2003 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2003 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2. The newest campaign is 18V083000. NHTSA received the report on 30 Jan 2018. The NHTSA record gives the component Equipment. NHTSA has 1 complaint on file for this model year. 1 NHTSA investigation names this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 18V083000, in the NHTSA record

DTNA will notify owners instructing them to contact Kidde for a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 30, 2018. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712 or Kidde customer service at 1-855-262-3540 or online at www.kidde.com and click on "Product Safety Recall" for more information. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-759.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 30 Sep 2026. Recall file through 30 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

4 campaigns, newest first. 319,801 units in total.

18V08300030 Jan 2018Equipment
08V08800026 Feb 2008Equipment Adaptive/Mobility
08V08700026 Feb 2008Structure / Body / Door / Hinge and Attachments
07V30200016 Jul 2007Service Brakes, Air / Supply / Check Valve

18V083000Received 30 Jan 2018. 606 units.
Equipment
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2002-2017 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2, Saf-T-Liner HDX, FS65, and Minotour school buses, equipped with Kidde Plastic-Handle or Push Button 'Pindicator' Fire Extinguishers. These extinguishers may become clogged, preventing the extinguisher from discharging as expected or requiring excessive force to activate the extinguisher. Additionally, in certain models, the nozzle may detach from the valve assembly with enough force that it could cause injury and also render the product inoperable. For a full list of the affected fire extinguisher models visit: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RMISC-17E062-5427.pdf
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
In the event of a fire, if the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
DTNA will notify owners instructing them to contact Kidde for a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 30, 2018. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712 or Kidde customer service at 1-855-262-3540 or online at www.kidde.com and click on "Product Safety Recall" for more information. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-759.
Report filed by Daimler Trucks North America LLC. Manufacturer campaign number FL-759. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 11 Apr 2018.
08V088000Received 26 Feb 2008. 760 units.
Equipment Adaptive/Mobility
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Daimler trucks is recalling 760 my 2003-2007 thomas built school buses manufactured between july 6, 2005 and july 19, 2006, equipped with braun wheelchair lifts, models nl, ncl, or nvl. The threshold warning systems of the subject model wheelchair lifts fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 403, platform lift systems for motor vehicles.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Should the threshold warning system fail to operate, the lift user can fall from the vehicle and be seriously injured.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Daimler trucks will notify owners and provide a free remedy which will be performed by thomas built dealerships. The recall began on august 8, 2008. Owners may contact thomas built at 336-889-4871.
Report filed by DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA. Manufacturer campaign number FL-524. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 8 Aug 2008.
08V087000Received 26 Feb 2008. 243,435 units.
Structure / Body / Door / Hinge and Attachments
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Daimler trucks is recalling 243,435 my 1995-2008 thomas built school buses manufactured between january 1994, and march 10, 2008. (additional buses have been added to this recall campaign. Please see supplemental report no. 4) the emergency exit door handle begins corroding around the securing roll pin and square drive mechanism causing the protective finish to chip and flake. Continued corrosion and pitting weakens the handle. Handles weakened by corrosion may break while trying to open the door from the exterior.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
In the event of an emergency, a person on the outside of the bus may break the door handle trying to open the emergency exit potentially delaying evacuation and increasing the risk of personal injury to the vehicle's occupants.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Daimler trucks will notify owners and will replace the handles with a more robust handle free of charge. Repairs will be performed by thomas built buses dealerships. The recall began on august 18, 2008, and notification for the revised population is expected to begin on or about april 29, 2009. Owners may contact thomas built at 336-889-4871.
Report filed by DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA. Manufacturer campaign number FL-525. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 18 Aug 2008.
07V302000Received 16 Jul 2007. 75,000 units.
Service Brakes, Air / Supply / Check Valve
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Certain freightliner school bus chassis, heavy trucks, and thomas built school buses manufactured between july 2002 and july 3, 2007, equipped with bendix sr-7 spring brake control valves. The parker scv brass 90 degree single check valves (scv) which attach to the supply port of a bendix sr-7 spring brake modulating valve can break apart. Pieces of the parker scv can become lodged inside the sr-7 spring brake modulating valve, potentially causing either leakage out of the sr-7 valve or preventing air from properly exhausting from the sr-7 valve. Also, due to a manufacturing defect in the internal rubber check valve inside the sr-7 spring brake modulating valves, the valves can become deformed and not seat properly.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
These conditions could either result in leakage and cause a delay in the application of the spring brake without warning or possibly lead to unintended vehicle rollaway or brake drag which could result in a vehicle crash, personal injury, or death.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Freightliner will notify owners and repair the vehicles free of charge. The recall began on january 11, 2008 to freightliner, sterling, and freightliner custom chassis owners; to thomas built bus owners on february 1, 2008. Owners can contact freightliner at 1-800-547-0712.
Report filed by FREIGHTLINER LLC. Manufacturer campaign number FL-504. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 11 Jan 2008.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

1 complaint, 1 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. This model year has fewer than 50 component mentions, so the table shows the number of mentions only.

2003 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2: component mentions in complaints
Component		Mentions
Fuel System, Gasoline		1

Complaints that report a crash: 0
Complaints that report a fire: 0
Injuries in the complaints: 0
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 29 Aug 2011

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 2003 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2011, with 1 complaint.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 2003 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
PE07054	Preliminary evaluation	EMERGENCY DOOR HANDLE FAILURE	Structure / Body / Door / Hinge and Attachments	9 Nov 2007	4 Mar 2008	08V087000

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 2003 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2The recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 2003 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/thomas-built-buses/saf-t-liner-c2/2003/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 30 Sep 2026
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: Daimler Trucks North America LLC

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2003 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2?: 319,801 units in 4 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2 have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 134 recall campaigns for the Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2, model years 1995 to 2027. 4 of them name the 2003 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 2003 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2 name most often?: Fuel System, Gasoline: 1 of 1 component mention.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2003 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner C2 open?: No. The 1 investigation that names this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.