOUND TO HAVE CRACKS IN THE RIGHT FRAME RAIL, NEAR AXLE 2. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE 2008 WAS MANUFACTURED IN DECEMBER 2006; THE 5 2007'S WERE MANUFACTURED IN 2006 AS WELL. LOCAL THOMAS DEALER REPAIRED ALL 6 BUSES PER THOMAS SERVICE BULLETIN. ALL OTHER ACTIVE (USED IN SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION IN THE STATE OF INDIANA) THOMAS TRANSIT FRONT ENGINE SCHOOL BUSES IN THE STATE OF INDIANA WERE SPECIFICALLY INSPECTED TO ENSURE THEY DID NOT EXHIBIT SIGNS OF SIMILAR FRAME CRACKS; NO ADDITIONAL BUSES WITH CRACKED FRAMES WERE FOUND.

CHILD SAFETY CONCERN!! THE SEATS ARE THE ONLY SAFETY BARRIER FOR CHILDREN IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT!! BROKEN SEAT BACKS. 13 OUT OF 28 SEATS BROKEN. THE SHEET METAL BACKING IS BREAKING AROUND THE SPOT WELDS WHERE IT IS WELDED TO THE TUBE FRAME. THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH ALL BUSES WITH SYNTEC SEATS. HERE IS A LINK TO A VIDEO I CREATED TO SHOW THE ISSUE. IT'S NOT A VIDEO FROM THIS PARTICULAR BUS BUT THIS GIVES AN IDEA OF HOW SEVERE THE ISSUE IS. HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=PGAIX0AOJVY. *TR

THOMAS BUILT SCHOOL BUS WITH SYNTEC SEATS. 12 OUT OF 26 SEAT BACKS BROKEN. THE SEAT BACKS ARE CONSTRUCTED OF A TUBULAR FRAME WITH A SHEET METAL CENTER BACKING. THE SHEET METAL BACKING IS BREAKING AROUND THE SPOT WELDS WHERE THEY ARE SECURED TO THE TUBULAR FRAME. SCHOOL BUSES DO NOT HAVE SEAT BELTS THEREFORE THE SEAT IS THE SAFETY DEVICE FOR THE CHILDREN IF AN ACCIDENT WERE TO HAPPEN. THIS IS BELIEVED TO BE A SERIOUS CONCERN AND THE SEAT MANUFACTURER DOESN'T SEEM TO BE MOTIVATED TO ADDRESS THE SITUATION. *TR

THOMAS BUILT BUS - SAFE-T-LINER C-2: TWO INSTANCES IN LAST 4 MONTHS OF CHILDREN SLIDING FORWARD OUT OF THEIR SEATS AND BECOMING WEDGED ON THE FLOOR BETWEEN THE BOTTOM OF THE SEAT SUPPORTS. EACH INCIDENCE REQUIRED APPROXIMATELY 3 MINUTES TO EXTRICATE THE TRAPPED ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILD. I BELIEVE THAT FRONT TO BACK SEAT SPACING IS TOO TIGHT. IN AN EMERGENCY, THIS COULD BE A CONCERN. *TR

SOMETHING BROKE THE LOWER SIDE DASH WINDOW LT SIDE. THE GLASS IS BONDED TO THE FRAME WITH A RUBBER LIKE SUBSTANCE. THESE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE TEMPERED GLASS WHICH NORMALLY BREAK INTO SMALL SQUARES AND ARE FAIRLY HARMLESS. THIS WINDOW BROKE INTO SHARP STICK LIKE SHARDS RADIATING AROUND THE FRACTURE SITE AT THE TOP AREA WHERE THE GLASS WAS BONDED TO THE FRAME. THIS IS THE FIRST WINDOW BREAK WE HAVE HAD ON A C2 AND WE WERE ALARMED AT THE FAILURE OF THE GLASS TO DISINTEGRATE INTO THE USUAL SMALL SQUARES. DOES THE BONDING HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE CHANGE IN THE PATTERN? *TR

I REPRESENT CECIL COLLEGE IN NORTH EAST MD. I RECEIVED A SAFETY RECALL NOTICE 10V-393 CONCERNING OUR THOMAS BUILT BUS. THIS WAS A RE-NOTIFICATION DATED AUGUST 2012. I DID NOT RECEIVE THE FIRST ONE. ON 9/18/12, I CALLED AMERICAN BUS IN ANNAPOLIS MD (410-224-9775) AND SPOKE WITH [XXX] IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. [XXX] WAS GOING TO ORDER THE CLIP REQUIRED, MAIL IT TO ME, AND OUR FLEET MECHANIC WOULD INSTALL IT. AFTER THAT, I WAS GOING TO EMAIL A PICTURE OF THE COMPLETED WORK TO SATISFY THE RECALL. I HAVE CALLED [XXX] NINE TIMES SINCE 9/18/12, AND EACH TIME [XXX] TELLS ME THE PART IS ON BACKORDER. IT HAS BEEN 60 DAYS, AND I FELT I MUST NOTIFY YOU. [XXX] SAID THE CLIP WAS ORDERED FROM THOMAS BUS. I CALLED THOMAS BUS ON 11/14/12, AND KEPT GETTING BOUNCED AROUND FROM ONE PERSON TO THE NEXT. FINALLY, I LEFT MY NUMBER WITH [XXX], THOMAS BUS WARRANTY/RECALL DEPARTMENT ([XXX]) BUT SHE HASN'T CALLED ME BACK. [XXX] HAS ALWAYS BEEN VERY NICE THROUGH THIS ORDEAL AND I HAVE ALWAYS RECEIVED GOOD SERVICE FROM AMERCIAN BUS. THE PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE WITH THOMAS BUS. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR