2016–2017 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2 Recall: In the event of a brake malfunction, these clusters may illuminate the…

The defect

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2 school buses manufactured November 25, 2015, to September 8, 2016, equipped with ICU3s instrument clusters and hydraulic brakes. In the event of a brake malfunction, these clusters may illuminate the Brake System Malfunction telltale/indicator lamp with the word "PARK" instead of the word "BRAKE". As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Control and Displays," and number 105, "Hydraulic and Electric Brake Systems."

The risk

If "PARK" illuminates instead of the word "BRAKE," the driver will be unaware of a braking issue or malfunction, increasing the risk of a crash.

The fix — what to do

DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ICU3s instrument clusters with new clusters, free of charge. An interim notice was sent to owners on November 4, 2016. The remedy is now available. A second notice was mailed to owners on April 17, 2017. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-724.

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.