Blue Bird preliminary evaluation PE23004
Blue Bird Draglink Failures. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened this preliminary evaluation about the connection on 5 model years (2016–2020). Opened Mar 17, 2023, closed Feb 28, 2024 after 11 months without a recall. closed
What NHTSA says
Source: Office of Defects Investigation, as filedOn March 17, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE23-004 to investigate instances of drag link separation in model year (MY) 2016-2020 Vision school buses manufactured by Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird). Since drag links are serviceable items that can wear out, ODI opened this investigation to understand why two drag links separated at the steering arm end shortly after having passed a routine inspection by multiple qualified entities.Two buses used in the same rural school district, owned and maintained by different bus contractors, had both undergone similar annual and semi-annual inspections prior to the start of the school year.Both failed within a week of each other, approximately a month into the school year. ODI interviewed the bus contractors and surveyed the industry to learn what inspection methods were being used and which ones were best at detecting wear in the components.ODI learned that the failed buses had not been inspected using the most thorough methods. ODI collected the drag links from each of the failed buses. Assisted by the Pennsylvania State Police Motor Carrier Enforcement Division and using best practice inspection methods, ODI identified and collected a pre-separation drag link from a neighboring school district. The drag links underwent a teardown inspection at the Vehicle Research and Test Center (VRTC) jointly with Blue Bird and THK-Rhythm Automotive, the drag link manufacturer.In all cases, the visual analysis of each drag link end revealed that the grease at the steering arm end was dirty, discolored, and dry in texture, while the pitman arm end was still clean looking and fluid. ODI reviewed the information request data submitted by Blue Bird.No other separations had been reported.ODI contacted additional fleets to determine whether any other separations had occurred that had not been included in the submitted warranty and claim data.None were found. The grease fitting on the steering arm end is obscured by the steering arm itself.Therefore it is believed that inadequate maintenance resulted in the failures that had not been detected during the less-thorough prior inspections.Blue Bird has agreed to issue a notification to all owners to clearly identify all lubrication points and ensure all owners understand the proper lubrication and inspection methods.Blue Bird will also update their service manuals to convey the industry best practices of having someone turn the steering wheel while someone else inspects the drag links while the wheels are on the ground. Since the drag link failures appear to be caused by maintenance and inspection deficiencies and not due to a design, material or manufacturing issue, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. The Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances.
A Preliminary Evaluation is the first formal stage: NHTSA has decided the complaints and other information it screened are worth a closer look, and asks the manufacturer for its own data on the condition. The summary is the agency’s own text from its investigation file, unedited; the opening and closing resumes with the full reasoning are on NHTSA’s site under this number.
What this means for an owner
Source: and what happens nextAn investigation is not a finding that a defect exists, and it puts no duty on anyone. NHTSA opens a Preliminary Evaluation when complaints and other reports suggest a condition worth asking the manufacturer about; it upgrades to an Engineering Analysis when the answers warrant testing; it closes either when it recommends a recall, when the manufacturer recalls on its own, or when no defect trend is found. The agency’s own goals are about four months for a petition, eight for a Preliminary Evaluation or a Recall Query and eighteen for an Engineering Analysis; many run longer.
This one closed without a recall. That means NHTSA found no defect trend it chose to act on at the time, or the manufacturer addressed the condition another way (a service campaign or a bulletin, which have their own pages). A closed file can be reopened if new reports arrive.
Model years it names
Source: as NHTSA filed themAlso named: 2016 Blue Bird Vision; 2017 Blue Bird Vision; 2018 Blue Bird Vision; 2019 Blue Bird Vision; 2020 Blue Bird Vision School BUS.
A vehicle page’s investigation list carries the same action; a name here is the scope NHTSA opened, not a list of affected VINs.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationIs PE23004 a recall?
No. A preliminary evaluation is NHTSA asking questions, not a recall. A safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number and a duty to repair for free; this one closed without one. Whether one particular vehicle has an open recall is a VIN question at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Is PE23004 still open?
No. It closed on Feb 28, 2024 without a recall.
Which vehicles does PE23004 cover?
NHTSA opened it on 5 model years: 2016 Blue Bird Vision, 2017 Blue Bird Vision, 2018 Blue Bird Vision, 2019 Blue Bird Vision, 2020 Blue Bird Vision School BUS. That is the scope of the inquiry, not a list of affected vehicles; a recall, if one follows, defines its own population by VIN.