By year
Owner complaints about Blue Bird vehicles peaked at 27 in 1997
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, 1995 to 2026. 2026 runs through October.
Source: NHTSA ODI complaints and recalls files. Complaints are not verified by NHTSA.
Make
Blue Bird
The complete NHTSA record for Blue Bird vehicles: owner complaints, recall campaigns, defect investigations and manufacturer communications, for every model and model year on file.
Most Blue Bird recalls are filed by Blue Bird Body, part of Blue Bird.
Owner complaints in the last five years25242 on file in all, across 88 models
Recall campaigns42951 in five years
Severity index10.3Crash, fire, injury or death per 100 complaints
Investigations42329 service bulletins
Components
Brakes draws the most owner complaints about Blue Bird vehicles, 13% of them
Share of all owner complaints on file, by component.
Source: NHTSA ODI.
Models
The ALL American has the most complaints of any Blue Bird model
Every Blue Bird model with complaints or recalls on file, by complaints. Counts are not rates: NHTSA publishes no sales volumes.
| Model | Model years | Complaints | Severity index | Recalls | Investigations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALL American | 1980 to 2019 | 52 | 1.9 | 583 | 23 |
| TC2000 | 1987 to 2005 | 38 | 5.3 | 214 | 23 |
| School BUS | 1984 to 2009 | 33 | 24.2 | 2 | 22 |
| Vision | 2001 to 2019 | 23 | 8.7 | 399 | 30 |
| Conventional | 1985 to 2018 | 14 | 21.4 | 119 | 3 |
| Blue Bird | 1980 to 2009 | 13 | 0.0 | 2 | 6 |
| Wanderlodge M450 LXI | 2005 to 2007 | 9 | 22.2 | 5 | 9 |
| ALL American School BUS | 2020 to 2027 | 8 | 12.5 | 67 | 0 |
| Buses | 1991 to 2002 | 8 | 12.5 | 0 | 2 |
| Bbcv | 2003 to 2023 | 5 | 0.0 | 3 | 0 |
| Vision School BUS | 2020 to 2027 | 4 | 0.0 | 110 | 1 |
| Wanderlodge | 1981 to 2005 | 3 | 0.0 | 61 | 2 |
| Gmcv | 1988 to 2004 | 3 | 0.0 | 24 | 0 |
| A3RE | 1999 to 2013 | 3 | 0.0 | 9 | 0 |
| Mini Bird | 1987 to 2006 | 2 | 50.0 | 39 | 1 |
| Tcfe | 1991 to 2004 | 2 | 0.0 | 5 | 0 |
| Sbcv | 1980 to 2008 | 1 | 0.0 | 36 | 0 |
| LTC 40 | 1996 to 2003 | 1 | 100.0 | 31 | 10 |
| Csfe | 1988 to 2003 | 1 | 100.0 | 19 | 0 |
| L4RE | 2002 to 2009 | 1 | 0.0 | 14 | 0 |
| Commercial | 2000 to 2004 | 1 | 0.0 | 8 | 0 |
| Tcre | 1991 to 2001 | 1 | 0.0 | 7 | 2 |
| BMC | 1993 to 1998 | 1 | 0.0 | 6 | 0 |
| ALL American D3 | 2010 to 2011 | 1 | 0.0 | 5 | 0 |
| A3FE | 1999 to 2012 | 1 | 0.0 | 4 | 0 |
| TC1000 | 1996 to 1999 | 1 | 100.0 | 4 | 0 |
| Wanderlodge LXI | 2000 to 2003 | 1 | 100.0 | 4 | 0 |
| Xcel 102 | 2006 to 2007 | 1 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 |
| Micro Bird | 1987 to 2011 | 0 | None | 114 | 0 |
| Vision Transit BUS | 2020 to 2027 | 0 | None | 60 | 0 |
| Commercial Series | 1995 to 2004 | 0 | None | 48 | 0 |
| Q-Bus | 1992 to 2003 | 0 | None | 34 | 0 |
| Gpwb | 1987 to 1999 | 0 | None | 32 | 0 |
| ALL American Transit BUS | 2020 to 2026 | 0 | None | 29 | 0 |
| Ultra LF | 2002 to 2007 | 0 | None | 23 | 0 |
| Vcta | 1988 to 1998 | 0 | None | 21 | 0 |
| Vision School BUS (electric) | 2019 to 2027 | 0 | None | 20 | 0 |
| Csre | 1991 to 2004 | 0 | None | 16 | 0 |
| Mbwb | 1992 to 2003 | 0 | None | 11 | 0 |
| ALL American School BUS (electric) | 2019 to 2027 | 0 | None | 10 | 0 |
