Recall Campaign

Daimler Trucks
Octobv
North America LLC

July 2017
FL735A
NHTSA #17V-312

Subject: TBB Freedman Seat Brackets
Models Affected: Specific Thomas Built Buses Minotour
DRW school buses manufactured October 2, 2014, through
February 2, 2017
General Information
Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA), on behalf of its wholly owned subsidiary, Thomas Built Buses (TBB),
has decided that a defect that relates to motor vehicle safety exists on the vehicles mentioned above.
There are 22 vehicles involved in this campaign.
On certain buses, seat reinforcement brackets may not have been properly installed underneath the seat rail. This
may increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Buses will be inspected and reinforcement brackets will be installed if necessary.

Additional Repairs
Dealers must complete all outstanding Recall and Field Service campaigns prior to the sale or delivery of a vehicle.
A Dealer will be liable for any progressive damage that results from its failure to complete campaigns before sale
or delivery of a vehicle.
Owners may be liable for any progressive damage that results from failure to complete campaigns within a
reasonable time after receiving notification.

Work Instructions
Please refer to the attached work instructions.

Replacement Parts
Order seat brackets directly from Freedman using the following instructions.
Freedman Seating Parts Department
•

Call or email your order to Freedman:
Phone Number:
Email:

(773) 524-2440, Extension 291
[email protected]

•

Freedman Contact:

Lorel Rutherford

•

Freedman Part Number:

52508

•

Price per Bracket:

$8.50 (See the Claims for Credit section for how to claim)

Removed Parts
Please follow Warranty Failed Parts Tracking shipping instructions for the disposition of all removed parts.

Page 1

Daimler Trucks
Octobv
North America LLC

Recall Campaign
July 2017
FL735A
NHTSA #17V-312

Labor Allowance
Table 1 – Labor Allowance

Procedure

Time
Allowed
(Hours)

SRT Code

Replace 2-4 Seat Brackets

0.4

996-1026A

Replace 5-8 Seat Brackets

0.7

996-1026B

Replace 9-12 Seat Brackets

1.0

966-1026C

Campaign
Number

FL735A

Corrective Action
12 – Repair Recall/Campaign

Table 1

Claims for Credit
You will be reimbursed for your parts, labor, and handling by submitting your claim through the Warranty system
within 30 days of completing this campaign. Please reference the following information in OWL:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Claim Type is Recall Campaign.
In the Campaign field, enter the campaign number (FL735-A)
In the Primary Failed Part field, enter TBB 69004114.
In the Parts section, enter the number of brackets installed. Claim $32.05 per bracket. This covers both the
bracket and an allowance for shipping.
In the Labor section, enter the appropriate SRT from the Labor Allowance Table.
The VMRS Component Code is 174-022-003 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.
• Submit a Recall Pre-Approval request for a decision and authorized amount.
• Submit a “based on” claim for the approved pre-approval.
• Attach the documentation to the pre-approval request.
• 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.
Contact the Warranty Campaigns Department at (336) 889-4871, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday
through Friday, via Web inquiry at AccessFreightliner.com / My Tickets and Submit an Inquiry, if you have any
questions or need additional information.
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.
The letter notifying U.S. and Canadian vehicle owners is included for your reference.

Page 2

Recall Campaign

Daimler Trucks
Octobv
North America LLC

July 2017
FL735A
NHTSA #17V-312

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 3

Recall Campaign

Daimler Trucks
Octobv
North America LLC

July 2017
FL735A
NHTSA #17V-312

Copy of Notice to Owners
Subject: TBB Freedman Seat Brackets
This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.
Daimler Trucks North America LLC, on behalf of its wholly owned subsidiary, Thomas Built Buses, Inc., has decided
that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists on specific Minotour DRW school buses manufactured
October 2, 2014, through February 20, 2017.
On certain buses, seat reinforcement brackets may not have been properly installed underneath the seat rail. This
may increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Buses will be inspected and reinforcement brackets will be installed if necessary.
To arrange for repairs, you should contact your local Thomas Built Buses dealer immediately. The repair
should take up to approximately one hour, depending on your vehicle, 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) that appears on the Recall Notification,
please return the notification to the Warranty 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 have paid to have this recall condition corrected prior to this notice, you may be eligible to receive
reimbursement. For further information, please contact the Warranty Department at (336) 889-4871, 8 a.m. to
5 p.m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday. To find a dealer in your area please go to www.thomasbus.com.
If you have any questions about this recall, please contact the Warranty Department at (336) 889-4871, 8:00 a.m.
to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. 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.
We regret any inconvenience this action may cause but feel certain you understand our interest in motor vehicle
safety.

THOMAS BUILT BUSES WARRANTY DEPARTMENT
Enclosure

Page 4

Recall Campaign

Daimler Trucks
Octobv
North America LLC

July 2017
FL735A
NHTSA #17V-312

Work Instructions
Subject: TBB Freedman Seat Brackets
Models Affected: Specific Thomas Built Buses Minotour
DRW school buses manufactured October 2, 2014, through
February 2, 2017

Seat Bracket Installation
1. Chock the wheels, set the parking brake, put the transmission in park/neutral, and turn the ignition to key off.
NOTE: A bracket may be tied underneath the Freedman seat. Check for this before ordering brackets for a bus. If a
bracket is present, use it, another bracket does not need to be ordered. See Figure 1.
2. Order brackets for all seats on the bus that need them (Freedman Part Number 52508). See the ordering
instructions on page 1. When the brackets are available, go to step 3.

Uninstalled
bracket tied to
seat frame

Figure 1: Uninstalled bracket located underneath seat

3. Remove the three (3) nuts underneath the seat rail and discard. See Figure 2.

Page 5

Daimler Trucks
Octobv
North America LLC

Recall Campaign
July 2017
FL735A
NHTSA #17V-312

Install with the flat
face of the bracket
against the seat rail.

Figure 2: Bracket location

4. Install the bracket, aligning the bracket with the bolt locations.
5. Tighten each bolt to 12-14 ftlbs. Repeat for the remaining seats.
6. Remove the chocks from the wheels.

Page 6