2025 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner Efx problems, complaints & recalls
Safety recalls (5)
Engine And Engine Cooling:cooling System:hoses/Lines/Piping/Fittings 2026-02-13 · campaign 26V086000 · 2,843 vehicles
Defect: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain Thomas Built Buses 2023-2026 Saf-T-Liner EFX and Saf-T-Liner HDX school buses. The heater hose clamps may not have been tightened properly, causing the hose to disconnect and leak heating coolant inside the passenger compartment.
Risk: Contact with hot heating coolant may burn occupants, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the heater hose clamps, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 10, 2026. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is F1030.
Engine And Engine Cooling:cooling System:hoses/Lines/Piping/Fittings 2026-02-13 · campaign 26V087000 · 52 vehicles
Defect: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain Thomas Built Buses 2023-2025 Saf-T-Liner EFX and 2023-2026 Saf-T-Liner HDX vehicles. The heater hose clamps may not have been tightened properly, causing the hose to disconnect and leak heating coolant inside the passenger compartment.
Risk: Contact with hot heating coolant may burn occupants, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the heater hose clamps, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 10, 2026. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is F1030.
Equipment Adaptive/Mobility:wheelchair Restraints/Securement:latch/Anchor: 2025-12-09 · campaign 25V849000 · 600 vehicles
Defect: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2025 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner EFX, 2025-2027 Thomas Built Buses Minotour DRW, 2026 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley, Thomas Built Buses HDX, and 2026-2027 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2 school buses equipped with certain QRT-Deluxe and QRT-Max wheelchair restraints. The wheel chair restraint retractor may not lock, preventing the wheelchair from being properly secured.
Risk: An unsecured wheelchair can move during transit, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the retractors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 5, 2026. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is F1028.
Steering:linkages:tie Rod Assembly 2024-06-04 · campaign 24V401000 · 27 vehicles
Defect: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2 and 2025 Thomas Built Buses Safe-T-Liner EFX school buses. The front axle tie rod ball joint studs may crack and break, which can result in tie rod separation.
Risk: Tie rod separation can cause a sudden loss of steering control and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the tie rod assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 25, 2024. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 800-745-8000. DTNA's number for this recall is D24R6.
Wheels:hub 2024-06-03 · campaign 24V392000 · 106 vehicles
Defect: Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2025 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2 and EFX school buses. The wheel hub fasteners may loosen and cause the wheel to detach, which can result in a loss of vehicle control.
Risk: A loss of vehicle control increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the hub nut retaining system, wheel end, and axle components, as necessary free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 18, 2024. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 800-745-8000. DTNA's number for this recall is F1002.
Service bulletins (15)
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.
Visibility/Wiper 2026-04-24 · SS 305-TBB · Other
service solution for efx ac upper bracket tbb 130987 replaced with tbb 248310
Electrical System 2026-03-20 · SS 308-TBB · Other
service solution for timer relay tbb 202400 replacement
Fuel/Propulsion System 2026-02-10 · MyCom_02102026-2 · Other
my communications for rai rk6166302 informational bulletin
Unknown Or Other 2026-01-26 · SS 582773-TBB · Other
service solution for efx shock mount frame rail crack repair
Unknown Or Other 2025-09-09 · MYCOM_09092025-1 · Other
my communications for dtna announces extended coverage policy updates
Unknown Or Other 2025-06-17 · SS1033857-TBB · Other
service solution for floor covering bubbles
Showing the 6 most recent of 15 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.