A93838

Buckle

1 ea

25-FL654-041

A95244

Buckle

1 ea

25-FL654-042

A96522 (ICP BAR)

Buckle

1 ea

25-FL654-043

A96805

Buckle

1 ea

25-FL654-044

A99639

Buckle

1 ea

Suggested
Wholesale*

$10.97 U.S.
$11.41 CAN

* Please charge all U.S. and Canadian Direct Warranty Customers the above-listed price for the kit, as they are authorized to perform their own Recalls. This
pricing does not apply to Export Distributors.

Table 1, Continued from the Previous Page

Removed Parts
U.S. and Canadian Dealers, please follow Warranty Failed Parts Tracking shipping instructions for the disposition
of all removed parts. Export distributors, please destroy removed parts unless otherwise advised.

Labor Allowance
Table 2 - Labor Allowance
Campaign
Number

FL654AB
(School Buses)

FL654C-Z
(Trucks)

Procedure

Time
Allowed
(hours)

SRT Code

Correction Code

Inspect all seat belt buckles Saf-T-Liner C2 or HDX
(Claim once on each C2 or HDX claim)

0.4

996-0923A

06 - Inspect

Inspect all seat belt buckles - Minotour
(Claim once on each Minotour claim)

0.2

996-0923B

06 - Inspect

Replace 1 seat belt buckle - Saf-T-Liner
C2, HDX, or Minotour
(Claim once for each buckle replaced)

0.2

996-0923C

12 - Repair Recall/Campaign

Inspect all seat belt buckles - All trucks

0.2

996-0923D

06 - Inspect

Inspect all and replace 1 to 2 seat belt
buckles - All trucks

0.5

996-0923E

12 - Repair Recall/Campaign

Inspect all and replace 3 to 5 seat belt
buckles - All trucks

0.7

996-0923F

12 - Repair Recall/Campaign

Table 2

IMPORTANT: When the Recall has been completed, locate the base completion label in the appropriate location
on the vehicle, and attach the red completion sticker provided in the recall kit (Form WAR260). If the vehicle does
not have a base completion label, clean a spot on the appropriate location of the vehicle and first attach the base
completion label (Form WAR259). If a recall kit is not required or there is no completion sticker in the kit, write the
recall number on a blank sticker and attach it to the base completion label.

Page 5

Recall Campaign

Daimler Trucks
North America LLC

January 2014
FL654
NHTSA #13V-604 (Non-School Buses)
NHTSA #13V-606 (School Buses)
Transport Canada #13-427

Claims for Credit
You will be reimbursed for your parts, labor, and handling (landed cost for Export Distributors) by submitting your
claim through the Warranty system within 30 days of completing this campaign. Please reference the following
information in OWL:
NOTE: There are 145 school buses and 31,933 trucks in this recall.
• Claim type is Recall.
• In the FTL Authorization field, enter the campaign number and appropriate condition code (e.g. FL654A,
FL654B, FL654C, etc.).
• In the Primary Failed Part Number field, enter 25-FL654-000.
• In the Parts field, enter the appropriate kit number(s) as shown in the Replacement Parts Table. There are
145 school buses and 31,933 trucks in this recall. At the end of this bulletin is a cross reference list of seat
or seat belt assemblies to individual buckle and kit numbers. This list may be helpful in selecting the correct
replacement buckles.
• In the Labor field, first enter the appropriate SRT from the Labor Allowance Table. For administrative time,
enter SRT 939-6010A for 0.3 hours.
• For school buses with more than one buckle replaced, claims must be brought into OWL manually.
Please submit a WSC Campaigns inquiry asking for your "Ready to Submit" recall claim to be brought
into OWL.
• For OWL, the VMRS Component Code is 002-011-005 and the Cause Code is A1 - Campaign.
• U.S. and Canada – Reimbursement for Prior Repairs. When a customer asks about reimbursement,
please do the following:
• Accept the documentation of the previous repair.
• Make a brief check of the customer’s paperwork to see if the repair may be eligible for reimbursement.
(See the "Copy of Owner Letter" section of this bulletin for reimbursement guidelines for this recall.)
• Submit a Campaign Pre-Approval inquiry to the Warranty Campaigns Department for a decision and
authorization number.
• Include the approved amount on your claim in Other Charges section.
• In the claim story, first note the authorization number and that the claim includes a reimbursement.
• Retain the documentation and provide it to Warranty Campaigns or Claims Processing if requested.
• When your claim is paid, reimburse the customer the appropriate amount.
IMPORTANT: OWL must be viewed prior to performing the recall to ensure the vehicle is involved and the campaign
has not been previously completed. Also, check for a completion sticker prior to beginning work.
U.S. and Canadian dealers, contact the Warranty Campaigns Department from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time,
Monday through Friday, via Web inquiry at AccessFreightliner.com / Support / My Tickets and Submit an Inquiry,
or the Customer Assistance Center at (800) 385-4357, after normal business hours, if you have any questions
or need additional information. Export distributors, submit a Web inquiry or contact your International Service
Manager.
U.S. and Canadian Dealers: To return excess kit inventory related to this campaign, U.S. dealers must submit a
Parts Authorization Return (PAR) to the Memphis PDC. Canadian dealers must submit a PAR to their facing PDC.
All kits must be in resalable condition. PAR requests must include the original purchase invoice number. Export
Distributors: Excess inventory is not returnable.

