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2004 Thomas MVP EF
The 2004 Thomas MVP EF appears in 6 NHTSA recall campaigns (structure, electrical system and fuel system, other) and in 1 consumer complaint filed with the agency.
The component named most often is engine and engine cooling: 500 of every 1,000 component mentions for this year, above the 63.7 per 1,000 across all 2004 model-year vehicles and against 100 per 1,000 for the Thomas MVP EF line as a whole.
That is more than the average of 0.5 complaints per model year across the 15 Thomas MVP EF model years on this register.
Complaints were received in the largest number in 2007 (1); the most recent in the file is dated 28 Mar 2007.
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation has opened 2 investigations naming this model year.
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 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 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: 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.
Filed by DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA (manufacturer campaign FL-525).
Defect, as filed: Certain 2001 through 2008 thomas built fs-56, er, mvp er, hdx, and mvp ef school buses manufactured from october 23, 2000, through january 24, 2006, equipped with tyco pc board and type II auto reset circuit breakers. Type II auto reset circuit breaker temperatures may exceed the rating of the tyco pc board causing the boards to melt potentially resulting in a vehicle fire.
Consequence: A vehicle fire can occur possibly resulting in a crash.
Remedy: Thomas built will notify owners and repair the buses by replacing the type II auto reset circuit breakers with manual circuit breakers, and the jumper cable. The recall began on march 28, 2008. Owners may contact thomas built customer support office at 336-889-4871.
Filed by FREIGHTLINER LLC (manufacturer campaign FL-516).
Defect, as filed: Certain 2004 and 2005 freightliner van, motor home, shuttle bus, and school bus chassis manufactured between january 2004 and may 2005. Erratic voltage supply to the fuel lift pump causes premature wear of the pump. This premature wear could result in fuel lift pump failure and in some cases may cause an engine stall condition.
Consequence: Should the engine stall, a vehicle crash could occur.
Remedy: Cummins will notify the owners of the freightliner and thomas built vehicles and will repair the engines by emc recalibration and replacement of the fuel lift pump at no charge to the customer. Owners may contact cummins assistance center 1-800-diesels (1-800-343-7357) or freightliner at 1-800-547-0712.
Filed by FREIGHTLINER LLC (manufacturer campaign FL-463).
Defect, as filed: Certain 2002-2005 my thomas built minotour, conventional, mvp-er, er, hdx, and mvp-ef model school buses manufactured between january 8, 2002, and march 8, 2005, equipped with specialty mfg "5" series stop arms originally sold in or currently registered in states other than the following states: alaska, colorado, connecticut, delaware, idaho, illinois, indiana, iowa, kansas, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, montana, nebraska, nevada, new hampshire, new jersey, new mexico, new york, north dakota, ohio, oregon, pennsylvania, rhode island, south dakota, tennessee, utah, vermont, virginia, washington, west virginia, wisconsin, wyoming, and the district of columbia. In extremely cold weather, the microswitches used internally to position the stop arm sign in the open and closed positions may malfunction, causing the sign to open or close in an improper position, or to not open at all.
Consequence: Should the stop arm not perform properly, a child or pedestrian may be endangered by passing vehicles should the motorist not stop at the correct location.
Remedy: For those buses operated in or near any of the states listed above, thomas built is encouraging the bus owners to obtain the replacement switch. For those buses operated in the warmer states, dealers will replace the switch upon owner request. For those customers who request the remedy, thomas built will replace the original switch with a switch pack that is not sensitive to extreme cold weather and will inspect to ensure the microswitch heater wiring is properly connected. The recall began on september 14, 2005. Owners may contact thomas built's customer support office at 336-889-4871.
Filed by FREIGHTLINER LLC (manufacturer campaign FL-454).
Defect, as filed: Certain 2002-2005 my thomas built minotour, conventional, mvp-er, er, hdx, and mvp-ef model school buses manufactured between january 8, 2002, and march 8, 2005, equipped with specialty mfg "5" series stop arms originally sold in or currently registered in the following states: alaska, colorado, connecticut, delaware, idaho, illinois, indiana, iowa, kansas, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, montana, nebraska, nevada, new hampshire, new jersey, new mexico, new york, north dakota, ohio, oregon, pennsylvania, rhode island, south dakota, tennessee, utah, vermont, virginia, washington, west virginia, wisconsin, wyoming, and the district of columbia. In extremely cold weather, the microswitches used internally to position the stop arm sign in the open and closed positions may malfunction, causing the sign to open or close in an improper position, or to not open at all.
