Thomas Built Buses Minotour 2018 School Bus Recall: Wheelchair Lift Safety Risk
Daimler Trucks North America recalls 2002-2018 Thomas Built Buses Minotour school buses with wheelchair lifts that may operate while moving, risking injury. Owners must have lift wiring inspected by dealers.
Use caution until it’s fixed
If the vehicle can be moved while the wheelchair lift is being used, there is an increased the risk of injury.
What happened, in plain English
Daimler Trucks North America is recalling certain 2002-2018 Thomas Built Buses Minotour school buses with wheelchair lifts. The lift could operate while the bus moves, increasing injury risk. Affected owners should have the wiring checked by a dealer. Read more at govinfonow.com/recall/1225390-thomas-built-buses-minotour-2018-school-bus-recall-wheelchair-lift.
Source Summary by GovInfoNow · govinfonow.com/recall/1225390-thomas-built-buses-minotour-2018-school-bus-recall-wheelchair-lift · Updated October 6, 2026 · Official notice: NHTSA #18V301000
Cite this page
“Thomas Built Buses Minotour 2018 School Bus Recall: Wheelchair Lift Safety Risk.” GovInfoNow, updated October 6, 2026. https://govinfonow.com/recall/1225390-thomas-built-buses-minotour-2018-school-bus-recall-wheelchair-lift. Based on NHTSA recall #18V301000 (https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=18V301000).
Why it’s dangerous
The wheelchair lift may operate when the bus is in neutral or drive because of a missing relay in the interlock wiring harness. This allows the lift to function while the vehicle moves, increasing the chance of injury.
Who’s affected
School bus owners with 2002-2018 Thomas Built Buses Minotour models equipped with wheelchair lifts are most at risk. The hazard affects users during wheelchair lift operations while the bus is moving.
How to tell if you have this one
Check for 2002-2018 Thomas Built Buses Minotour school buses with optional wheelchair lifts. The recall began November 15, 2019, and affects vehicles built on Ford chassis.
- Brand
Thomas Built Buses- Category
Vehicle
What to do — step by step
Contact Dealer for Inspection
Dealers will inspect the wheelchair lift wiring and correct it for free if needed.
Check Recall Status
Owners can verify if their bus is affected by contacting DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712.
What NHTSA says to do
DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the wheelchair lift wiring, correcting it as necessary, free of charge. Daimler issued an interim notification to owners on June 19, 2018. The recall began November 15, 2019. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-770.
How this recall unfolded
Recall timeline
2 dated steps over 15 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 #18V301000 (August 5, 2018)
- Plain-language summary written by qwen3:4b on October 6, 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.