Auto Recall Watch
U.S. public vehicle records

2018 Thomas Built Buses MINOTOUR: complaints, problems and recalls

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

1 owner complaints analyzed

13 distinct recall campaigns

Not available median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2018 model year. Data updated: . 0 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Power Train is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 1 complaints (100.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Power Train
1
Power Train:Automatic Transmission
1
Component breakdown data
CategoryCount
Power Train1
Power Train:Automatic Transmission1

Power Train: 1; Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 1

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000
0
25,000 to 49,999
0
50,000 to 74,999
0
75,000 to 99,999
0
100,000 to 149,999
0
150,000 and above
0
Reported problems by failure mileage data
CategoryCount
Under 25,0000
25,000 to 49,9990
50,000 to 74,9990
75,000 to 99,9990
100,000 to 149,9990
150,000 and above0

Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0

No usable failure mileage is recorded. 1 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2023
1
Complaints over time data
CategoryCount
20231

2023: 1

Pattern summary

Power Train leads the component reports. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Examples from the source records

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 11503759 · 2023-01-26 (January 26, 2023)

Lost all forward gear. As show in the picture attached of the valve body the number 1 valve body check ball pointed at with the yellow arrow is significantly smaller the the rest of the check balls. This causes the vehical to lose all forward gears and potentialy putting you harms way. This come whithout warning and no check engine light. I run a fleet of about 60 of these vans and it has happened with at least 5 of my vans in the couple of years two of which have been repaired by the dealer. It is just a matter of time a van gets stuck i…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11503759 at NHTSA ↗

Recall history

13 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.

17V312000 · Seats

Reported: 2017-05-11 (May 11, 2017)

Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Thomas Built Buses Minotour DRW school buses. The occupant seats may have been installed without reinforcement brackets being used underneath the seat rail as intended.

Consequence: Without reinforcement brackets, in the event of a crash, the seats may come loose, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seats and install reinforcement brackets as necessary, free of charge. An interim notice was mailed to owners on July 5, 2017. The recall began on August 11, 2017. Owners may contact DTNA Customer Service 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for the recall is FL-735.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
18V157000 · Equipment Adaptive/Mobility

Reported: 2018-03-07 (March 7, 2018)

Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2007-2018 Thomas Built Buses Minotour school buses built on GM chassis and equipped with wheelchair lifts. The wheelchair lift may be operated while the vehicle is in Neutral or Drive.

Consequence: If the wheelchair lift can be operated when the vehicle is not in Park, there is increased risk of injury to the lift user.

Remedy: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the wheelchair lift, correcting the electrical connections as necessary, free of charge. DTNA issued owners an interim notification on April 26, 2018. The recall began November 15, 2018. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-761.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
18V158000 · Equipment Adaptive/Mobility

Reported: 2018-03-07 (March 7, 2018)

Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2007-2018 Thomas Built Buses Minotour transit buses built on GM chassis and equipped with wheelchair lifts. The wheelchair lift may be operated while the vehicle is in Neutral or Drive.

Consequence: If the wheelchair lift can be operated when the vehicle is not in Park, there is increased risk of injury to the lift user.

Remedy: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the wheelchair lift, correcting the electrical connections as necessary, free of charge. DTNA issued owners an interim notification on April 26, 2018. The recall began November 15, 2018. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-761.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
18V192000 · Seats

Reported: 2018-03-26 (March 26, 2018)

Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2, Saf-T-Liner HDX, Saf-T-Liner EFX, and Minotour school buses, equipped with certain Syntec-brand S3B, Non-Restraint, Wall Mounted Seats. The wall mounting bracket may crack, which may cause the seat to not remain secured in place in the event of a crash.

Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the seat does not remain secured to the wall, the occupant has an increased risk of an injury.

Remedy: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional wall mounting bracket, free of charge. DTNA issued an interim notification to owners on May 9, 2018. The recall began May 10, 2018. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-763.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
18V193000 · Seats

Reported: 2018-03-26 (March 26, 2018)

Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2, Saf-T-Liner HDX, Saf-T-Liner EFX, and Minotour transit buses, equipped with certain Syntec-brand S3B, Non-Restraint, Wall Mounted Seats. The wall mounting bracket may crack, which may cause the seat to not remain secured in place in the event of a crash.

Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the seat does not remain secured to the wall, the occupant has an increased risk of an injury.