| Express 4500 | 2004 to 2007 | 0 | None | 10 | 0 |
| C4RE | 2002 to 2008 | 0 | None | 9 | 0 |
| D3RE | 2005 to 2013 | 0 | None | 9 | 0 |
| Stfe | 1988 to 2004 | 0 | None | 9 | 0 |
| Express 4000 | 2003 to 2007 | 0 | None | 8 | 0 |
| TC2000 Forward Control | 1986 to 1991 | 0 | None | 8 | 1 |
| Mini Bird Wide Body | 1987 to 1991 | 0 | None | 7 | 0 |
| Aare | 1991 to 1999 | 0 | None | 6 | 0 |
| ALL American FC | 1986 to 1991 | 0 | None | 6 | 0 |
| M4RE | 2002 to 2007 | 0 | None | 6 | 0 |
| Qbre | 1991 to 2003 | 0 | None | 6 | 0 |
| Standard | 1986 to 1991 | 0 | None | 6 | 0 |
| Transhuttle | 1995 to 2000 | 0 | None | 6 | 0 |
| Wanderlodge M380 | 2003 to 2004 | 0 | None | 5 | 0 |
| ALL American Transit BUS (electric) | 2022 to 2026 | 0 | None | 4 | 0 |
| LTC | 2000 to 2003 | 0 | None | 4 | 0 |
| QB | 1993 to 1996 | 0 | None | 4 | 0 |
| Qbfe | 1991 to 1994 | 0 | None | 4 | 0 |
| Aafe | 1993 to 1999 | 0 | None | 3 | 0 |
| C1 | 1996 to 1998 | 0 | None | 3 | 0 |
Show all 88 models
- CS 1993 to 1995
- Excel 102 2008 to 2010
- Transit 1990 to 1992
- Ultra 2007 to 2009
- VAN Conversion 1990 to 1992
- A3FE2803A 2007
- Aafc 1992 to 1994
- ALL American Frwd Control 1990 to 1991
- ALL American Rear Engine 1990 to 1991
- Micro Bird VAN Conversion 1990 to 1991
- Safe 1993 to 1996
- Standard BUS Conventional 1990 to 1991
- Tcfc 1992 to 1994
- Wlwb 1992 to 1998
- A3EE 2803S 2006
- Bbcv 2610S 2006
- BBCV3011S 2010
- BUS 1993
- City Bird 1982
- Express 2006 to 2007
- Express 3500 2003
- Microbird 1991
- Mini Bird Wide 1986
- QBR 1994
- Sword 2003
- TCFC2708 1991
- Ultra LMB 2004
- Vision Transit BUS (electric) 2026
Source: NHTSA ODI. Recall counts add campaigns across model years, so a campaign covering three years counts three times.
Latest recalls
Recent campaigns listing a Blue Bird product
- 26V-556 Aug 31, 2026
Electrical contactor may fail, preventing the controls from stopping the lift
Adaptive equipment · 82 vehicles - 26V-520 Aug 10, 2026
12V power wire on one of the harnesses may become damaged and short circuit
Electrical system · 92 vehicles - 26V-519 Aug 10, 2026
12V power wire on one of the harnesses may become damaged and short circuit
Electrical system · 18k vehicles - 26V-467 Jul 20, 2026
Exhaust hanger cotter pin may contact the hydraulic brake line, damaging the line and causing a brake fluid leak
Brakes · 29 vehicles - 26V-466 Jul 20, 2026
Exhaust hanger cotter pin may contact the hydraulic brake line, damaging the line and causing a brake fluid leak
Brakes · 5,096 vehicles - 26V-319 May 20, 2026
Retractors may not lock, preventing the wheelchair from being properly secured
Adaptive equipment · 4 vehicles - 26V-246 Apr 17, 2026
Retention nuts between the wiper blades and the mounting arms may have been improperly tightened
Visibility and wipers · 103 vehicles - 26V-245 Apr 17, 2026
Retention nuts between the wiper blades and the mounting arms may have been improperly tightened
Visibility and wipers · 6 vehicles - 26V-033 Jan 22, 2026
Windows may have illegible DOT markings
Visibility and wipers · 1 vehicles - 26V-032 Jan 22, 2026
Windows may have illegible DOT markings
Visibility and wipers · 432 vehicles
Source: NHTSA ODI recalls file.