Seats (Thomas Built Buses)
Vehicle recall 19V-712. NHTSA received Daimler Trucks North America LLC’s report on Oct 4, 2019.
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The short answer
NHTSA received Daimler Trucks North America LLC’s report on Oct 4, 2019. Copied from NHTSA on Oct 24, 2026.
Every line below is in NHTSA’s own words, with its source beside it.
What’s wrong with it?
The lack of impact absorption increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2014-2020 Thomas Built Saf-T-Liner EFX, Minotour, Saf-T-Liner C2, and Saf-T-Liner HDX school buses equipped with SynTec S3B or S3C seats.
The seats may have been manufactured with styrene blocks that may not provide sufficient impact absorption in certain specific areas around the steel seat frame of the back support.
As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 222, “School Bus Passenger Seating and Crash Protection.”
NHTSA, Recalls flat file. Released Oct 24, 2026. Updated daily.
- NHTSA’s part: Seats.
What should you do?
DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will install additional impact material between the re-bond back and the vinyl back cover to increase the amount of absorption, free of charge. DTNA issued owners an interim notification on November 29, 2019. The recall began June 22, 2020. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA’s number for this recall is FL-832.
NHTSA, Recalls flat file. Released Oct 24, 2026. Updated daily.
- How to reach the firm: 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.
- Check a vehicle by its VIN at NHTSA: the recalls still open on it are listed there.
Which ones are recalled?
NHTSA counts 53,528 vehicles potentially involved, across everything this recall names.
Each model year opens its own page: every recall naming it, its owner complaints and its crash ratings.
NHTSA, Recalls flat file. Released Oct 24, 2026. Updated daily.
- Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner EFX202020192018201720162015and 2014, before the model years listed here
- Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner HDX202020192018201720162015and 2014, before the model years listed here
- Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2202020192018201720162015and 2014, before the model years listed here
- Thomas Built Buses Minotour202020192018201720162015and 2014, before the model years listed here
Who is recalling it?
- Made by Daimler Trucks North America LLC.
NHTSA, Recalls flat file. Released Oct 24, 2026. Updated daily.
What the record doesn’t say
- NHTSA’s recall file doesn’t say whether anyone was hurt. Owners’ complaints are counted on each vehicle’s page.
- Whether one vehicle or seat has been fixed: only its maker, or NHTSA’s lookup with a VIN, can say.
- How many have been returned or fixed isn’t in the notice.
Hearth Record wrote these lines.
Sources
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National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010).
Released Oct 24, 2026 and checked Oct 24, 2026. Updated daily. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
Vehicle, car seat, tire and vehicle equipment recalls, owner complaints and crash ratings are from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Copied on Oct 24, 2026.