Remedy: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional wall mounting bracket, free of charge. DTNA issued an interim notification to owners on May 10, 2018. The recall began May 10, 2018. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-763.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
18V253000 · Seats

Reported: 2018-04-19 (April 19, 2018)

Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2, Saf-T-Liner HDX, Saf-T-Liner EFX, and Minotour school buses equipped with S3B Restraint Wall Mounted Seats. The wall mounting bracket may crack, causing the seat to not remain secured in place in the event of a crash.

Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the seat does not remain secured to the wall, the occupant has an increased risk of an injury.

Remedy: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional wall mounting bracket, free of charge. Daimler issued owners an interim notification on June 12, 2018. The recall began January 3, 2019. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-769.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
18V254000 · Seats

Reported: 2018-04-19 (April 19, 2018)

Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner C2, Saf-T-Liner EFX, Saf-T-Liner HDX, and Minotour transit buses, equipped with certain S3B Restraint Wall Mounted Seats. The wall mounting bracket may crack, causing the seat to not remain secured in place in the event of a crash.

Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the seat does not remain secured to the wall, the occupant has an increased risk of an injury.

Remedy: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional wall mounting bracket, free of charge. Daimler issued an interim notification to owners on June 15, 20 18. The recall began January 3, 2019. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-769.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
18V301000 · Equipment Adaptive/Mobility

Reported: 2018-05-08 (May 8, 2018)

Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2002-2018 Thomas Built Buses Minotour school buses built on a Ford chassis and equipped with an optional wheelchair lift. The wheelchair lift may be allowed to operate when the vehicle is in neutral or drive, due to missing relay in the interlock wiring harness.

Consequence: If the vehicle can be moved while the wheelchair lift is being used, there is an increased the risk of injury.

Remedy: 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.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
18V698000 · Structure:Emergency:Escape/Egress/Exit

Reported: 2018-10-05 (October 5, 2018)

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.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
19V170000 · Equipment Adaptive/Mobility

Reported: 2019-03-05 (March 5, 2019)

Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2003-2019 Thomas Built Buses Minotour school buses built on a Ford chassis equipped with a specific wheelchair lift option. The wheelchair lift can be operated without the parking brake being engaged after they key is turned off.

Consequence: When the vehicle is in neutral with the ignition and the parking brake off, the vehicle may move. Using the wheelchair lift during this time can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: DTNA has notified owners, and dealers will modify the wheelchair lift wiring harness, free of charge. DTNA issued owners an interim notification on April 10, 2019. The recall began December 20, 2019. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-811.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
19V712000 · Seats

Reported: 2019-10-04 (October 4, 2019)

Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2014-2020 Thomas Built Saf-T-Liner EFX, Minotour, Saf-T-Liner C2, and Saf-T-Liner HDX school buses equipped with SynTec S3B or S3C seats. The seats may have been manufactured with styrene blocks that may not provide sufficient impact absorption in certain specific areas around the steel seat frame of the back support. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 222, "School Bus Passenger Seating and Crash Protection."

Consequence: The lack of impact absorption increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will install additional impact material between the re-bond back and the vinyl back cover to increase the amount of absorption, free of charge. DTNA issued owners an interim notification on November 29, 2019. The recall began June 22, 2020. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-832.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
20V690000 · Equipment Adaptive/Mobility

Reported: 2020-11-09 (November 9, 2020)

Daimler Trucks North America LLC (DTNA) is recalling certain 2008-2021 Thomas Built Buses Minotour school buses. The driver may be able to release the park brake and shift the transmission out of Park and into a drive gear while the wheelchair lift is deployed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 403, "Platform Lift Systems."

Consequence: If the vehicle is put into drive while the wheelchair lift is deployed, the vehicle may move forward or backward, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: DTNA will notify owners, and dealers will have the wheelchair lift wiring modified as needed, free of charge. DTNA issued owners an interim notification on January 6, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 19, 2021. Owners may contact DTNA customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-868.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
21V741000 · Electrical System:Wiring:Relays/Solenoids | Fuel System, Other:Storage:Tank Assembly

Reported: 2021-09-23 (September 23, 2021)

Daimler Trucks North America, LLC. (DTNA) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Thomas Built Minotour school buses. The under-body shut-off solenoid connector that connects to the CNG fuel tank may corrode, which could result in an electrical short.

Consequence: A short at the connector may cause a flame or overheating, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the CNG fuel shut-off solenoid, free of charge. Owner notification letters are were mailed February 03, 2022. Owners may contact DTNA's customer service at 1-800-547-0712. DTNA's number for this recall is FL-903.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
Explore the data

Vehicle analysis explorer

Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.

Data completeness

1 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.

