Thomas Built Buses Minotour 2016-2019: Emergency Exit Door May Not Open Wide Enough
Daimler Trucks North America 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 emergency egress requirements, potentially increasing injury risk during emergencies.
Use caution until it’s fixed
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.
What happened, in plain English
Daimler Trucks North America 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 emergency egress requirements, which could increase injury risk during emergencies. Read more at govinfonow.com/recall/1225388-thomas-built-buses-minotour-2016-2019-emergency-exit-door-may.
Source Summary by GovInfoNow · govinfonow.com/recall/1225388-thomas-built-buses-minotour-2016-2019-emergency-exit-door-may · Updated October 7, 2026 · Official notice: NHTSA #18V698000
Cite this page
“Thomas Built Buses Minotour 2016-2019: Emergency Exit Door May Not Open Wide Enough.” GovInfoNow, updated October 7, 2026. https://govinfonow.com/recall/1225388-thomas-built-buses-minotour-2016-2019-emergency-exit-door-may. Based on NHTSA recall #18V698000 (https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=18V698000).
Why it’s dangerous
The rear emergency exit door may not open wide enough to meet the required unobstructed emergency egress area. This could limit the ability to exit the bus during an emergency, increasing the risk of injury for passengers and crew.
Who’s affected
School bus owners with 2016-2019 Thomas Built Buses Minotour models featuring 36" or 39" wide seats are most at risk. These buses are typically used by school districts and emergency responders.
How to tell if you have this one
Check if your Thomas Built Buses Minotour school bus has 36" or 39" wide seats and was manufactured between 2016 and 2019. The recall covers these specific models and years.
- Brand
Thomas Built Buses- Category
Vehicle
What to do — step by step
Contact DTNA Customer Service
Reach out to DTNA at 1-800-547-0712 to schedule a door modification.
Get Door Modification
Dealers will modify the rear door slide system to increase the opening angle for better emergency egress.
What NHTSA says to do
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.
How this recall unfolded
Recall timeline
2 dated steps over 14 months.
- NHTSA received the defect report
- Recall began
Dates from the agency record only; steps without a date are left out.
Keep exploring
Where this comes from
The facts (hazard, remedy, dates, manufacturer) are pulled from the official NHTSA recall record. The plain-language summary and step-by-step checklist are written by GovInfoNow to make the official notice easier to act on — they don’t replace it.
- Official source: NHTSA Recall #18V698000 (May 10, 2018)
- Plain-language summary written by qwen3:4b on October 7, 2026, from the official record above. Not reviewed by a person — if it conflicts with the NHTSA notice, the notice is correct. Report an error on this page.
- GovInfoNow is an independent service and is not a government agency. We republish official NHTSA recall data; we don’t issue, amend or administer recalls.