Page 6

Daimler Trucks
North America LLC

Recall Campaign
January 2014
FL654
NHTSA #13V-604 (Non-School Buses)
NHTSA #13V-606 (School Buses)
Transport Canada #13-427

The letter notifying U.S. and Canadian vehicle owners is included for your reference.
Please note that the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, as amended (Title 49, United States Code,
Chapter 301), requires the owner’s vehicle(s) be corrected within a reasonable time after parts are available to you.
The Act states that failure to repair a vehicle within 60 days after tender for repair shall be prima facie evidence
of an unreasonable time. However, circumstances of a particular situation may reduce the 60 day period. Failure
to repair a vehicle within a reasonable time can result in either the obligation to (a) replace the vehicle with an
identical or reasonably equivalent vehicle, without charge, or (b) refund the purchase price in full, less a reasonable
allowance for depreciation. The Act further prohibits dealers from selling a vehicle unless all outstanding recalls
are performed. Any lessor is required to send a copy of the recall notification to the lessee within 10 days. Any
subsequent stage manufacturer is required to forward this notice to its distributors and retail outlets within five
working days.

Page 7

Recall Campaign

Daimler Trucks
North America LLC

January 2014
FL654
NHTSA #13V-604 (Non-School Buses)
NHTSA #13V-606 (School Buses)
Transport Canada #13-427

Copy of Notice to Owners
Subject: IMMI Seat Belt Buckles
For the Notice to U.S. Customers: This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National
Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.
For the Notice to Canadian Customers: This notice is sent to you in accordance with the Canadian Motor
Vehicle Safety Act.
Daimler Trucks North America LLC, on behalf of its Freightliner Trucks Division and its wholly owned subsidiary
Thomas Built Buses, has decided that a non-compliance with Federal regulations exists on specific Freightliner
108SD, 114SD, 122SD, Argosy, Business Class M2, Cascadia, Columbia, and Coronado vehicles; Western Star
4700, 4900, and 6900 vehicles; and Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2, HDX, and Minotour vehicles with certain
IMMI seat belt assemblies.
Certain Indiana Mills and Manufacturing, Inc. (IMMI) seat belt assemblies equipped with L9 buckles may not satisfy
the requirements of S4.3(g) of FMVSS 209/CMVSS 209, Seat Belt Assemblies. When the button is pressed to
release the seat belt, the latch plate can become partially engaged with the buckle, and it may take more effort than
specified in the standard to separate the latch plate from the buckle. If the latch plate remains partially engaged
after the button is pressed, egress from the vehicle could be hindered which would increase the risk of injury in
the event of an emergency.
Seat belt assemblies will be inspected and replacement buckles will be installed as required.
Please contact an authorized Daimler Trucks North America dealer to arrange to have the recall performed.
IMPORTANT: Parts are currently being manufactured, please contact a dealer in advance to ensure that
parts are available. To locate an authorized dealer, search online at www.Daimler-TrucksNorthAmerica.com. The
Recall may take up to several hours on buses and up to an hour on all other vehicles, depending on the number
and type of buckles requiring replacement, and will be performed at no charge to you.
You may be liable for any progressive damage that results from your failure to complete the Recall within a
reasonable time after receiving notification.
If you do not own the vehicle that corresponds to the identification number(s) which appears on the Recall
Notification, please return the notification to the Warranty Campaigns Department with any information you can
furnish that will assist us in locating the present owner. If you have leased this vehicle, Federal law requires that
you forward this notice to the lessee within 10 days. If you are a subsequent stage manufacturer, Federal law
requires that you forward this notice to your distributors and retail outlets within five working days. If you have paid
to have this recall condition corrected prior to this notice, you may be eligible to receive reimbursement. Please
see the reverse side of this notice for details.
For the Notice to U.S. Customers: If you have questions about this Recall, please contact the Warranty
Campaigns Department at (800) 547-0712, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday, e-mail
address [email protected], or the Customer Assistance Center at (800) 385-4357 after
normal business hours. If you are not able to have the defect remedied without charge and within a reasonable
time, you may wish to submit a complaint to the Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590; or call the Vehicle Safety Hotline at (888) 327-4236 (TTY:
800-424-9153); or to http://www.safercar.gov.
For the Notice to Canadian Customers: If you have questions about this Recall, please contact the Warranty
Campaigns Department at (800) 547-0712, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday through Friday, e-mail
address [email protected], or the Customer Assistance Center at (800) 385-4357 after
normal business hours.
We regret any inconvenience this action may cause but feel certain you understand our interest in motor vehicle
safety.
WARRANTY CAMPAIGNS DEPARTMENT
Enclosure
Page 8

