Dayton school buses among 50,000 in national safety recall

DAYTON — Buses used by Dayton Public Schools are among more than 50,000 nationally facing recall because of a safety concern.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued a recall for 53,528 Thomas Built bus models that the federal agency said could hurt children in a crash.

The NHTSA said the bus seat backs were made with styrene blocks that may not give enough impact absorption around the back of the seat frame.

The Dayton Daily News and News Center 7 checked with seven area school districts Monday to see if they used the Thomas Built buses being recalled. Dayton was the lone district that said it currently is using the buses.

Troy had used the buses, but the school district no longer has Thomas Built in its fleet.

Officials in Bellbrook, Huber Heights, Kettering, Mad River and Miamisburg said their schools did not use the buses.

The Thomas Built models being recalled are:

• Saf-T-Liner EFX

• Minotour

• Saf-T-Liner C2

• Safe-T-Liner HDX

All of the buses have SynTec S3B or S3C seats.

Daimler Trucks North America, owner of the Thomas Built Buses company, will notify owners of the affected buses and dealers will add padding between the frame and the seat cover at no cost.

The recall begins Dec. 2.