2002–2005 Thomas ER, 2002–2005 Thomas Saf-T-Liner ER Recall: CERTAIN MY 2002-2005 THOMAS BUILT SAF-T-LINER ER SCHOOL BUSES AND ER…
NHTSA campaign 05V208000 · Vehicle Speed Control · filed Apr 27, 2005 · verified Jul 30, 2026
The defect
CERTAIN MY 2002-2005 THOMAS BUILT SAF-T-LINER ER SCHOOL BUSES AND ER TRANSIT BUSES MANUFACTURED BETWEEN NOVEMBER 2002 AND FEBRUARY 2005 AND EQUIPPED WITH JOHN DEERE 8.1L COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS ENGINES MODELS HFN01 AND HFN03. THE ENGINE CONTROL UNIT AND THROTTLE CAN UNEXPECTEDLY SURGE. THESE UNITS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 124, ACCELERATOR CONTROL SYSTEMS.
The risk
A SUDDEN ENGINE SURGE COULD POSSIBLY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →The fix — what to do
JOHN DEERE WILL NOTIFY THE CUSTOMERS OF FREIGHTLINER/THOMAS BUILT AND WILL UPDATE THE ENGINE CONTROL UNIT SOFTWARE FREE OF CHARGE. OWNERS MAY CONTACT JOHN DEERE AT 1-800-JD-ENGINE.
CUSTOMERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV.
Affected vehicles
Related recalls
More Thomas ER recalls
- 2009 Thomas Built Buses ER and 7 other models — Electrical System
- 1995–2008 Thomas Built Buses FS-65 and 8 other models — Structure
- 2001–2008 Thomas Built Buses FS-65 and 4 other models — CERTAIN 2001 THROUGH 2008 THOMAS BUILT FS-56, ER, MVP ER…
- 2002–2004 Thomas Conventional and 6 other models — CERTAIN 2002-2005 MY THOMAS BUILT MINOTOUR, CONVENTIONAL…
- 2002–2004 Thomas Conventional and 6 other models — CERTAIN 2002-2005 MY THOMAS BUILT MINOTOUR, CONVENTIONAL…
Other campaigns involving Thomas vehicles
- 2000–2001 Thomas Built Buses CL-960 and 6 other models — In the affected vehicles, the stem that connects the…
- 1999 Thomas Built Buses Conventional and 8 other models — In the affected vehicles, the stem that connects the…
- 2005–2013 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2 and 9 other models — In the affected vehicles, the stem that connects the…
Source: NHTSA recall database, campaign 05V208000 (manufacturer number FL-450). Data last verified Jul 30, 2026.