Recall · 26V546000
Daimler Trucks North America recalled 2 models over structure
60
Vehicles covered
2
Models
2
Model years
August 24, 2026
Filed with NHTSA
STRUCTURE:BODY
- The defect
- Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2027 Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER HDX2 and Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER EFX2 school buses. The connector plates for the driver's seat belt anchor and an interior body joint seam may be missing, resulting in insufficient structural reinforcements. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages," and 221, "School Bus Body Joint Strength."
- What it can cause
- A seat belt anchor with a missing connector plate may fail to properly restrain the driver and insufficient joint strength may not adequately protect passengers, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
- What the dealer does
- The remedy is currently under development. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed October 23, 2026. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-574-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is F1038.
The repair is free, whatever the age or mileage of the vehicle, and whether or not you are the original owner.
Which vehicles
A recall reaches a range of VINs inside these model years, not every car built in them. Yours may not be covered even if it is listed here, and the only way to find out is NHTSA's own VIN lookup .
| Vehicle | Model years | Safety record |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas Built BusesSAF-T-Liner EFX2 | 2027 | Not published here |
| Thomas Built BusesSAF-T-Liner HDX2 | 2027 | Not published here |
How this campaign compares
At 60 vehicles this is a small campaign: 76% of the 19,818 vehicle recalls filed since 1995 whose size NHTSA published are as large or larger. The middle campaign on file covers 472. It covers one model year, 2027, and the defect was reported to NHTSA in 2026, at or before the oldest model year it covers — as current as a recall gets.
Thomas Built Buses vehicles have been recalled over the structure 35 times before this, most recently in June 2026 as 26V388000. That is not evidence the earlier repair failed.
The vehicles on this campaign carry 5 other recalls published here, the newest being: 26V408000 (latches/locks/linkages), 26V407000 (electrical system), 26V388000 (structure), 26V251000 (seat belts).
Check your own car
A VIN check is the only answer for a specific vehicle, and it also shows every other open recall on it, which is usually the reason it is worth doing rather than reading one campaign.
Filed by Daimler Trucks North America, LLC with NHTSA on August 24, 2026 as campaign 26V546000. Every word of the defect, consequence and remedy above is NHTSA's published record of that filing, not a summary of it.
Compiled and maintained by guarledes . Data last checked 2026-08-24.
Independent developer and analyst