Thomas Built Buses recall 26V-546: Insufficient Joint Strength and Missing Seat Belt Anchor/FMVSS 210, 221
A seat belt anchor with a missing connector plate may fail to properly restrain the driver and insufficient joint strength may not adequately protect passengers, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Campaign facts
- NHTSA campaign
- 26V546000 (26V-546)
- Manufacturer number
- F1038
- Filed by
- Daimler Trucks North America, LLC
- Report received
- August 24, 2026
- Component
- Seat belts:front:anchorage; Structure:body
- Vehicles potentially affected
- 65
- Model years
- 2027
- Built between
- January 3, 2026 and June 10, 2026
- Recall initiated by
- The manufacturer
- Safety standard
- FMVSS 210
What is wrong
Daimler Trucks North America, LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2027 Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER HDX2 and Thomas Built SAF-T-LINER EFX2 school buses. The connector plates for the driver's seat belt anchor and an interior body joint seam may be missing, resulting in insufficient structural reinforcements. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages," and 221, "School Bus Body Joint Strength."
The risk
A seat belt anchor with a missing connector plate may fail to properly restrain the driver and insufficient joint strength may not adequately protect passengers, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.
Why seat belt defects matter: Belts are the primary restraint in a crash; a defect in one seating position reduces protection for whoever sits there.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the header connectors, as necessary, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed October 21, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated November 2026. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-574-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is F1038.
About the seat belts
Seat belt assemblies include the webbing, buckle, retractor, anchorages and, in most modern cars, a pretensioner that tightens the belt at the start of a crash.
Vehicles covered by campaign 26V-546
- Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner EFX2 2027
- Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner HDX2 2027
What to do
- Enter your VIN in NHTSA’s lookup (below) to confirm that your vehicle is included and that the repair has not already been done.
- Call a dealer for the brand and book the repair. Quote NHTSA campaign 26V-546 and the manufacturer’s number F1038.
- Check that every belt latches and retracts normally, and tell the dealer which seating positions you use most.
- Safety recall repairs are carried out free of charge by the manufacturer’s dealers. If you already paid for this repair yourself, ask the manufacturer about reimbursement and keep your receipt.
Check by VIN
A campaign rarely covers every vehicle of a model year. Enter your 17-character VIN to find the recall campaigns filed for your make, model and model year. The VIN is on the driver’s side of the dashboard (visible through the windshield), on the door-jamb label, and on your registration and insurance documents.
Is a recall still open on your vehicle? Only NHTSA’s official VIN check can say whether a campaign applies to your exact vehicle and whether the repair has already been done.
Your VIN is decoded with NHTSA’s public vPIC service to identify the make, model and year. It is not stored and is not added to any page address.
The official record
This page reproduces the campaign as filed with NHTSA. The NHTSA record is authoritative — if anything here differs, follow the agency.
Open campaign 26V-546 on NHTSA.gov