2025 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley problems, complaints & recalls
Safety recalls (6)
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.
Service Brakes, Air:critical Fasteners 2025-09-11 · campaign 25V602000 · 36 vehicles
Defect: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain Thomas Built Buses 2025-2026 Saf-T-Liner C2 and Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley school buses. The brake caliper mounting bolts may loosen and detach, which can cause a loss of brake function and damage the tire and/or wheel.
Risk: A loss of brake function can increase the risk of a crash. In addition, a damaged wheel or tire can lead to a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace or tighten the brake caliper mounting bolts, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 10, 2025. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is F1023.
Electrical System:wiring 2024-08-01 · campaign 24V569000 · 629 vehicles
Defect: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain Thomas Built Buses 2024-2025 Saf-T-Liner C2 and Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley school buses. The ground cable for the air conditioning system may have been improperly installed and overheat.
Risk: An overheated ground cable can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and repair the ground cable connection, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 11, 2024. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 800-745-8000. DTNA's number for this recall is F1008.
Structure:emergency:escape/Egress/Exit 2024-06-26 · campaign 24V478000 · 162 vehicles
Defect: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2 and 2024-2025 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley school buses. The audible emergency warning alarm sounds may not activate when the emergency hatch or window is open. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 217, "Bus Emergency Exits and Window Retention and Release."
Risk: An inaudible alarm that fails to warn the driver of an open emergency exit can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the emergency sound software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 22, 2024. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is F1004.
Parking Brake 2024-05-14 · campaign 24V336000 · 398 vehicles
Defect: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Thomas Built SAF-T-Liner C2 and SAF-T-Liner C2 Jouley school buses. The rubber ball seal in the Intellipark Park Valve Modules (PVM) may fracture and cause a leak, which can result in park brake failure or unexpected park brake engagement while driving.
Risk: Park brake failure or unexpected park brake engagement while driving increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the Intellipark PVM, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 2, 2024. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is F1000.
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.
Service bulletins (16)
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 2025-10-16 · CXA 10_25_Air Dryer Purge · Other
cx advocate for experiencing excessive purging from air dryer
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
Power Train 2025-07-16 · SS301-TBB · Other
service solution for update jouley transmission cooler hoses
Electrical System 2025-05-21 · SS581167-FCCC · Other
service solution for eb2 (jouley) 47% soc battery can integrity improvement (294)
Showing the 6 most recent of 16 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.