RECALLS — THOMAS BUILT SAF-T-LINER EFX SCHOOL BUS
Thomas Built SAF-T-Liner EFX School BUS recalls
Thomas Built SAF-T-Liner EFX School BUS model years 2010–2025 covered by at least one recall campaign. Pick a year to see the Canadian and U.S. campaigns side by side.
Choose a model year
U.S. NHTSA campaigns are listed on each year page, where they are queried live by model year. The Canadian list below covers every year together.
Transport Canada recalls
16- Heater And Defroster#2026065
13 units affected
Issue: On certain school buses, the heater hose clamps may not have been tightened properly. As a result, the heater hose could disconnect, and coolant could leak into the bus. Safety Risk: A coolant leak could create the risk of a burn injury. Corrective Actions: Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your school bus to a DTNA authorized service facility to inspect and, if necessary, tighten or replace the heater hose clamps.
- Label#2024423
1,382 units affected
Issue: On certain school buses, the letters on the instruction labels for the emergency exits are too small. This could make it difficult to read the label. Canadian regulations require a minimum size for the letters. Safety Risk: Instructions for an emergency exit that are difficult to read could delay persons from exiting the bus in an emergency and increase the risk of injury. Corrective Actions: Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your school bus to a DTNA authorized service facility to increase the height of the letters on the instruction labels.
- Seats And Restraints#2023301
14 units affected
Issue: On certain school bus seats, the plastic trim (bezel) where the shoulder seat belt comes out of the seatback may be too hard. Canadian regulations have requirements for anything that is installed in certain areas of the seatback. Note: This only affects school buses equipped with certain Syntec M2K and S3C passenger seats with lap/shoulder seat belts. Safety Risk: While this plastic trim is doesn't technically meet the requirements of Canadian regulations, it's unlikely to cause an injury. Corrective Actions: This is not a recall. The company made changes in 2017, and all new seats made after that time have a soft vinyl cover trim for the shoulder seat belt.
- Structure#2022577
284 units affected
Issue: Certain school buses may not meet Canadian regulations for roof panel joint strength. Safety Risk: A roof joint that is not strong enough could increase the risk of injury in a crash. Corrective Actions: Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your bus to a DTNA authorized service facility to add additional fasteners to the roof lap joints.
- Electrical#2021669
20 units affected
Issue: On certain school buses, the alternator power cable connection may not have been properly tightened. As a result, the power cable could loosen or separate from the alternator. If this happens, there could be electrical arcing (sparks). Safety Risk: Electrical arcing could damage surrounding material and increase the risk of a fire. Corrective Actions: Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your bus to a DTNA authorized service facility to inspect and tighten the alternator power cable connection, as necessary.
- Seats And Restraints#2019497
4,355 units affected
Issue: This recall affects certain school buses equipped with SynTec S3B and/or S3C passenger seats. On some seats, the protective foam in certain areas of the seatback may not meet the knee impact requirements of Canadian regulations. Safety Risk: A seatback that does not have proper knee impact protection could increase the risk of injury to occupants in a crash. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners by mail and instruct them to take their vehicle to a Daimler Trucks of North America authorized service facility to install additional protective material in the seatbacks.
- Brakes#2019288
80 units affected
Issue: A problem with the left-rear brake caliper on certain school buses may cause the brake pads to drag and overheat. This could result in high temperatures, smoke, odour, or a possible fire. Safety Risk: A fire could increase the risk of injury. This could also result in an emergency evacuation of a school bus in an uncontrolled environment, which could also increase the risk of an injury. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners by mail and instruct them to take their vehicle to a Daimler Trucks North America authorized service facility to replace the left-rear brake caliper.
- Seats And Restraints#2018200
2,566 units affected
On certain school buses equipped with Syntec S3B restraint seats, under extreme operating conditions, such as adverse road conditions, repetitive shock loads, or occupant abuse, a metal fatigue crack may develop on the rear wall mount bracket of the seat. Over time, this could lead to the wall mount bracket fracturing, which in the event of a crash, could increase the risk of injury to seat occupants. Correction: Daimler Trucks of North America Service Facilities will inspect seats and install an additional wall bracket between the wall rail and the seat as necessary.
