U.S. public vehicle records

2001 Thomas SAF-T-LINER: complaints, problems and recalls

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

1 owner complaints analyzed

2 distinct recall campaigns

Not available median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2001 model year. Data updated: 2026-10-01 (October 1, 2026). 0 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Service Brakes, Air:Drum:Chamber 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.

Service Brakes, Air:Drum:Chamber

Service Brakes, Air:Drum:Chamber: 1

Reported problems by failure mileage

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

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

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.

2010

2010: 1

Pattern summary

Service Brakes, Air:Drum:Chamber 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 10365958 · 2010-11-08 (November 8, 2010)

CRACKED FRONT AIR CHAMBER SUPPORT BRACKETS

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10365958 at NHTSA ↗

Recall history

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

01V103000 · Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal

Reported: 2001-03-27 (March 27, 2001)

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SCHOOL BUSES. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL CAN POSSIBLY HANG UP ON THE FLOOR RUBBER.

Consequence: THE DRIVER WOULD BE EXPECTING THE VEHICLE'S SPEED TO DECREASE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A STAINLESS STEEL PLATE UNDER THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JUNE 8, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT THOMAS BUILT AT 1-336-889-4871.

NHTSA campaign record ↗

01V341000 · Seats

Reported: 2001-11-01 (November 1, 2001)

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: CERTAIN SCHOOL BUSES EQUIPPED WITH SYNTEC SEATS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 222, "SCHOOL BUS PASSENGER SEATING AND CRASH PROTECTION." SOME SEATS (1) FAIL TO MEET THE REQUIRED FOUR INCH CLEARANCE DURING THE TEST PROCEDURE, WHILE STILL MEETING THE POST TEST CONDITION; (2) FAIL TO MEET THE REQUIRED FRONTAL PRE-LOAD WHEN TESTING UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS; OR (3) WHILE STILL MEETING THE REQUIRED FORCE/DEFECTION, EXPERIENCE WELD BREAKAGE.

Consequence: IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY PROTECTED.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SEAT FRAME AND THE SEAT BACK CUSHION ON THESE VEHICLES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN NOVEMBER 13, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT THOMAS BUILT AT 336-889-4871.

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.

From model yearThrough model year

Component complaint heatmap
Component	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	2000	2001	2002
Air Bags	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.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	150.0% ODI 564684 THE AIR BAG DEFLATED CAUSING THE DRIVE SHAFT TO FAIL AND SEPARATE FROM THE BUS. THE REPAIR WAS DONE, BUT THE AIR BAG DEFLATED AGAIN. *YH Look up ODI 564684 at NHTSA ↗
Latches/Locks/Linkages:Doors:Latch	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.	1100.0% ODI 874794 REAR EMERGENCY EXIT DOOR HAS A BOLT LOCK THAT IF OR WHEN TOUCHED CAUSES LOSS OF POWER STEERING. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK Look up ODI 874794 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Power Train:Driveline:Driveshaft	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.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	150.0% ODI 758122 DRIVER HEARD A NOISE FROM THE REAR OF THE BUS AND PULLED OVER AND CHECKED THE BUS. AIR RIDE BAGS WERE DEPLOYED. FOUND PROBLEM - A NUT HAD FALLEN OFF THE CONTROL ARM OF THE AIR PRESSURE VALVE, CAUSING AIR RIDE BAGS TO DEFLATE. IT WAS REPAIRED. BUS CONTINUED ON ROUTE. 15-20 SECONDS INTO ROUTE, DRIVE SHAFT FAILED AND BROKE OFF THE BUS, STRIKING A PASSING VEHICLE. IT KNOCKED A HOLE IN THE GAS TANK OF THE PASSING VEHICLE. WE WERE NOT WARNED THAT IF AIR RIDE BAGS WERE DEPLOYED, THE DRIVE LINE WOULD FAIL, WHICH COULD HAVE CAUSED DEATH TO STUDEN… Look up ODI 758122 at NHTSA ↗
Service Brakes, Air:Drum:Chamber	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.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	1100.0% ODI 10365958 CRACKED FRONT AIR CHAMBER SUPPORT BRACKETS Look up ODI 10365958 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Steering:Hydraulic Power Assist System	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.	1100.0% ODI 874794 REAR EMERGENCY EXIT DOOR HAS A BOLT LOCK THAT IF OR WHEN TOUCHED CAUSES LOSS OF POWER STEERING. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK Look up ODI 874794 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Structure:Frame And Members	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 609825 SEVERAL CRACKS IN THE FRAME WERE LOCATED BETWEEN THE SHOCK MOUNTINGS AND IN THE REAR CROSS MEMBER BRACKET. MJS Look up ODI 609825 at NHTSA ↗	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.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% 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
Component	Mileage range (25th–75th percentile)	Median	Usable records	Examples
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.

ComponentPeriod

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
Month	Campaigns announced	Examples
2024-11	None	No examples available for this selection.
2024-12	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-01	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-02	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-03	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-04	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-05	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-06	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-07	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-08	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-09	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-10	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-11	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-12	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-01	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-02	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-03	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-04	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-05	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-06	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-07	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-08	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-09	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-10 (partial)	None	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.

Observation windowFirst model yearSecond model year

2001: 0 complaints · 2002: 2 complaints

Equal observation windows
Model year	Through age 0	Through age 1	Through age 2
2001	0	0	0
2002	2	2	2

Date coverage across each selected cohort

Date basis for all complaints in selected model years
Year	Incident dates used	Filing date fallbacks	Excluded dates
2001	1	0	0
2002	2	0	0

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
Component	Service Brakes, Air:Drum:Chamber
Service Brakes, Air:Drum:Chamber	—

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.

Search patterns

0 patterns with matching reports.

No narratives match the published patterns.