By year
Owner complaints about Thomas Built Buses vehicles peaked at 10 in 2008
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, 2003 to 2026. 2026 runs through October.
Source: NHTSA ODI complaints and recalls files. Complaints are not verified by NHTSA.
Make
Thomas Built Buses
The complete NHTSA record for Thomas Built Buses vehicles: owner complaints, recall campaigns, defect investigations and manufacturer communications, for every model and model year on file.
Most Thomas Built Buses recalls are filed by Daimler Truck.
Owner complaints in the last five years556 on file in all, across 33 models
Recall campaigns26558 in five years
Severity index16.1Crash, fire, injury or death per 100 complaints
Investigations271,362 service bulletins
Components
Brakes draws the most owner complaints about Thomas Built Buses vehicles, 15% of them
Share of all owner complaints on file, by component.
Source: NHTSA ODI.
Models
The Saf-T-Liner C2 has the most complaints of any Thomas Built Buses model
Every Thomas Built Buses 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saf-T-Liner C2 | 1995 to 2027 | 22 | 9.1 | 438 | 48 |
| C2 | 2006 to 2010 | 8 | 12.5 | 14 | 4 |
| Saf-T-Liner HDX | 2001 to 2026 | 5 | 20.0 | 374 | 9 |
| FS-65 | 1994 to 2017 | 4 | 50.0 | 78 | 36 |
| Mvp-Ef | 2003 to 2012 | 4 | 50.0 | 51 | 0 |
| Minotour | 2000 to 2023 | 2 | 0.0 | 300 | 20 |
| HDX | 2001 to 2023 | 2 | 50.0 | 78 | 12 |
| Saf-T-Liner ER | 1995 to 2013 | 2 | 0.0 | 19 | 0 |
| EF | 2004 to 2012 | 2 | 0.0 | 7 | 12 |
| Saf-T-Liner EFX | 2001 to 2026 | 1 | 0.0 | 141 | 0 |
| Saf-T-Liner | 2004 to 2006 | 1 | 0.0 | 3 | 3 |
| Transit Liner ER | 1999 to 2002 | 1 | 0.0 | 3 | 0 |
| Conventional | 1994 to 2006 | 1 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 |
| Saf-T-Liner HD | 2002 | 1 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 |
| Saf-T-Liner EF | 2000 to 2015 | 0 | None | 42 | 0 |
| Saf-T-Liner Mvp-Ef | 2000 to 2023 | 0 | None | 33 | 0 |
| Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley | 2020 to 2026 | 0 | None | 31 | 0 |
| Saf-T-Liner FS65 | 2000 to 2015 | 0 | None | 27 | 0 |
| Saf-T-Liner Mvp-Er | 2000 to 2017 | 0 | None | 25 | 0 |
| HDX EF | 1994 to 2002 | 0 | None | 15 | 9 |
| Saf-T-Liner HDX2 | 2026 to 2027 | 0 | None | 12 | 0 |
| Minotour SRW | 1998 to 2026 | 0 | None | 10 | 0 |
| Minotour DRW | 1998 to 2027 | 0 | None | 9 | 14 |
| TL-960 | 2000 to 2013 | 0 | None | 7 | 0 |
| Vista | 1998 to 2013 | 0 | None | 4 | 0 |
| FS65 | 2005 to 2006 | 0 | None | 3 | 2 |
| Saf-T-Liner C2 Joley | 2022 to 2024 | 0 | None | 3 | 0 |
| CL-960 | 2000 to 2001 | 0 | None | 2 | 0 |
| Transit Liner Mvp-Er | 2001 to 2002 | 0 | None | 2 | 0 |
| ER | 2009 | 0 | None | 1 | 0 |
| MVP ER | 1995 | 0 | None | 1 | 0 |
| Saf-T-Liner EFX2 | 2027 | 0 | None | 1 | 0 |
| TL960 | 1995 | 0 | None | 1 | 0 |
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 Thomas Built Buses product
- 26V-546 Aug 24, 2026
Connector plates for the driver's seat belt anchor and an interior body joint seam may be missing, resulting in insufficient structural reinforcements
Seat belts · 65 vehicles - 26V-523 Aug 10, 2026
Fuel tank cage material and fuel system mounting may be incompatible
Fuel system · 160 vehicles - 26V-522 Aug 10, 2026
Fuel tank cage material and fuel system mounting may be incompatible
Fuel system · 23k vehicles - 26V-408 Jun 26, 2026
Entrance door may fail to open or close when the switch is activated
Electrical system · 37 vehicles - 26V-407 Jun 26, 2026
Entrance door may fail to open or close when the switch is activated
Electrical system · 117 vehicles - 26V-388 Jun 12, 2026
Front and mid-body interior joints may have been manufactured incorrectly, resulting in insufficient joint strength
Structure · 2 vehicles - 26V-251 Apr 20, 2026
Driver seat belt anchor may have been installed with inadequate hardware
Seat belts · 26 vehicles - 26V-250 Apr 20, 2026
Driver seat belt anchor may have been installed with inadequate hardware
Seat belts · 71 vehicles - 26V-228 Apr 9, 2026
Vehicle's software may misinterpret contact if the door switch is bumped, deactivating the amber and red warning lights and the stop sign arm
Lighting · 3,285 vehicles - 26V-109 Feb 24, 2026
Heater hose may rupture, which can result in hot coolant leaking inside the passenger compartment
Engine and cooling · 70 vehicles
Source: NHTSA ODI recalls file.