2004 Thomas Mvp EF: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2004 Thomas Mvp EF
Only 2 defect reports have been filed with NHTSA about the 2004 Thomas Mvp EF, which is too few to compute mileage percentiles or a risk score. The reports reported radiator or coolant leak.
When each failure gets reported
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radiator or coolant leak | cooling | 2 | 2 | — | 75k | — | 0.7 | $350–$1,900 | High |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Radiator or coolant leak
Pre-2005 thomas 84 passenger ef school buses, with cat c7 engines/md-3060 transmissions. Failure of right/rear engine mount causes engine to rest in right frame rail, supported by alternator, with engine fan coming in contact with radiator schroud. Post-2005 buses came with a reinforced mount (ref: thomas chassis index'22, bulletin11r). Formal request has been made to thomas (via auto safety house) to replace all affected units with upgraded parts. *jb
Pre-2005 thomas 84 passenger ef school buses, with cat c7 engines/md-3060 transmissions. Failure of right/rear engine mount causes engine to rest in right frame rail, supported by alternator, with engine fan coming in contact with radiator schroud. Post-2005 buses came with a reinforced mount (ref: thomas chassis index'22, bulletin11r). Formal request has been made to thomas (via auto safety house) to replace all affected units with upgraded parts. *jb
Recalls on the 2004 model year
NHTSA has issued 7 recall campaigns covering the 2004 Thomas Mvp EF, affecting an estimated 6,090 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 structure:body:door:hinge and attachments, electrical system:wiring:fuses and circuit breakers, fuel system, other:delivery:fuel pump and other:school bus stop arm assembly. 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.
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS
243,435 vehicles 2008-02-26- Defect
- Daimler trucks is recalling 243,435 my 1995-2008 thomas built school buses manufactured between january 1994, and march 10, 2008. (additional buses have been added to this recall campaign. Please see supplemental report no. 4) the emergency exit door handle begins corroding around the securing roll pin and square drive mechanism causing the protective finish to chip and flake. Continued corrosion and pitting weakens the handle. Handles weakened by corrosion may break while trying to open the door from the exterior.
- Consequence
- In the event of an emergency, a person on the outside of the bus may break the door handle trying to open the emergency exit potentially delaying evacuation and increasing the risk of personal injury to the vehicle's occupants.
- Remedy
- Daimler trucks will notify owners and will replace the handles with a more robust handle free of charge. Repairs will be performed by thomas built buses dealerships. The recall began on august 18, 2008, and notification for the revised population is expected to begin on or about april 29, 2009. Owners may contact thomas built at 336-889-4871.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS
33,303 vehicles 2007-11-29- Defect
- Certain 2001 through 2008 thomas built fs-56, er, mvp er, hdx, and mvp ef school buses manufactured from october 23, 2000, through january 24, 2006, equipped with tyco pc board and type ii auto reset circuit breakers. Type ii auto reset circuit breaker temperatures may exceed the rating of the tyco pc board causing the boards to melt potentially resulting in a vehicle fire.
- Consequence
- A vehicle fire can occur possibly resulting in a crash.
- Remedy
- Thomas built will notify owners and repair the buses by replacing the type ii auto reset circuit breakers with manual circuit breakers, and the jumper cable. The recall began on march 28, 2008. Owners may contact thomas built customer support office at 336-889-4871.
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
8,310 vehicles 2005-10-05- Defect
- Certain 2004 and 2005 freightliner van, motor home, shuttle bus, and school bus chassis manufactured between january 2004 and may 2005. Erratic voltage supply to the fuel lift pump causes premature wear of the pump. This premature wear could result in fuel lift pump failure and in some cases may cause an engine stall condition.
- Consequence
- Should the engine stall, a vehicle crash could occur.
- Remedy
- Cummins will notify the owners of the freightliner and thomas built vehicles and will repair the engines by emc recalibration and replacement of the fuel lift pump at no charge to the customer. Owners may contact cummins assistance center 1-800-diesels (1-800-343-7357) or freightliner at 1-800-547-0712.
OTHER:SCHOOL BUS STOP ARM ASSEMBLY
5,954 vehicles 2005-08-03- Defect
- Certain 2002-2005 my thomas built minotour, conventional, mvp-er, er, hdx, and mvp-ef model school buses manufactured between january 8, 2002, and march 8, 2005, equipped with specialty mfg "5" series stop arms originally sold in or currently registered in states other than the following states: alaska, colorado, connecticut, delaware, idaho, illinois, indiana, iowa, kansas, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, montana, nebraska, nevada, new hampshire, new jersey, new mexico, new york, north dakota, ohio, oregon, pennsylvania, rhode…
- Consequence
- Should the stop arm not perform properly, a child or pedestrian may be endangered by passing vehicles should the motorist not stop at the correct location.
- Remedy
- For those buses operated in or near any of the states listed above, thomas built is encouraging the bus owners to obtain the replacement switch. For those buses operated in the warmer states, dealers will replace the switch upon owner request. For those customers who request the remedy, thomas built will replace the original switch with a switch pack that is not sensitive to extreme cold weather and will inspect to ensure the microswitch heater wiring is properly connected. The recall began on september 14, 2005. Owners may contact thomas built's customer support office…
OTHER:SCHOOL BUS STOP ARM ASSEMBLY
13,583 vehicles 2005-07-25- Defect
- Certain 2002-2005 my thomas built minotour, conventional, mvp-er, er, hdx, and mvp-ef model school buses manufactured between january 8, 2002, and march 8, 2005, equipped with specialty mfg "5" series stop arms originally sold in or currently registered in the following states: alaska, colorado, connecticut, delaware, idaho, illinois, indiana, iowa, kansas, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, montana, nebraska, nevada, new hampshire, new jersey, new mexico, new york, north dakota, ohio, oregon, pennsylvania, rhode island, south dakota…
- Consequence
- Should the stop arm not perform properly, a child or pedestrian may be endangered by passing vehicles should the motorist not stop at the correct location.
- Remedy
- Thomas built will notify its owners and replace the original switch with a switch pack that is not sensitive to extreme cold weather and will inspect to ensure the microswitch heater wiring is properly connected free of charge. The recall began on september 14, 2005. Owners may contact thomas built's customer support office at 336-889-4871.
STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
4,819 vehicles 2005-04-01- Defect
- Certain 2001-2004 my thomas built mvp-ef, er transit, mvp-er, hd, and hdx school buses manufactured between september 24, 2000, and march 4, 2004. The tie rod assembly can fracture and fail, possibly resulting in complete separation.
- Consequence
- Tie rod failure can possibly result in complete wheel separation and a vehicle crash could occur.
- Remedy
- Thomas built will notify its customers and will replace the tie rod assembly free of charge. The recall began september 6, 2005. Owners may contact thomas built at (we do not yet have a telephone number).
TIRES
4,000 vehicles 2004-12-22- Defect
- Certain michelin xde commercial truck tires, size 10r22.5 lrg and lrf for use on freightliner school and transit buses. These tires were manfactured between may 23 and october 24, 2004, can experience rapid air loss due to an irregularity of the inner liner.
- Consequence
- Rapid air loss can result in loss of vehicle control and a vehicle crash can occur.
- Remedy
- Michelin will notify its customers and replace the tires free of charge. The recall began december 27, 2004. Owners who do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact michelin at 888-622-2306.
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 Mvp EF
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.
What the reports on file say
The complaints recorded against the 2004 Thomas Mvp EF are radiator or coolant leak (2 reports, around 75k miles). With a sample this size these are anecdotes rather than a pattern, and they are shown because somebody looking at this exact car would rather see them than nothing.
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