Vehicle recall 01V281000 · September 6, 2001
1998-2001 US Bus Sturdibus
Vehicle description: certain school buses fail to comply with requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 221, "school bus body joint strength." these buses have…
Source: NHTSA data as of September 22, 2026. Last refreshed Sep 23, 2026, 2:43 AM UTC.
- Summary
- Vehicle description: certain school buses fail to comply with requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 221, "school bus body joint strength." these buses have insufficient metal hemming in the panel joints.
- Consequence
- In the event of a crash, the side panels of the bus may not protect the occupants at the level required by the standard.
- Remedy
- On the right and left rear exterior panel joints behind the rear wheels, an additional 4 steel rivets will be added at each 8" section between the rub rails to the joint for both sides of the bus. The interior ceiling panel joint will go from the left side to the right side inside the bus. On the interior celing panels center joint from the front to the rear inside of the bus, 4 new steel rivets will be added every 8" section from front to the rear of the bus. Owner notification began September 10, 2003. Owners who do not receive the free modification kit and installation instructions within a reasonable time should contact us bus at 1-845-357-2510.
- Notes
- Also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).
Recall details
- NHTSA campaign
- 01V281000
- Reported to NHTSA
- September 6, 2001
- Filed by
- U.S. BUS CORPORATION
- Owner notification
- September 10, 2003
- Vehicles potentially affected
- 188
- Initiated by
- NHTSA’s Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance
- Components
- Structure › Body
Vehicles covered
As listed by NHTSA. A recall usually covers only some vehicles of each model and year, often a production date range.
- US Bus Sturdibus (1998-2001): 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998
Has your US Bus been repaired?
Recalls here come from NHTSA’s records for the model and year. Not every vehicle of a model is included in every recall, and this site can’t see whether a repair has been done. Only a VIN lookup can tell you that.
NHTSA’s VIN search doesn’t show recalls that were already repaired, recalls more than 15 years old, or some small manufacturers’ recalls. A US Bus dealer can also check your VIN. Recall repairs are free.