2018 Arboc Specialty Vehicles Spirit Of Mobility problems, complaints & recalls
Safety recalls (3)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip 2026-03-11 · campaign 26V137000 · 908 vehicles
Defect: ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, LLC (ARBOC) is recalling certain 2018-2026 Spirit of Freedom and Spirit of Mobility transit buses. The rear brake lines may have been installed incorrectly causing the anti-lock brake system (ABS) modulator valve to malfunction. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 105, "Hydraulic and Electric Brake Systems."
Risk: Loss of the rear ABS system can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: ARBOC will provide instructions to reroute and re-connect the rear brake lines, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 17, 2026. Owners may contact ARBOC customer service at 1-866-953-5555.
Structure:emergency:escape/Egress/Exit 2019-12-09 · campaign 19V870000 · 35 vehicles
Defect: ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, LLC (ARBOC) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Spirit of Freedom and Spirit of Mobility vehicles equipped with Specialty Prolo Roof Hatches. The roof hatch external handle may unexpectedly break under reasonable use. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 217, "Bus Emergency Exits and Window Retention and Release."
Risk: If the roof hatch external handle breaks, in the event of an emergency, the hatch cannot be easily opened from outside the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: ARBOC will notify owners, and Specialty will replace the roof hatch handles free of charge. The recall began December 19, 2019. Owners may contact ARBOC customer service at 1-866-953-5555 or Specialty customer service at 1-800-951-7867.
Seats 2018-11-16 · campaign 18V813000 · 62 vehicles
Defect: ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, LLC (ARBOC) is recalling certain 2015-2018 ARBOC Spirit of Freedom, Spirit of Mobility and Spirit of Independence-Pro Master transit buses, equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seats, part numbers 43705, 45467, 48923, and 75719. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright position, the seat cushion may not remain locked into place when under load, such as in a crash or a sudden stop. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the re
Risk: In the event of a crash, if the seat back moves, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.
Fix: ARBOC has notified owners, directing them to contact Freedman for repairs of the foldaway seat, free of charge. The recall began November 29, 2018. Owners may contact Freedman customer service at 1-800-443-4540 or ARBOC at 1-574-825-4880.
Service bulletins (3)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Suspension 2025-02-05 · AR881 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
complaint: sway bar design (angles) incorrect near sway bar link bolts. cause: design. correction: redesigned sway bar by changing angles and length of sway bar. including new, stronger sway bar link assemblies with bar. the sway bar/links are now engineered together with the correct working angles
Suspension 2021-03-17 · AR881 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
complaint: sway bar design (angles) incorrect near sway bar link bolts. cause : design correction: redesigned sway bar by changing angles and length of sway bar. including new, stronger sway bar link assemblies with bar. the sway bar/links are now engineered together with the correct working angle
Suspension 2018-08-02 · AR861 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
ar861-upper shock/track bar mount inspection and repair. complaint-upper plates previously installed in ar839 are cracking and pulling away from frame. cause-insuffiecient/bad welds not holding under loads. correction-inspect/correct welds including drilling 1/8" stop holes into frame at the end of
What owners report
No detailed complaint narratives on file.
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.