Daimler Trucks
North America LLC

Recall Campaign
January 2014
FL654
NHTSA #13V-604 (Non-School Buses)
NHTSA #13V-606 (School Buses)
Transport Canada #13-427

Reimbursement to Customers for Repairs
Performed Prior to Recall
If you have already paid to have this recall condition corrected you may be eligible to receive reimbursement.
Requests for reimbursement may include parts and labor. Reimbursement may be limited to the amount the
repair would have cost if completed by an authorized Daimler Trucks North America LLC dealer. The following
documentation must be presented to your dealer for consideration for reimbursement.
Please provide original or clear copies of all receipts, invoices, and repair orders that show
• The name and address of the person who paid for the repair
• The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) of the vehicle that was repaired
• What problem occurred, what repair was done, when the repair was done
• Who repaired the vehicle
• The total cost of the repair expense that is being claimed
• Proof of payment for the repair (such as the front and back of a cancelled check or a credit card receipt)
Reimbursement will be made by check from your Daimler Trucks North America LLC dealer.
Please speak with your Daimler Trucks North America LLC authorized dealer concerning this matter.

Page 9

Daimler Trucks
North America LLC

Recall Campaign
January 2014
FL654
NHTSA #13V-604 (Non-School Buses)
NHTSA #13V-606 (School Buses)
Transport Canada #13-427

Work Instructions
Subject: IMMI Seat Belt Buckles
Models Affected: Specific Freightliner 108SD, 114SD, 122SD, Argosy, Business Class M2, Cascadia, Columbia, and Coronado vehicles; Western Star 4700, 4900, and 6900 vehicles; and Thomas
Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2, HDX, and Minotour vehicles with certain IMMI seat belt assemblies.
ATTENTION: Locations that are authorized to perform campaigns on Freightliner and Western Star vehicles
and Freightliner Custom Chassis chassis should complete this Recall on those vehicles. Locations that
are authorized to perform campaigns on Thomas Built Buses bodies and chassis should complete this
Recall on those vehicles.
NOTE: There are 145 school buses and 31,933 trucks in this recall. At the end of this bulletin is a cross reference
list of seat belt assemblies to individual buckle and kit numbers. This list may be helpful in selecting the correct
replacement buckles.
NOTE: For school buses with more than one buckle replaced, claims must be brought into OWL manually. Please
submit a WSC Campaigns inquiry asking for your "Ready to Submit" recall claim to be brought into OWL.

L9 Seat Belt Buckle Inspection – All Vehicles
1. Check the base label (Form WAR259) for a completion sticker for FL654 (Form WAR260) indicating this work
has been done. The base label is usually located on the passenger-side door, about 12 inches (30 cm) below
the door latch. If a completion sticker is present, no work is needed. If a completion sticker is not present,
continue with the next step.
2. Park the vehicle on a level surface, shut down the engine, and set the parking brake. Chock the tires.
IMPORTANT: Determine whether or not any seat belt buckles in the vehicle need to be replaced. A vehicle may
have some buckles that fall under this recall, and some that may not. It is important to inspect each buckle. In
trucks, most buckles are expected to be replaced. In school buses, replacements are expected to vary from a few
buckles to all buckles.
3. Check the buckle for the IMMI logo. See Fig. 1.

12/23/2013

f910728

Fig. 1, IMMI Logo

4. Verify that the buckle is an IMMI L9 buckle. Only IMMI L9 buckles are affected by this recall. See Fig. 2.
5. If the buckle is an IMMI L9 buckle, check the back of the housing for the date code. See Fig. 3.
If the date code is included in the ranges shown in Fig. 3, the buckle needs to be replaced. If the date code
is outside these ranges, the buckle does not need to be replaced.
6. If the vehicle has buckles that need to be replaced, go to "Buckle Replacement – School Buses" or "Buckle
Replacement – Trucks" as appropriate in these Work Instructions.
If no buckles need to be replaced, clean a spot on the base label (Form WAR259), write the recall number,
FL654, on a blank red completion sticker (Form WAR260), and attach it to the base label.
Page 10

Daimler Trucks
North America LLC

Recall Campaign
January 2014
FL654
NHTSA #13V-604 (Non-School Buses)
NHTSA #13V-606 (School Buses)
Transport Canada #13-427

