Three Of Daimler’s U.S. School Buses Lack An Emergency Exit Roof Hatch

Thomas Built Buses, a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America, has issued a recall for a handful of its 2023 Saf-T-Liner EFX school buses.

A notice issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reveals that Thomas Built Buses produced three examples of its 90 passenger-plus-driver buses with the incorrect amount of emergency exits.

For some strange reason, three buses that were built on May 17, 2022 were not equipped with an emergency exit roof hatch, meaning they fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 217 S5.2.2.3. The lack of an emergency exit roof hatch may make exiting the bus more difficult in an emergency and increase the risk of injury, prompting the recall.

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Daimler Trucks North America first received a report from a dealer of a potential issue on June 26, with the dealer noting that three newly-delivered buses didn’t have an emergency exit roof hatch. The truck manufacturer quickly launched an investigation and reviewed build records to determine if any additional buses were built with the same defect.

To resolve the issue, authorized Daimler Trucks North America service facilities will simply modify the buses to add an emergency exit roof hatch. Owners of the three buses impacted will be notified by September 13, 2022 of the recall via first class mail.