0.0%Usable mileage0 / 1 records
100.0%Valid incident date1 / 1 records
100.0%Valid filing date1 / 1 records
100.0%Ordered incident and filing dates1 / 1 records

Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.

Problems by model year

Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.

Component complaint heatmap
Component200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023
Power Train
0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

1100.0%
ODI 11503759

Lost all forward gear. As show in the picture attached of the valve body the number 1 valve body check ball pointed at with the yellow arrow is significantly smaller the the rest of the check balls. This causes the vehical to lose all forward gears and potentialy putting you harms way. This come whithout warning and no check engine light. I run a fleet of about 60 of these vans and it has happened with at least 5 of my vans in the couple of years two of which have been repaired by the dealer. It is just a matter of time a van gets stuck i…

Look up ODI 11503759 at NHTSA ↗

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

Power Train:Automatic Transmission
0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

1100.0%
ODI 11503759

Lost all forward gear. As show in the picture attached of the valve body the number 1 valve body check ball pointed at with the yellow arrow is significantly smaller the the rest of the check balls. This causes the vehical to lose all forward gears and potentialy putting you harms way. This come whithout warning and no check engine light. I run a fleet of about 60 of these vans and it has happened with at least 5 of my vans in the couple of years two of which have been repaired by the dealer. It is just a matter of time a van gets stuck i…

Look up ODI 11503759 at NHTSA ↗

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

Structure:Body
0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

00.0%

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

0Unavailable

No examples available for this selection.

Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.

Failure mileage by component

Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.

Component failure mileage distribution
ComponentMileage range (25th–75th percentile)MedianUsable recordsExamples
No usable records for this analysis.

Complaint and recall timeline

Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.

1 reports2024-112026-10

Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.

Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples
Monthly complaint and recall timeline
MonthComplaintsCampaigns announcedExamples
2024-110None

No examples available for this selection.

2024-120None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-010None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-020None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-030None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-040None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-050None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-060None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-070None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-080None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-090None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-100None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-110None

No examples available for this selection.

2025-120None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-010None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-020None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-030None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-040None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-050None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-060None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-070None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-080None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-090None

No examples available for this selection.

2026-10 (partial)0None

No examples available for this selection.

Emerging complaint spikes

Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.

This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.

No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.

Equal-age model-year comparison

Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.

Age 0Age 1Age 21 reports

2022: 0 complaints · 2023: 0 complaints

Equal observation windows
Model yearThrough age 0Through age 1Through age 2
2022000
2023000
Date coverage across each selected cohort
Date basis for all complaints in selected model years
YearIncident dates usedFiling date fallbacksExcluded dates
2022000
2023000

Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.

Components reported together

Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.

Component co-occurrence matrix
ComponentPower TrainPower Train:Automatic Transmission
Power Train—
1
ODI 11503759

Lost all forward gear. As show in the picture attached of the valve body the number 1 valve body check ball pointed at with the yellow arrow is significantly smaller the the rest of the check balls. This causes the vehical to lose all forward gears and potentialy putting you harms way. This come whithout warning and no check engine light. I run a fleet of about 60 of these vans and it has happened with at least 5 of my vans in the couple of years two of which have been repaired by the dealer. It is just a matter of time a van gets stuck i…

Look up ODI 11503759 at NHTSA ↗

Power Train:Automatic Transmission
1
ODI 11503759

Lost all forward gear. As show in the picture attached of the valve body the number 1 valve body check ball pointed at with the yellow arrow is significantly smaller the the rest of the check balls. This causes the vehical to lose all forward gears and potentialy putting you harms way. This come whithout warning and no check engine light. I run a fleet of about 60 of these vans and it has happened with at least 5 of my vans in the couple of years two of which have been repaired by the dealer. It is just a matter of time a van gets stuck i…

Look up ODI 11503759 at NHTSA ↗

—

Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.

Recurring narrative patterns

Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.

1 patterns with matching reports.

Warning lights and dashboard alerts

1 mentions · 100.0% of complaints

Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).

ODI 11503759

Lost all forward gear. As show in the picture attached of the valve body the number 1 valve body check ball pointed at with the yellow arrow is significantly smaller the the rest of the check balls. This causes the vehical to lose all forward gears and potentialy putting you harms way. This come whithout warning and no check engine light. I run a fleet of about 60 of these vans and it has happened with at least 5 of my vans in the couple of years two of which have been repaired by the dealer. It is just a matter of time a van gets stuck i…

Look up ODI 11503759 at NHTSA ↗

Matching rule\b(warning light\w*|check engine|dashboard warning\w*|malfunction indicator)\b