Blue Bird Body Company is recalling certain 2018-2022 All American buses

May 04, 2021 — Recall Campaign #21V312000

Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2018-2022 All American buses. The sealing washer may not seat correctly in the pilot bore holes, allowing the high pressure fuel rail assembly to leak.

The recall was influenced by the manufacturer with about 1,053 units affected.

See recall notice

NHTSA Safety Recall Notice

21V312000

Manufacturer:	Blue Bird Body Company
Recall date:	May 04, 2021
NHTSA Campaign #:	21V312000
Units affected:	1,053

Description:: Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2018-2022 All American buses. The sealing washer may not seat correctly in the pilot bore holes, allowing the high pressure fuel rail assembly to leak.
Consequeces:: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Corrective action:: The remedy for this recall is still under development. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 30, 2021. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R21BH-SB.
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:

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.;
2022 BLUE BIRD ALL AMERICAN SCHOOL BUS Complaints
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.;