Proterra, Temsa, Thomas Built and Prevost buses and motorcoaches were subjects of year-end safety recalls announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. No accidents or injuries had been linked to the defects.
A software update inadvertently disabled parking brake engagement warnings on 151 Proterra Catalyst buses. The 2019-model-year buses were built from July 23 to Dec. 2. “Unaware drivers may be allowed to drive with the rear brake interlock engaged which could cause the rear brakes to overheat, damaging the vehicle,” the recall explained.
The defect was reported to Proterra by a customer. The manufacturer then issued a voluntary recall. Proterra said it would update the software to restore the sound and light warnings of traffic brake engagement.
Temsa launched a voluntary recall of 18 of its 2020 TS45 motorcoaches due to improper installation of aisle floor hatches. The resulting uneven floor surface could create injury risks for passengers. The specific coaches affected by the defect were identified by production records. Temsa said it would issue a technical service bulletin to correct the installation of the hatches.
Daimler Trucks North America was subject to a recall of 7,601 Thomas Built Saf-T-Liner buses built for the 2009 through 2019 model years. Testing by NHTSA determined that the forward barriers on the right rows of seats were non-compliant with federal vehicle safety standards.
“In the event of a crash, if the occupant contacts the barrier they may experience higher impact than intended which may result in injury to the occupant,” the agency stated.
Daimler is working on a repair that will be performed at its authorized service facilities.
A recall affecting 39 model-year-2020 Prevost motorcoaches was attributed to “a new assembler assigned to the driveshaft installation workstation (who) did not use the proper calibrated tool to torque the driveshaft clamp bolts.”
The recall affects some X3-45 VIP, X3-45 Passenger, H3-45 VIP and H3-45 Passenger vehicles assembled from July 16 through Oct. 3.
The improper torquing may “disable vehicle, may lead to transferring passengers on the side of the road and this may increase the risk of a passenger death or injury,” according to the recall notice. The “half driveshaft falling from the vehicle may also increase the risk of a road hazard which may increase the risk of an accident.”
Prevost will contact owners of the vehicles regarding replacement of the bolts and proper torquing.
