Knee Impact Area Foam Insufficient/FMVSS 222 – HSM School Bus Seats

NHTSA Campaign Number: 18E056 1801-0013 1801-0014
Manufacturer Hickory Springs Manufacturing Company
Components SEATS
Potential Number of Units Affected 31,990

 

Knee Impact Area Foam Insufficient/FMVSS 222

If the seat foam does not absorb enough impact energy, it can increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

 

Summary

Hickory Springs Manufacturing Company (HSM) is recalling certain CE White SB11-30″ series, standard, unbelted, school bus seats, and SB11-30″ series school bus seats with lap belts only. The foam in the knee impact area of the lower seat back may not absorb enough impact in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 222, “School Bus Passenger Seating and Crash Protection.”

 

Remedy

HSM will notify the bus manufacturers that purchased the seats, and dealers for those manufacturers will insert an additional piece of expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam into the seatback, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on October 1, 2018. Owners may contact HSM customer service at 1-419-492-2157 extension 243.

 

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

 

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 Transportation Solutions

 

September 10, 2018

“IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL NOTICE”

NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION

RECALL NO: 18E056

 

[Customer Name Goes Here]
[Contact Goes Here]
[Customer Address Goes Here]

 

This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. No. 577.13, “Notification to Dealers and Distributors”.

HSM Solutions / CE White Company, A Subsidiary of Hickory Springs Manufacturing Company HSM, has decided that a certain SB11-30” and SB11-26” Series School Bus Seats that are not installed in the rear row of a school bus fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 571.222 “School Bus Passenger Seating and Crash Protection”, more specifically the requirements of paragraph S5.3.2 Leg protection zone.  The affected population includes SB11-30” seats manufactured by HSM Solutions / CE White Company, shipped between April 24, 2011 and July 17, 2018 and SB11-26” seats manufactured by HSM Solutions / CE White Company, shipped between April 24, 2011 and September 7, 2018.

HSM Solutions has determined that SB11 – 30” and 26” series School Bus Seats not installed in the rear row of a school bus as manufactured by CE White / HSM Solutions, may not comply with the impact requirements of CFR 49.571.222.  Specifically, the lower knee impact area of the seat back may not meet the minimum requirements for energy absorption, as defined by the regulation.  The thickness of the foam in the knee impact area of the lower seatback may be insufficient.  There is an increased risk of injury to unbelted seat occupant(‘s) in a vehicle hard braking situation, or vehicle crash event.  In a hard braking or crash event, the occupant(‘s) knees may contact the lower seatback, resulting in injury.

There is no audible or visual warning, which would precede an event.  All seat models indicated in this notice are presumed to contain the defect and must be repaired.

Upon receipt of this Recall Notice, HSM Solutions / CE White is requesting that you provide notification of this Safety Recall, Recall Parts Request Form and the HSM Recall Warranty Claim form to your Customer/Owner of the subject seat(‘s).

To correct this condition, HSM Solutions / CE White, will facilitate the repairs via your Dealer/Service Agent or directly to your Customer.  HSM will provide parts and a Service Repair Procedures “SRP1801-0013 (for 30” seat) and SRP1801-0014 (for 26” seat)”, which will provide instruction on how the repair must be conducted, to the servicing agent upon receipt of a completed HSM “Recall Parts Kit Order Card”.  The expected out of service time necessary to affect repairs is 2 minutes per seat.  HSM will reimburse the cost of repairs relating to this recall, including both parts and labor, at no cost to you the manufacturer/Dealer or to the vehicle owner.  Parts for this recall are anticipated to be available for shipment on or before November 05, 2018.

Upon completion of the requisite service work, HSM will ask that the Dealer/Service Agent or Customer file a claim with HSM customer service for warranty reimbursement, referencing HSM Recall # 18E056 on the claim.

HSM Solutions Recall Contact:

Beth Utz
Customer Service Agent

HSM Transportation Solutions
417 N. Kibler Street
New Washington, OH 44854
Phone: 419-492-2157 ext. 243 | Fax: 419-492-2544
bautz@hsmsolutions.com

 

Should you have any vehicle(s) in inventory that require the recall service work; please make certain that these vehicles are corrected prior to sale.  The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 577.13 states that it is a violation of Federal law for a dealer to deliver a new motor vehicle or any new or used item of motor vehicle equipment (including a tire) covered by the notification under a sale or lease until the defect or noncompliance is remedied.

Based on our review of internal shipping records, HSM Solutions / CE White has determined that “SB11-30” and 26” School Bus Seats” as indicated on the enclosed “Appendix – A”, were shipped to your manufacturing location on the dates indicated.  Passenger seats in the rear row of a school bus are exempt from FMVSS 222 head and leg impact protection requirements and will not require repair.

If after contacting HSM Solutions / CE White, you have not received the parts and requisite repairs required to remedy the defect, in a reasonable period of time, you may contact:

 

ADMINISTRATOR
NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION
1200 NEW JERSEY AVENUE, SE
WASHINGTON, DC  20590
1-888-327-4236
TTY: 1-800-424-9153

or go to: https://www.safercar.gov

 

If you have any questions about this recall please call HSM / C.E. White, Customer Service at 1-419-492-2157.

 

Sincerely,

 

Nate Seigler

Director of Engineering
HSM Transportation and Specialty Manufacturing Company

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RECALL #18E-056
SERVICE REPAIR PROCEDURE #1801-0014

8/27/2018

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2018/RCRIT-18E056-0144.pdf

 

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RECALL #18E-056
SERVICE REPAIR PROCEDURE #1801-0013

7/16/2018

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2018/RCRIT-18E056-8334.pdf

 

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Manufacturer Notice

September 10, 2018

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2018/RCMN-18E056-4288.pdf

 

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Recall Parts Kit Order Card

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2018/RMISC-18E056-6770.pdf

 

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Recall Acknowledgement

August 9, 2018

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2018/RCAK-18E056-6433.pdf

 

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