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Blue Bird ALL American Recall 18V264: Air brake gauges may falsely read zero, raising crash risk

NHTSA campaign 18V264, reported April 25, 2018, 345 vehicles potentially affected.

What this recall means for you

Certain transit buses may have air brake gauges on the instrument panel that intermittently show "0 PSI" instead of the actual air pressure in the brake tanks. The gauges are part of the electrical system and instrument cluster, and the affected vehicles do not meet the federal air brake standard (FMVSS 121).

Because the gauges may not show the true air pressure, the driver cannot tell when brake air pressure is actually dropping. That can lead to an unexpected loss of braking and increases the risk of a crash.

Owners will be notified by Blue Bird, and an authorized dealer will update the display software at no cost. You can contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242 and reference recall number R18ZE-NSB. You can also check your vehicle identification number (VIN) for open recalls.

Check whether this recall is open on your vehicle

The repair is normally free at an authorized dealer.

Official recall notice

Safety recall 18V264Blue Bird Body Company
Component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL; SERVICE BRAKES, AIR
Problem
Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Blue Bird All American and Vision transit buses. The primary and secondary air brake gauges on the instrument cluster may intermittently indicate "0 PSI" instead of the correct air pressure in the tanks. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 121, "Air Brake Systems."
Risk
If the gauges do not correctly display the air pressure that is in the tanks, the operator will not be able to know when the air pressure is actually dropping, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Blue Bird will notify owners, and dealers will update the display software, free of charge. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R18ZE-NSB.
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.

Affected vehicles

Blue Bird ALL American20182019
Blue Bird Vision20182019