Vehicle recall 81V146000 · December 8, 1981

1978-1981 Thomas Pusher

An insufficient weld may exist in the reinforcing gusset plate on front, right and/or left spring hanger, or the weld may be missing entirely.

Source: NHTSA data as of September 22, 2026. Last refreshed Sep 23, 2026, 2:43 AM UTC.

Summary: An insufficient weld may exist in the reinforcing gusset plate on front, right and/or left spring hanger, or the weld may be missing entirely. The spring-hangers are brackets located on either side of the axle. Defective or missing welds can cause cracks to form in the spring-hanger.
Remedy: If the hanger is cracked, the gusset and the crack will be welded. A replacement hanger will then be ordered and installed as soon as possible, without charge to owner.
Notes: Vehicle description: school buses.system: suspension; front spring-hangers.consequences of defect: cracks may lead to complete failure of the springhangers, which could cause loss of vehicle control and an accident.

Recall details

NHTSA campaign: 81V146000
Reported to NHTSA: December 8, 1981
Filed by: THOMAS BUILT BUSES, INC.
Owner notification: December 15, 1981
Vehicles potentially affected: 388
Initiated by: the manufacturer
Components: Suspension › Front › Springs › Leaf spring assembly

Recall 81V146000 on nhtsa.gov, with the manufacturer’s documents

Vehicles covered

As listed by NHTSA. A recall usually covers only some vehicles of each model and year, often a production date range.

Thomas Pusher (1978-1981): 1981, 1980, 1979, 1978

Has your Thomas 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.

Check your VIN with NHTSA

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 dealer can also check your VIN. Recall repairs are free.