1996 Thomas Conventional: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 1996 Thomas Conventional
No owner has filed a defect report with NHTSA about the 1996 Thomas Conventional. That is not a clean bill of health — it usually means few were sold, or the year is too new for problems to have surfaced.
Recalls on the 1996 model year
NHTSA has issued 11 recall campaigns covering the 1996 Thomas Conventional, affecting an estimated 45,322 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover seats and unknown or other. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
One caution about reading these together: a recall usually raises the complaint count for the same part, because owners who read about it go and file. The mileages stay informative; the counts get noisy.
SEATS
6,500 vehicles 2000-11-03- Defect
- Vehicle description: certain school buses and transit buses equipped with national seating's series 93b-sb driver seat. A bracket attaching the gas spring shock to the height adjuster of the seat can deform and break. This bracket is located at the top of the height adjuster.
- Consequence
- If the bracket is not replaced after deforming, and is allowed to break, its breaking will result in a sudden drop of the driver's seat, increasing the risk of loss of control of the vehicle and a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the seat base and add reinforcement to the seat assembly
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
11,500 vehicles 2000-11-03- Defect
- Vehicle description: certain school buses equipped with a storage compartment overhead to the left of the driver fail to meet fmvss no. 222, "school bus passenger seating and crash protection."
- Consequence
- Contact with this storage compartment does not meet the impact zone requirements of the standard.
- Remedy
- Dealers will add padding to the sides of the storage compartment. Owner notification began february 8, 2002. 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.
SEATS
744 vehicles 1999-07-02- Defect
- Vehicle description: transit and school buses equipped with air suspension driver seat. Tether belts used to anchor the seat belt assembly to the floor were not installed on buses equipped with an air ride driver seat. This does not meet the requirements of fmvss no. 210, "seat belt assembly anchorages."
- Consequence
- In the event of a crash, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained, increasing the risk of personal injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install the tether belt assembly.
SEATS
2,175 vehicles 1999-07-02- Defect
- Vehicle description: school buses. Restraining barriers and reinforcement plates may be installed incorrectly. Nuts used to secure the plate the floor may be missing or the reinforcement plate may be mounted in a non-standard location. This does not meet the requirements of fmvss no. 222, "school bus passenger seating and crash protection."
- Consequence
- In the event of a crash, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained increasing the risk of personal injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the barriers and plates, install any nuts that are missing, and mount the reinforcement plate correctly.
VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR
500 vehicles 1998-12-07- Defect
- Vehicle description: school buses built on a navistar chassis. The cross view mirrors do not comply with the requirements of fmvss no. 111, "rearview mirrors." the entire top surface of cylinder h is not visible as required.
- Consequence
- A driver may not be able to see certain portions of the bus increasing the risk of a crash or personal injury to persons near the bus.
- Remedy
- Owners will be provided with a repair kit and detailed instructions. If an owner so desires, thomas built dealers can perform the repair for them.
SEATS
4,300 vehicles 1998-09-17- Defect
- Vehicle description: school and transit buses equipped with national seating series 93b-sb driver seat. A bracket attaching to the height adjusting shock absorber on the driver's seat can deform and break.
- Consequence
- This condition can result in a sudden drop of the driver's seat, increasing the risk of loss of control of the vehicle and a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will add a reinforcement to the bracket, or if the bracket is deformed and/or broken, the entire seat base will be replaced.
SEATS
2,391 vehicles 1997-11-01- Defect
- Vehicle description: school buses. The flip seats installed on these buses do not meet the rearward push requirements of fmvss no. 222, "school bus passenger seating and crash protection."
- Consequence
- In the event of a vehicle crash, the seat occupant may not be properly protected increasing the risk of personal injury.
- Remedy
- Owners will be provided with repair parts and a detailed repair procedure. If an owner so desires, thomas built will perform the repair for them.
STRUCTURE:BODY
24,082 vehicles 1997-03-05- Defect
- Vehicle description: school buses equipped with outward opening service doors. The possibility exists for an item worn by a child, such as a long drawstring, sash, or backpack/bookbag accessory, can become caught in a small opening at the floor level of the forward door post.
- Consequence
- If an item worn by a child were to catch in the opening, and the driver were to close the door and put the vehicle in motion, it could result in injury or death to the child.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the forward door post to verify that the opening is completely eliminated, and if necessary, will install sealant in any remaining portion of the opening.
SEATS
38 vehicles 1997-01-13- Defect
- Vehicle description: transit buses equipped with isringhausen seats in the driver position. Two welds located on the back rest adjustment side of the seat frame did not meet the manufacturer's specifications.
- Consequence
- If these welds were not to specification, back rest loads could cause the welds to fail. The back rest would disengage from the seat frame allowing loss of support to the driver's torso and possibly causing loss of control of the vehicle.
- Remedy
- Isringhausen is conducting the owner notification and remedy campaign for this recall. Dealers will inspect these seats and replace the seat frame assembly.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
18 vehicles 1996-10-01- Defect
- The fittings used to secure the school bus seats or wheel chair tie-downs to the track used in the track seating system do not seat properly resulting in noncompliance with fmvss no. 222, "school bus passenger seating and crash protection."
- Consequence
- In the event of a collision, the occupant may not be properly restrained increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the fittings and replace the improperly machined track if necessary.
STRUCTURE:BODY
120,371 vehicles 1996-07-23- Defect
- An item worn by a child, such as a long drawstring, sash, or backpack/bookbag accessory, can become caught in the area between the service door and the door control rod attaching bracket.
- Consequence
- If an item worn by a child were to catch on this area, and the driver were to close the door and put the vehicle in motion, this can result in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- A molded cover will be installed between the manually operated outward opening entrance door and the door control rod attaching bracket which will eliminate the opening that could allow an item of a child's clothing to become snagged.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
Every year of the Thomas Conventional
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Why this page is short
A model year needs about 8 reports before percentiles mean anything, and this one does not have them. Complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road, so a thin page usually means a rare car, a new car, or a car whose owners do not file.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed