Blue Bird Body Company is recalling certain 2007-2019 Blue Bird All American ambulance buses

Nov 14, 2018 — Recall Campaign #18V801000

Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2007-2019 Blue Bird All American ambulance buses. The clamps that secure the stacked stretchers may fail from repeated use or from high loads.

The recall was influenced by the manufacturer with about 86 units affected.

See recall notice

NHTSA Safety Recall Notice

18V801000

Manufacturer:	Blue Bird Body Company
Recall date:	November 14, 2018
NHTSA Campaign #:	18V801000
Units affected:	86

Description:: Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2007-2019 Blue Bird All American ambulance buses. The clamps that secure the stacked stretchers may fail from repeated use or from high loads.
Consequeces:: If the clamps fail with patients in the stretchers, it can increase the risk of injury.
Corrective action:: Blue Bird will notify owners, and dealers will install redesigned clamps, free of charge. The recall began December 12, 2018. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R18ZQ-NSB.
Notes:: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Affects the following:

2007-2019 BLUE BIRD ALL AMERICAN

2019 BLUE BIRD ALL AMERICAN 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. I look forward to your prompt response.;