Head of safety group reassures U.S. parents after school bus recall

A brake company is recommending that bus and truck manufacturers recall about 300,000 vehicles

In this story: 260,000 trucks affected San Francisco incident reported Shortage of brake system replacements Federal government notified RELATED STORIES, SITES

McLEAN, Virginia (CNN) -- The executive director of an organization that promotes safe school transportation downplayed the significance of a recall of 6,000 school buses to correct a brake defect, telling CNN on Sunday that such safety recalls are not uncommon.

Charles Gauthier of the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, based in McLean, Virginia, told "CNN Sunday Morning" parents should keep in mind that buses are still going to be "100 times safer than even driving your children to school."

VIDEO Charles Gauthier of the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services reassures parents Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Brian Nelson reports on the recall of 6,000 school buses Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     MESSAGE BOARD Product safety

Thomas Built Buses Inc., the nation's largest school bus manufacturer, is recalling the 6,000 buses after 16 of them had brake failure. The company is urging that its vehicles be inspected and have their electronic control braking units replaced.

The recall was prompted when brake company Bendix Corp., of Elyria, Ohio, said it was recommending that bus and truck manufacturers recall about 300,000 vehicles -- including 46,000 buses -- because of a malfunction in the anti-lock brake systems.

"If this recall was of such a severe safety nature, Thomas Built buses and, certainly, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would have ordered these buses to be taken out of service immediately and not used until it's fixed and that is not the case," Gauthier said.

The defect, which has been blamed for five minor accidents, can cause the driver to lose the ability to brake for as long as four seconds at speeds below 20 mph, Bendix spokesman Rick Batyko said.

Batyo said Saturday that 40 incidents were caused by the defect and no injuries or accidents resulted.

Sixteen school buses had brake failure because of the defect

260,000 trucks affected

Batyko said other U.S. bus makers would join the recall if they had not already.

In addition to the buses, 260,000 trucks are affected by the defect, Batyko said. The trucks affected are so-called "straight" trucks, where the tractor and trailer are combined in one unit, as is the case with many moving trucks, delivery trucks, beer trucks and emergency vehicles.

"We believe the situation is under control and proceeding according to plan," said Roy Wiley, spokesman for International Truck and Engine Corp., which has initiated its own recall and replacement plan.

San Francisco incident reported

One of the school bus incidents occurred in San Francisco, said Jim Hebe, president of Freightliner Corp., which owns Thomas Built Buses, Inc., the nation's largest school bus maker. The bus driver safely steered the vehicle off the road, Hebe said.

An inspection of the bus showed that a chafed wire leading to a wheel sensor sent a signal to the electronic braking control unit to release the brakes for several seconds instead of activate them, Hebe said.

The problem can also be caused by a loose ring inside the wheel that measures how fast the wheel is turning, according to Hebe. Based on that information, the electronic braking control unit decides whether to activate the anti-lock braking system, he said.

Shortage of brake system replacements

But Batyko said replacement units for the defective brakes will not be available until October, and there won't be enough kits to be distributed to all affected vehicles until the end of November.

Batyko said Bendix was increasing its monthly production of the $300 units from 8,000 to 39,000. "I think it's important to note that we are somewhat constrained by what we have available to us by Bendix," Hebe said.

Bendix is urging affected vehicle owners to inspect wheels for chafed wires and loose rings while they're waiting for the new replacement units.

Batyko said vehicles with neither problem are not at risk, and the defect will not affect emergency brakes.

Hebe said Thomas Built was the first bus maker to order a recall. "We took it upon ourselves to initiate this recall before anyone else, as quickly as possible, and to have the people in place to remedy the situation as best we can," he said.

In addition, Thomas Built said it was taking upgraded units from its bus production lines and sending them to owners of affected buses to speed the recall process.

The school bus maker set up a phone number on Saturday that the company said would be staffed around the clock: 800-FTL-HELP.

Federal government notified

Batyko said Bendix notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of its remedy plan on July 17 and that it was approved August 22.

"Bendix has done everything by the book," said NHTSA spokesman Rae Tyson.

"They notified us the way they should," Tyson said. "They came in and met with us. They presented a formal plan for addressing the problem."

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August 15, 2000
Firestone recall, plant come under fire
August 13, 2000

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Freightliner
Bendix

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