A

B

C

12/23/2013

f910729

A. L9 Buckle

B. H2 Buckle

C. C2 Buckle

Fig. 2, IMMI L9 Buckle Identification

B

A
12/23/2013

f910730

A. Saltillo, Mexico: suspect code range is 13 220 through
13 256.

B. Westfield, Indiana: suspect code range is 214 13
through 256 13.

Fig. 3, Buckle Date Code Ranges

Page 11

Daimler Trucks
North America LLC

Recall Campaign
January 2014
FL654
NHTSA #13V-604 (Non-School Buses)
NHTSA #13V-606 (School Buses)
Transport Canada #13-427

Buckle Replacement – School Buses
1. Reach under the center of the bottom cushion and release the latch by sliding the locking plate tab toward
the front of the seat, as shown in Fig. 4.
2. Lift up the back of the cushion to gain access to the buckle mounting. See Fig. 5.
3. Go to the replacement steps below for the applicable type of seat belt assembly:
• Sliding Buckles
• Fixed Center-Mounted Buckles
• Web-Type Buckles
4. When all buckles are replaced, clean a spot on the base label (Form WAR259), write the recall number, FL654,
on a blank red completion sticker (Form260), and attach it to the base label.

12/23/2013

f910731
12/23/2013

Fig. 4, Releasing the Bottom Cushion Latch

f910732

Fig. 5, Lifting Up the Bottom Cushion

Sliding Buckles
NOTE: Sliding buckles are located on the right-hand side when you are facing the seat.
1. Using two 3/4-inch wrenches, remove the nut at one end of the shaft. See Fig. 6.
2. Pull the shaft end with the removed nut through the support bracket hole, then slide the plastic sleeve with
the buckles off the shaft. See Fig. 7.
3. Remove both buckles from the plastic sleeve. Based on the date code of each buckle, discard the suspect
buckle(s). If one buckle has a "good" date code, retain it for reinstallation.
4. Install the buckles into the plastic sleeve.
5. Slide the plastic sleeve onto the shaft.
6. Position the shaft in the support bracket holes. Install the nut on the shaft.

Page 12

Daimler Trucks
North America LLC

Recall Campaign
January 2014
FL654
NHTSA #13V-604 (Non-School Buses)
NHTSA #13V-606 (School Buses)
Transport Canada #13-427

12/23/2013

f910733

Fig. 6, Removing the Nut at the Shaft End, Sliding
Buckles

12/23/2013

f910734

Fig. 7, Removing the Sliding Buckles

Fixed Center-Mounted Buckles
NOTE: Fixed center-mounted buckles are installed in the center of the seat, using one nut and bolt.
1. Using a 5/8-inch ratchet and an 11/16-inch wrench, remove the nut and bolt from the mounting bracket. Remove both buckles. Based on the date code of each buckle, discard the suspect buckle(s). If one buckle has
a "good" date code, retain it for reinstallation. See Fig. 8.
2. Install both buckles, using the bolt and nut. Tighten the nut 25 lbf1ft (34 N1m).

Web-Type Buckle
1. Using a 5/8-inch wrench and a 11/16-inch wrench, remove the buckle mounting bolt. Remove the buckle, nut,
and washer. See Fig. 9.
2. Orient the new buckle as before, then install it, using the bolt, nut, and washer. Tighten the nut 251 lbf1ft
(34 N1m).

Page 13

Daimler Trucks
North America LLC

Recall Campaign
January 2014
FL654
NHTSA #13V-604 (Non-School Buses)
NHTSA #13V-606 (School Buses)
Transport Canada #13-427

1

1

1

2
2
12/23/2013

f910736

1. Buckle

2. Bolt
Fig. 9, Webbed Buckle

12/23/2013

f910735

1. Buckle

2. Bolt

Fig. 8, Fixed Center-Mounted Buckles

Buckle Replacement – Trucks
There are several buckle mounting configurations, depending on the type of seat:
• Static seats have the buckles mounted directly to the cab floor. See Fig. 10.
• Air suspension seats have buckles mounted to the ICP (intermediate-connection-point bar or bracket), with
a tether belt attached to the cab floor. See Fig. 11.
• Bench seats may have floor-mounted buckles at the ends, and floor-bracket-mounted buckles in the middle.
One or two buckles may be mounted to each floor bracket. See Fig. 12 and Fig. 13.
1. Go to the replacement steps below for the applicable type of seat belt assembly:
• Floor-Mounted Buckles
• ICP-Bar-Mounted Buckles
• Floor-Bracket-Mounted Buckles
2. When all buckles are replaced, clean a spot on the base label (Form WAR259), write the recall number, FL654,
on a blank red completion sticker (Form260), and attach it to the base label.

Page 14

Daimler Trucks
North America LLC