Consequence: Should the stop arm not perform properly, a child or pedestrian may be endangered by passing vehicles should the motorist not stop at the correct location.
Remedy: Thomas built will notify its owners and replace the original switch with a switch pack that is not sensitive to extreme cold weather and will inspect to ensure the microswitch heater wiring is properly connected free of charge. The recall began on september 14, 2005. Owners may contact thomas built's customer support office at 336-889-4871.
Filed by FREIGHTLINER LLC (manufacturer campaign FL-454).
Defect, as filed: Certain 2001-2004 my thomas built mvp-ef, er transit, mvp-er, hd, and hdx school buses manufactured between september 24, 2000, and march 4, 2004. The tie rod assembly can fracture and fail, possibly resulting in complete separation.
Consequence: Tie rod failure can possibly result in complete wheel separation and a vehicle crash could occur.
Remedy: Thomas built will notify its customers and will replace the tie rod assembly free of charge. The recall began september 6, 2005. Owners may contact thomas built at (we do not yet have a telephone number).
Filed by FREIGHTLINER LLC (manufacturer campaign FL-441).
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
Component mentions per 1,000 for the 2004 Thomas MVP EF (black) against all 2004 model-year vehicles in the file (yellow). A complaint can name more than one component.
| Per 1,000 component mentions | 2004 | MVP EF line | All 2004 vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 500 | 100 | 63.7 |
| Structure | 500 | 300 | 71.1 |
| Component | Mentions | Per 1,000 | Line | All 2004 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 500 | 100 | 63.7 |
| Structure | 1 | 500 | 300 | 71.1 |
1 unique complaints, 2 component mentions; 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported by complainants. Complaint narratives are not republished.
Complaints by year received
Investigations
| Action | Type | Subject | Component | Opened | Closed | Recall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PE07054 | Preliminary evaluation | EMERGENCY DOOR HANDLE FAILURE | structure:body:door:hinge and attachments | 9 Nov 2007 | 4 Mar 2008 | 08V087000 |
| PE04062 | Preliminary evaluation | TIE ROD TUBE FAILURE | steering:linkages:tie rod assembly | 3 Sep 2004 | 2 Feb 2005 | — |
Other Thomas MVP EF model years
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints | Units in campaigns |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 3 | 0 | 11,865 |
| 1995 | 4 | 0 | 255,300 |
| 1996 | 4 | 1 | 261,257 |
| 1997 | 6 | 2 | 301,442 |
| 1998 | 8 | 3 | 317,903 |
| 1999 | 10 | 0 | 333,918 |
| 2000 | 11 | 0 | 77,540 |
| 2001 | 10 | 0 | 312,434 |
| 2002 | 9 | 0 | 328,835 |
| 2003 | 6 | 0 | 317,094 |
| 2004 | 6 | 1 | 309,404 |
| 2005 | 5 | 0 | 304,585 |
| 2006 | 4 | 0 | 279,203 |
| 2007 | 4 | 0 | 279,203 |
| 2008 | 4 | 0 | 296,355 |
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 MVP EF model years · Thomas: 27 model lines
Questions and answers
How many recalls does the 2004 Thomas MVP EF have?
6 NHTSA recall campaigns name this model year; the most recent, 08V087000, was reported to NHTSA on 26 Feb 2008 and concerns structure:body:door:hinge and attachments. Across all model years the Thomas MVP EF line has 24 campaigns.
Is there an open NHTSA investigation into the 2004 Thomas MVP EF?
NHTSA's investigation file lists 2 actions naming this model year; the table above shows each action's opening and closing dates. An action with no closing date was still open when the file was produced.
What component do owners of the 2004 Thomas MVP EF complain about most?
Engine and Engine Cooling: 1 of 2 component mentions (500 per 1,000). Next is structure with 1. Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA.
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.