Recall Register

1989 Thomas SAF-T-Liner: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 1989 Thomas SAF-T-Liner. The newest campaign is 97V133000. NHTSA received the report on 22 Aug 1997. The NHTSA record gives the component Electrical System / 12v/24v/48v Battery / Cables. NHTSA has no complaint on file for this model year. 2 NHTSA investigations name 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, 97V133000, in the NHTSA record

Thomas built will provide owners with repair parts and detailed repair procedures to secure the cable to prevent further damage. If the owner so desires, thomas built will perform the repair for them.
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 . Complaint file through . Recall file through .

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. 129,903 units in total.

  • 97V133000Electrical System / 12v/24v/48v Battery / Cables
  • 97V030000Service Brakes, Air / Drum / Chamber
  • 96V139000Structure / Body
  • 96V021000Service Brakes, Air / Drum / Chamber

  1. 97V133000Received . 8,107 units.

    Electrical System / 12v/24v/48v Battery / Cables

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Vehicle description: school and transit buses equipped with in-line six engine,"s" type frame rails and side mounted battery box. The battery cable routing allows the positive cable to chafe resulting in a possible short circuit of the cable.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    If an electrical short occurs, it can cause loss of power to the vehicle and a possible vehicle fire.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Thomas built will provide owners with repair parts and detailed repair procedures to secure the cable to prevent further damage. If the owner so desires, thomas built will perform the repair for them.

    Report filed by THOMAS BUILT BUSES, INC.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  2. 97V030000Received . 695 units.

    Service Brakes, Air / Drum / Chamber

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Contact between the brake chamber and the suspension beam can result in damage to the brake chamber clamp band.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    If the damage to the clamp band resulted in band breakage, the chamber could come apart resulting in loss of the service brakes. The emergency brakes would automatically apply.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Dealers will inspect the brake chamber for signs of contact. If contact is indicated, the brake cam shaft and chamber support bracket will be replaced, eliminating the possibility of contact between the brake chamber and the suspension beam.

    Report filed by THOMAS BUILT BUSES, INC.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  3. 96V139000Received . 120,371 units.

    Structure / Body

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    An item worn by a child, such as a long drawstring, sash, or backpack/bookbag accessory, can become caught in the area between the service door and the door control rod attaching bracket.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    If an item worn by a child were to catch on this area, and the driver were to close the door and put the vehicle in motion, this can result in serious injury or death.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    A molded cover will be installed between the manually operated outward opening entrance door and the door control rod attaching bracket which will eliminate the opening that could allow an item of a child's clothing to become snagged.

    Report filed by THOMAS BUILT BUSES, INC.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  4. 96V021000Received . 730 units.

    Service Brakes, Air / Drum / Chamber

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Contact between the brake chamber and the suspension beam can result in damage to the brake chamber clamp band.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    If the damage to the clamp band resulted in band breakage, the chamber could come apart resulting in loss of the service brakes. The emergency brakes would automatically apply.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Dealers will inspect the brake chamber for sign of contact. If contact is indicated, the brake cam shaft and chamber support bracket will be replaced, eliminating the possiblity of contact between the brake chamber and the suspension beam.

    Report filed by THOMAS BUILT BUSES, INC.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

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

The NHTSA complaint file has no complaint for this model year.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1989 Thomas SAF-T-Liner
NumberTypeSubjectComponentOpenedClosedCampaign
PE94025Preliminary evaluationBRAKE TREADLE VALVE CORRODESService Brakes, Hydraulic7 Mar 199420 Apr 1994
PE92035Preliminary evaluationAXLE/UNIVER.YOKE FAILURESuspension30 Mar 199220 Aug 199292V120000

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.

  1. 19771
  2. 19781
  3. 19791
  4. 19802
  5. 19812
  6. 19823
  7. 19833
  8. 19843
  9. 19853
  10. 19863
  11. 19873
  12. 19885
  13. 19894
  14. 19905
  15. 19915
  16. 19927
  17. 199310
  18. 199413
  19. 199511
  20. 199610
  21. 19973
  22. 19980
  23. 20001
  24. 20012
  25. 20020

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

Official channels

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1989 Thomas SAF-T-Liner: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/thomas/saf-t-liner/1989/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through .

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
THOMAS BUILT BUSES, INC.

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 1989 Thomas SAF-T-Liner?
129,903 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 SAF-T-Liner have for all model years?
NHTSA lists 25 recall campaigns for the Thomas SAF-T-Liner, model years 1977 to 2002. 4 of them name the 1989 model year.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1989 Thomas SAF-T-Liner open?
No. Each of the 2 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.