2014 Micro Bird T-SERIES SCHOOL BUS: complaints, problems and recalls

Reported: 2015-11-18 (November 18, 2015)

Corp. Micro Bird Inc. (Micro Bird) is recalling certain model year 2006-2014 MBII, G5, and T-Series school buses manufactured January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2014, and equipped with certain model S2005, S2010, S5005, S5010, S5505, and S5510 wheelchair lifts built by the Ricon Corporation. The affected lifts are equipped with folding link arms that may have pivot holes that are too big, allowing the bearings to move out of position.

Consequence: If the bearings move out of position, the stowed platform may have excessive movement resulting in failure of the platform mounting. This failure could cause the wheel chair lift platform to fall out of the vehicle when the doors are opened, increasing the risk of injury for the lift operator.

Remedy: Micro Bird will notify owners, and Ricon dealers will inspect the link arms for damage or for displaced bearings. The platform will be inspected for cracks. Any damaged parts will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on December 11, 2015. Owners may contact Micro Bird customer service at 1-819-477-2012, or Ricon Customer Service at 1-800-322-2884. Micro Bird's number for this recall is 15-063-RUS.

Reported: 2018-07-18 (July 18, 2018)

Corp. Micro Bird Inc. (Micro Bird) is recalling certain 2011-2018 Micro Bird G5, MB-II, and T-series school buses, equipped with CE White/HSM SB11-30" series, standard, unbelted, school bus seats, or SB11-30" series school bus seats with lap belts only. The foam in the knee impact area of the lower seat back may not absorb enough impact in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 222, "School Bus Passenger Seating and Crash Protection."

Consequence: If the seat foam does not absorb enough impact energy, it can increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Micro Bird will notify owners and dealers will insert an additional piece of expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam into the seatback, free of charge. Micro Bird issued interim notifications to owners on September 12, 2018. The recall began December 7, 2018. Owners may contact Micro Bird customer service at 1-819-477-2012. Micro Bird's number for this recall is 18-074-SUS.

Reported: 2018-08-30 (August 30, 2018)

Corp. Micro Bird Inc. (Micro Bird) is recalling certain 2012-2018 Micro Bird G5, MBII, and T-Series school buses, equipped with certain S-Series and K-Series Titanium Wheelchair Lifts, models K200, K201, K550, K551, S200, S2201, S550 and S551. The wheelchair lift positioning input cam may fail while the lift is in use, allowing the platform to travel higher than the vehicle's floor height. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 403, "Platform Lift Systems."

Consequence: If the wheelchair lift platform stops above the vehicle floor, the wheelchair user can tip inwards toward the vehicle when exiting the lift, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy: Micro Bird will notify owners, and Ricon dealers will replace the injection molded cam with a new aluminum machined cam. The recall is expected to begin October 22, 2018. Owners may contact Micro Bird customer service at 1-819-477-2012. Micro Bird's number for this recall is 18-077-RUS.

Reported: 2020-03-06 (March 6, 2020)

Corp. Micro Bird Inc. (Micro Bird) is recalling certain 2004-2021 T-Series, G5, and MBII school buses. The emergency door retaining device may fail to keep the door in an open position. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 217, "Bus Emergency Exits and Window Retention and Release."

Consequence: If the emergency door won't stay open during an evacuation it can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: Micro Bird will notify owners, and dealers will install a kit to repair the emergency door retaining device, free of charge. The recall April 24, 2020. Owners may contact Micro Bird customer service at 1-819-477-2012. Micro Bird's number for this recall is 20-084-RUS.

Reported: 2021-07-13 (July 13, 2021)

Corp. Micro Bird, Inc. (Micro Bird) is recalling certain 2003-2022 MBII, T-Series, and G5 school buses. The emergency release handle on the service door may bind, not allowing the door panels to open.

Consequence: The service door may not open, preventing evacuation of the vehicle in case of emergency, and increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will provide instructions on how to correctly adjust the service door, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 8, 2021. Owners may contact Micro Bird customer service at 1-819-477-2012. Micro Bird's number for this recall is 21-087-DUS.