2021 Blue Bird All American School Bus problems, complaints & recalls

Defect: Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2019-2024 Vision and All American school buses. The emergency exit label operating instructions lettering is too small and may be difficult to read. 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: An emergency exit label that is difficult to read can prevent or delay the use of the emergency exit, increasing the risk of injury.

Fix: Dealers will replace the emergency exit label, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 9, 2024. Owners may contact Blue Bird Customer Service at 478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R23CK (SB).

Defect: Blue Bird Bus Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Vision, All American Front Engine, and All American Rear Engine school buses. An exterior roof joint may have been manufactured with insufficient strength that can allow the roof panels to separate in a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 221, "School Bus Body Joint Strength."

Risk: Roof panels that separate during a crash can increase the risk of injury.

Fix: Dealers will inspect the roof panel joints and install additional rivets as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 17, 2024. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242.

Defect: Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Vision 2020-2023 All American school buses. The convertible seats may have been incorrectly installed, which can result in an unsecured seat. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."

Risk: An unsecured seat may not adequately restrain an occupant, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

Fix: Dealers will inspect and repair the seat, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 04, 2024. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R24CM-SB.

Defect: Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2014-2024 All American school buses equipped with 39" High Back seat restraining barriers. The bolts securing the restraining barriers to the floor may separate when fully loaded. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 222, "School Bus Passenger Seating and Crash Protection."

Risk: An unsecured seat restraining barrier may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing their risk of injury.

Fix: Dealers will install a longer bolt with rectangular washer and nut, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed January 16, 2024. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R23CU-SB. This recall is an expansion of recall number 23V-777.

Defect: Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2021-2024 All American and 2021-2022 Vision school buses. A software error in the instrument cluster may cause the air pressure gauges and the visual and audio low air warnings to not function. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 121, "Air Brake Systems."

Risk: Air gauges and warnings that do not alert the driver to air pressure loss can result in driving without functioning brakes, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 27, 2023, 2023. Owners may contact Blue Bird's customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R23CH (School Bus).

Defect: Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2018-2021 All American and Vision School Buses, equipped with PowerDrive 7000 electric drive systems. The System Control Module (SCM) may activate the anti-rollback feature, causing the vehicle to reverse faster than expected when the vehicle is in reverse and pointing downhill with the brake pedal not applied.

Risk: A vehicle reversing faster than expected can increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will update the SCM software calibration, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 10, 2023. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R23CG (SB)

Defect: Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2018-2022 All American and Vision school buses equipped with Cummins PD7000 Electric Drivetrains containing an electric air compressor. The air compressor housing is improperly grounded, causing electrical voltage greater than 50V AC during operation.

Risk: An improperly grounded air compressor can cause electric shock, increasing the risk of injury.

Fix: Dealers will install an electrical ground strap between the compressor motor housing and vehicle chassis, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 6, 2023. Owners may contact Blue Bird's customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R22BY-SB.

Defect: Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2018-2022 All American buses. The sealing washer may not seat correctly in the pilot bore holes, allowing the high pressure fuel rail assembly to leak.

Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

Fix: The remedy for this recall is still under development. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 30, 2021. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R21BH-SB.

Defect: Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Vision and All American school buses. The drivetrain may experience an electromagnetic noise on the Control Area Network (CAN) bus, which may cause a loss of electrical power to the power steering pump.

Risk: A loss of assisted power steering increases the risk of a crash.

Fix: Cummins will replace the High Voltage Low Power Inverter Harness, and install an overlay harness, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on May 22, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 25, 2021. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242.

Defect: Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Vision and All American school buses. A retainer was not properly seated in the SC-3 single check valve and may not provide source air isolation when pressure is applied. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 121, "Air Brake System."

Risk: Unintended spring brake application may occur, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will replace the SC-3 check valves, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on November 18, 2021. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R21BE-SB.

Defect: Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Vision and All American school buses. The electric drive train cannot detect isolation faults when the high voltage contactors are closed.

Risk: An undetected high voltage isolation can expose service personnel to high voltage, increasing the risk of injury.

Fix: Blue Bird will notify owners, and dealers will update the Vehicle Control Unit software or install a different combination of High Voltage Power Distribution Unit hardware, free of charge. The recall began on May 22, 2021. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R21BD-SB.

Defect: Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Vision and All American buses. The seats with integrated 3-point seat belts may have been installed incorrectly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."

Risk: An incorrectly installed seat can increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Fix: Blue Bird will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seats and install any missing hardware, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin April 9, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed February 03, 2022. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R21BB-SB.

Defect: Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2021 Vision and All American school buses. The nut that secures the steering wheel to the steering shaft may not have been properly tightened.

Risk: An improperly tightened steering wheel could detach, resulting in a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Blue Bird will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and tighten the steering wheel nut, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began August 26, 2020. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R20AY-SB.

Defect: Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2018-2021 All-American and 2019-2021 Vision school buses. The three-point seatbelt assembly may have been installed without reinforcing washers under the floor at the anchorage point, possibly preventing the assembly from remaining anchored in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."

Risk: In the event of a crash, seat belt anchorages that do not remain secured increase the risk of injury to those seat occupants.

Fix: Blue Bird will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat belt anchorage point hardware and install any missing hardware as needed, free of charge. This recall began August 11, 2020. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R20AX.

Defect: Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Vision and All American school buses equipped with factory-installed air conditioning (A/C) systems. The A/C circuit breaker may have been installed incorrectly.

Risk: Incorrect installation of the air conditioning circuit breaker may increase the risk of a fire.

Fix: Blue Bird will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the installation of the A/C circuit breaker, correcting it as necessary. Any damaged circuit breakers will be replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began July 6, 2020. Owner letters were mailed on November 30, 2021. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R20AR-SB.

Defect: Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Vision and All American school buses. The foot pedal parking brake assembly may have been improperly assembled possibly resulting in a failure to hold the vehicle stationary on an incline when the vehicle is loaded to its maximum weight. 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: Unintended vehicle movement can increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: Blue Bird will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the foot pedal parking brake assembly application force and adjust it as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin July 3, 2020. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R20AP-SB.

Defect: Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2008-2021 Vision and All American school buses. The seat barrier behind the driver seat with an integrated 3-point seat belt may have been installed incorrectly and may be missing the reinforcing bracket. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 222, "School Bus Passenger Seating and Crash Protection."

Risk: In the event of a crash, the seat barrier may not adequately protect the occupant seated behind the seat barrier separating them from the driver seat with integrated 3-point seat belt, increasing the risk of injury.

Fix: Blue Bird will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and properly install the seat barrier including adding reinforcing bracket, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin April 23, 2020. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R20AM-SB.

Defect: Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2019-2021 All American and Vision school buses. An insufficient number of rivets were installed in the roof sheets, allowing the roof sheets to separate in the event of a severe impact. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 221, "School Bus Body Joint Strength."

Risk: In the event of a crash, if the roof sheets separate, there is an increased risk of injury.

Fix: Blue Bird will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the roof joints and add the sufficient number of rivets, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 22, 2019. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R19AH.