- Accessories#2016418
35 units affected
On certain school buses equipped with a Ricon S-Series wheelchair lift, the platform could potentially crack due to bent knuckle link arms and/or defective bearing. Overtime, the platform could separate of the rear portion of the pivot plate making the lift inoperable and putting the lift operator at risk of injury. Correction: Owners will need to make an appointment with the local Ricon Dealer to have the lift inspected and repaired.
- Accessories#2016063
243 units affected
Certain school buses may not conform to Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 131 - School Bus Pedestrian Safety Devices. The STOP decal may not adhere properly to the stop sign and could peel off without warning, which could cause it to fail to meet the requirements of the standard. This could increase the risk of injury for the passengers exiting the school bus. Correction: Specialty Manufacturing Inc. will provide owners with a replacement stop sign blade assembly. If owners are not comfortable installing the blade assembly themselves, they can take their vehicle to a dealer for the installation.
- Seats And Restraints#2016016
21 units affected
Certain school buses may fail to conform to Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 222 – School Bus Passenger Seating and Crash Protection. The SynTec S3B track seat may not provide sufficient strength to pass the rearward push test specified by the standard. In the event of a crash, the S3B track seat could come in contact with the passengers knees which could increase the risk of injury and/or impede egress. Correction: Dealers will install a “toe-clamp” on the feet of the S3B track mounted seat to meet the requirement of CMVSS 222.
- Accessories#2015395
173 units affected
On certain school buses equipped with a Ricon wheelchair lift, the lift platform sides may crack, which could cause the lift to lean against the vehicle door(s) and potentially fall out of the vehicle when the doors are opened, putting the lift operator at risk of injury. Correction: Ricon Corporation repair facilities will inspect lift platforms, link arms and bearings for cracks, damage or misalignment and if found to be damaged, link arms and/or platform will be replaced. Note: This recall supersedes recall 2014-330. Vehicles repaired under the previous recall will require re-inspection and potential repair.
- Structure#2015291
8,093 units affected
On certain school buses, the stem which joins the outside emergency door handle to the emergency door opening mechanism may potentially corrode. Excessive material loss of the stem due to corrosion could result in the outside handle separating from the door mechanism while trying to open the door from the exterior of the bus. In the event of an emergency, this could delay evacuation of the vehicle and increase the risk of injury to occupants. Correction: Dealers will inspect the stems and either replace or protect them against further corrosion.
- Accessories#2014330
173 units affected
On certain school buses equipped with a Ricon wheelchair lift, the lift platform sides may crack, which could cause the lift to lean against the vehicle door(s) and potentially fall out of the vehicle when the doors are opened, putting the lift operator at risk of injury. Correction: Ricon Corporation repair facilities will inspect lift platforms for cracks and repair as necessary, and install a repair kit.
- Fuel System#2013281
28 units affected
On certain school buses, an information label may detach from the auxiliary heater fuel pickup tube and block the engine fuel suction tube, which could restrict or stop the flow of fuel to the engine. Engine stalling would result in a loss of vehicle propulsion which, in conjunction with traffic and road condition and the driver’s reactions, could increase the risk of a crash causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will inspect the fuel tank. If a label is found, it will be removed from the tank.
- Lights And Instruments#2013020
15 units affected
On certain school buses, the 20-amp headlamp circuit breaker may trip during continuous operation in the high beam mode, resulting in a temporary loss of power to the headlamps, marker lamps, tail lamps and dash lighting, until the circuit breaker cools and automatically resets. Loss of headlamp illumination, should it occur during a rainy/snowy day, or during hours of darkness, could compromise the driver’s ability to see the road and its users. Also, failure of the lighting system could render the vehicle less visible to other motorists. These issues could result in a crash causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will replace the 20-amp circuit breaker with a 30-amp breaker.
Canadian data updated August 24, 2026
Does this recall apply to my vehicle?
Matched by make, model, and model year. Many recalls affect only specific VIN ranges — confirm with your dealer using your full VIN.
What to do
Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer in both countries. To confirm a recall applies to your specific vehicle, contact your manufacturer or dealer with your full VIN, or use the official channel:
- NHTSA recall lookup (search by VIN) — U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Defects and recalls database — Transport Canada