Vehicle recall 18V698000 · October 5, 2018
2015-2019 Thomas Built Buses Minotour
The rear emergency exit door may not open wide enough to meet the unobstructed emergency egress area requirements.
Source: NHTSA data as of September 22, 2026. Last refreshed Sep 23, 2026, 2:43 AM UTC.
- Summary
- Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Thomas Built Buses Minotour school buses with 36" or 39" wide seats. The rear emergency exit door may not open wide enough to meet the unobstructed emergency egress area requirements. 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 exit door does not open wide enough, it may limit the ability to exit the bus, increasing the risk of injury in the event of an emergency.
- Remedy
- DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will modify the rear door slide system, increasing the angle that the door can open, free of charge. DTNA issued owners an interim notification on November 8, 2018. The recall began June 28, 2019. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-797.
- Notes
- Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
Recall details
- NHTSA campaign
- 18V698000
- Reported to NHTSA
- October 5, 2018
- Filed by
- Daimler Trucks North America LLC
- Manufacturer campaign
- FL-797
- Owner notification
- June 28, 2019
- Vehicles potentially affected
- 701
- Initiated by
- the manufacturer
- Components
- Structure › Emergency › Escape/egress/exit
Vehicles covered
As listed by NHTSA. A recall usually covers only some vehicles of each model and year, often a production date range.
Has your Thomas Built Buses 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 Thomas Built Buses dealer can also check your VIN. Recall repairs are free.