2023 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley problems, complaints & recalls
Safety recalls (5)
Structure:body 2026-10-22 · campaign 26V702000 · 13,593 vehicles
Defect: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2023-2027 Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER C2 Jouley, 2025-2027 Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER C2, 2026-2027 Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER HDX2, and Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER EFX2 school buses. The wheelhouse body interior joints may have been manufactured incorrectly, resulting in insufficient joint strength. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 221, "School Bus Body Joint Strength.
Risk: A school bus with insufficient joint strength may not adequately protect passengers in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will add fasteners to secure the joints, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 21, 2026. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-574-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is F1044.
Electrical System:propulsion System:inverter 2023-12-14 · campaign 23V846000 · 701 vehicles
Defect: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER C2 Jouley electric school buses. The high voltage inverter cable may not be secured properly, which can result in a loss of drive power.
Risk: A loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and tighten the fasteners as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed starting February 1, 2024. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL987.
Structure:body 2023-05-09 · campaign 23V333000 · 23,590 vehicles
Defect: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER C2 and 2021-2023 Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER C2 Jouley school buses. A rear interior joint may have been manufactured incorrectly, resulting in insufficient joint strength. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 221, "School Bus Body Joint Strength."
Risk: A school bus with insufficient joint strength may not adequately protect passengers in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will add additional fasteners to secure the joints, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 19, 2023. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-574-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL973.
Steering:linkages:tie Rod Assembly 2023-04-07 · campaign 23V259000 · 48 vehicles
Defect: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2023 Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-LINER SAF-T-LINER C2 Jouley, Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-LINER EFX, Thomas Built Buses SAF-T-Liner HDX, Thomas Built Buses Chassis and 2023-2024 School Bus Chassis school buses. The tie rod may be missing a fastener, allowing the steer arm to detach.
Risk: A detached steering arm can result in a sudden loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: DTNA will inspect and repair or replace the tie rod assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2023. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL970.
Electrical System:propulsion System: Cables 2022-06-13 · campaign 22V418000 · 185 vehicles
Defect: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2021-2023 FCCC Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley Electric Buses. A high voltage battery cable may not be properly connected, which can cause a loss of electrical power or a ground short circuit.
Risk: Unexpected engine shut down can increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, a disabled school bus may require an evacuation procedure in an uncontrolled traffic situation, increasing the risk of injury to passengers. A ground short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: All vehicles have been remedied, therefore no owner notification letters are necessary. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL939.
Service bulletins (19)
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.
Electrical System 2026-08-28 · TSB-54-030-TBB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin for vehicle interface controller (vic) software update
Service Brakes 2026-08-18 · SS 282-FCCC · Other
revised service solution for retrofit to csi scroll type air compressor for eb2-jouley electric school bus (575177)
Service Brakes 2025-10-16 · CXA 10_25_Air Dryer Purge · Other
cx advocate for experiencing excessive purging from air dryer
Electrical System 2025-08-12 · SS581428-FCCC · Other
service solution for eb2 replacement danfoss powertrain inverter programming
Power Train 2025-08-05 · ICI21-016 · Other
revised important campaign information letter for (revised) cpwa recall program
Electrical System 2025-07-16 · SS581715-TBB · Other
service solution for c2 jouley battery replacement
Showing the 6 most recent of 19 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
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.