2016–2017 Thomas Built Buses Minotour, 2016–2017 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2, 2016–2017 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner Efx and 1 other model Recall: In the event of a severe rear-end collision, the seats may tilt rearward

The defect

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2, Saf-T-Liner HDX, Minotour DRW and Saf-T-Liner EFX school buses manufactured August 19, 2014, to October 22, 2015, and equipped with certain Syntec S3B Track Mounted Seats in 30", 36", 39" and 45" widths. In the event of a severe rear-end collision, the seats may tilt rearward. As such, these seats fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 222, "School Bus Passenger Seating and Crash Protection."

The risk

In the event of a severe rear-end collision, the seats may tilt rearward and result in injuries to the passenger's knees and/or impede the exiting of the bus.

The fix — what to do

DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will install a toe-clamp on the front feet of the S3B track mounted seats, free of charge. The recall began on January 21, 2016. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-745-8000, or Syntec customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-698.

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.