Once electrically conductive, the material is capable of melting and burning, raises the risk of a fire.
Remedy & full details
NABI will notify owners, and dealers will replace the equalizers, free of charge. An interim letter was mailed to owners on January 27, 2014. Owners may contact NABI at 1-256-831-4296. NABI's recall number is 20136.
North American Bus Industries (NABI) is recalling certain model year 2000-2011 LFW, CLFW, BRT, 2007-2009 Blue Bird L4RE, and 2000-2009 Optima Opus transit buses equipped with Sure Power battery equalizers containing a particular epoxy sealing, aka 'potting', compound. The specific potting compound used in the subject products for insulation was found to be capable of conducting electricity after being exposed to heat.
Critical09V495000
Equipment
THE CORROSION COULD CAUSE AN ELECTRICAL SHORT THAT COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Remedy & full details
NABI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND LUMINATOR WILL REPAIR THE BUSES FREE OF CHARGE. PLEASE SEE LUMINATOR'S DEFECT REPORT 09E-054. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JANUARY 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT LUMINATOR AT 1-972-516-3033 OR NABI AT 1-256-831-4296.
NORTH AMERICAN BUS INDUSTRIES, INC. (NABI) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2002 THROUGH 2009 TRANSIT BUSES MANUFACTURED BETWEEN JANUARY 1, 2002, AND SEPTEMBER 15, 2009, AND EQUIPPED WITH LUMINATOR HORIZON LED SIDE DESTINATION SIGNS. THE CONNECTOR BOARD CAN CORRODE DUE TO AN ACCUMULATION OF MOISTURE UNDER THE CONNECTOR.
Serious12V189000
Steering:Column
SEPARATION OF THE STEERING SHAFT WILL RESULT IN A LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL, raises the risk of A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy & full details
NABI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPAIR VEHICLES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 7, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NABI AT 1-256-831-4296.
NORTH AMERICAN BUS INDUSTRIES (NABI) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2007-2009 OPTIMA OPUS29 AND OPUS34 MODEL TRANSIT BUSES, MANUFACTURED FROM AUGUST 8, 2007, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 21, 2009. THE PINCH BOLTS IN THE STEERING COLUMN SHAFT MAY LOOSEN TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY MAY FALL OUT ALLOWING THE STEERING SHAFT TO SEPARATE.
Serious07V206000
Service Brakes, Air
FAILURE OF THE AIR BRAKE SYSTEM DUE TO MOISTURE COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
Remedy & full details
NABI, IN CONJUNCTION WITH GRAHAM-WHITE, WILL REPLACE THE AIR DRYER TIMER MODULE ON THE AFFECTED VEHICLES. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 31, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NABI AT 1-256-831-4296 OR GRAHAM-WHITE AT 540-387-5620.
ON CERTAIN TRANSIT BUSES EQUIPPED WITH GRAHAM WHITE AIR DRYERS, THE AIR DRYER TIMER MODULES MAY ALLOW SUFFICIENT QUANTITIES OF MOISTURE TO ENTER AND AFFECT THE OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE AIR BRAKE SYSTEM.
Complaint volume
Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.
What owners reported happened
0Crashes
2Fires
9Injuries
0Deaths
Across 15 complaints. Severity Index 2.80.
Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.
What owners report most
Engine And Engine Cooling — 8 reports
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — 1 reports
Engine And Engine Cooling:Exhaust System — 1 reports
Air Bags — 1 reports
Electrical System — 1 reports
Interior Lighting — 1 reports
Latches/Locks/Linkages — 1 reports
Unknown Or Other — 1 reports
What to do
Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.
Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.
Questions
Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?
Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.
Do I pay for recall repairs?
No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.
Why are there complaints but no recalls?
Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.
From the same data desk
Independent sites, same maintainer, same open-data standards.