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2021 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner EFX
The 2021 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner EFX appears in 7 NHTSA recall campaigns (equipment, structure and seats) and in 0 consumer complaints filed with the agency.
No consumer complaints for this model year are in the NHTSA file.
Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA. Recall text is the manufacturer's Part 573 report as filed with NHTSA. Complaint file through 15 May 2019; recall file through 29 Sep 2026.
Recalls by model year:
Recall campaigns
Defect, as filed: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain Thomas Built Buses 2019-2022 Saf-T-Liner C2, Saf-T-Liner EFX, Saf-T-Liner HDX, Minotour DRW, 2020-2022 Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley, and Minotour SRW school buses. The Emergency Exit Label lettering is too small and may be difficult to read. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 217, "Bus Emergency Exits and Window Retention and Release."
Consequence: Emergency exit labels that are difficult to read can prevent or delay the use of the emergency exit, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will correct the lettering, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 5, 2024. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL918.
Filed by Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (manufacturer campaign FL918).
Defect, as filed: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2011-2023 Thomas Built EFX and HDX school buses. The exterior roof panel was manufactured with insufficient joint strength. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 221, "School Bus Body Joint Strength."
Consequence: A school bus exterior roof panel with insufficient joint strength may separate during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will add additional mechanical fasteners to secure the joints, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 2, 2023. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL957.
Filed by Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (manufacturer campaign FL957).
Defect, as filed: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2014-23 Thomas Built Buses HDX and 2014-22 EFX school buses equipped with 39-inch S3C seat frames and 3-point flex seatbelts. The passenger seat frames may crack and rotate from fatigue.
Consequence: Cracked passenger seat frames may not adequately secure passengers in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will secure the seat frames with brackets, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mail December 4, 2023. Owners may contact DTNA's customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL946.
Filed by Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (manufacturer campaign FL946); components: seats:mid/rear assembly; seats.
Defect, as filed: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner EFX School Buses. The passenger seat mounting bolts may break due to improperly placed mounting that allows contact with the chassis cross member bolts. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorage" and 222, "School Bus Passenger Seating and Crash Protection."
Consequence: A seat with broken mounting bolts may not properly restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing their risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will add a spacer to provide proper clearance between the passenger seat mounting and chassis cross member bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 2, 2022. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-921.
Filed by Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (manufacturer campaign FL-921).
Defect, as filed: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Thomas Built EFX and HDX school buses. The nut for the power cable stud on the alternator may not have been tightened properly, which can cause a loose cable connection.
Consequence: A loose power cable connection may cause electrical arcing, which can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the alternator power cable connection and tighten it if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on December 17, 2021. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL904.
Filed by Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (manufacturer campaign FL904).
Defect, as filed: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2, Saf-T-Liner EFX, and Saf-T-Liner HDX school buses. The steering arm and tie rod bolts may have a defective seam that can fracture.
Consequence: A fractured bolt may cause a loss of steering, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the tie rod arm bolts and steering arm, free of charge. The recall began on June 10, 2021. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-884.
Filed by Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (manufacturer campaign FL-884); components: steering:critical fasteners; steering:linkages:tie rod assembly.
Defect, as filed: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2021 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner HDX and EFX school buses. On certain vehicles, one of the six brake caliper mounting bolts on the driver side steer axle may have been incorrectly tightened.
Consequence: The loose bolt could result in the other caliper bolts to loosen. Insufficiently tightened bolts may not provide adequate clamping force between the brake caliper and brake anchor plate, resulting in reduced brake effectiveness, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and repair as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 17, 2021. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-873.
Filed by Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (manufacturer campaign FL-873).
Each entry links to the NHTSA record. NHTSA states that safety recall repairs are free of charge at an authorised dealer; check a specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Complaints by component
No consumer complaints for this model year are in the NHTSA file.
Investigations
No NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation action in the current file names this model year.
Other Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner EFX model years
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints | Units in campaigns |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 2 | 0 | 4,386 |
| 2007 | 2 | 0 | 4,386 |
| 2008 | 2 | 0 | 4,386 |
| 2009 | 2 | 1 | 4,386 |
| 2010 | 2 | 0 | 4,386 |
| 2011 | 3 | 0 | 21,999 |
| 2012 | 4 | 0 | 22,327 |
| 2013 | 9 | 0 | 128,766 |
| 2014 | 15 | 0 | 108,964 |
| 2015 | 12 | 0 | 109,206 |
| 2016 | 12 | 0 | 106,212 |
| 2017 | 16 | 0 | 120,639 |
| 2018 | 14 | 0 | 119,849 |
| 2019 | 10 | 0 | 120,020 |
| 2020 | 8 | 0 | 106,075 |
| 2021 | 7 | 0 | 50,144 |
| 2022 | 6 | 0 | 50,138 |
| 2023 | 6 | 0 | 21,098 |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 2,895 |
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | 3,628 |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 2,942 |
Model years with a single campaign and fewer than 25 complaints have no page here; the NHTSA link opens the agency's record for that year.
All Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner EFX model years · Thomas Built Buses: 22 model lines
Questions and answers
How many recalls does the 2021 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner EFX have?
7 NHTSA recall campaigns name this model year; the most recent, 24V555000, was reported to NHTSA on 24 Jul 2024 and concerns equipment:other:labels. Across all model years the Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner EFX line has 42 campaigns.
Is there an open NHTSA investigation into the 2021 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner EFX?
No NHTSA investigation in the current file names this model year.
What component do owners of the 2021 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner EFX complain about most?
No complaints for this model year are in the NHTSA file.
How do I get a recall repaired?
NHTSA states that safety recall repairs are performed free of charge by the manufacturer's authorised dealers. Each campaign's remedy text above is the manufacturer's statement as filed with NHTSA. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
Where does this data come from?
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation recall, complaint and investigation flat files, public domain, downloaded 29 Sep 2026. Complaint counts are unique complaint numbers per make, model and model year; component figures count each component a complaint names. The NHTSA record linked from each campaign is authoritative.
Provenance
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Defects Investigation flat files (recalls, complaints, investigations), public domain, files dated 29 Sep 2026 (recalls) and 15 May 2019 (complaints). Complaints since 1 Jan 1995. Counts are unique complaint numbers per make, model and model year; per-1,000 rates divide a component's mentions by all mentions for the same group. Errors in processing are corrected at the next daily build; see corrections and the methodology.