RecallMyCar

2003 Blue Bird All American Recalls, Complaints & Specs

11 safety recalls list the 2003 Blue Bird All American, and owners have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.

11
safety recalls
2
owner complaints to NHTSA

11 safety recalls for the 2003 Blue Bird All American

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

  1. Ignition (electrical system)

    NHTSA 09V205000 Reported 2,203 vehicles potentially affected BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY

    Blue bird is recalling 2,203 model year 2003 through 2010 all american rear engine school buses equipped with optional plug style vandal locks manufactured from july 16, 2003 through april 10, 2009. The plug style vandal lock is not wired to inhibit the starter at the ignition switch when the vandal lock is in the locked position. These…

    Remedy: Blue bird will notify owners and repair the buses free of charge. The safety recall began on june 25, 2009. Owner may contact blue bird at 1-478-422-2242.

  2. 12v/24v/48v battery (electrical system)

    NHTSA 05V382000 Reported 5,863 vehicles potentially affected BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY

    Certain 2001 through 2006 my blue bird all american, tc2000, and vision transit school buses manufactured between january 5, 2001, and july 15, 2005. These buses are equipped with a battery disconnect switch that has connections that may be loose on the battery switch studs creating the potential for the bus to shut down while in…

    Remedy: Blue bird will notify its owners and instruct them on how to repair the switch. The recall began on october 19 , 2005. Owners may contact blue bird at 478-822-2242.

  3. School bus stop arm assembly (other)

    NHTSA 05V239000 Reported 8,894 vehicles potentially affected BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY

    Certain school buses 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,…

    Remedy: Blue bird will notify its customers 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…

  4. School bus stop arm assembly (other)

    NHTSA 05V251000 Reported 3,121 vehicles potentially affected BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY

    Certain blue bird 2002 through 2006 my all american, conventional, minibird, microbird, vision, and tc2000 school buses 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,…

    Remedy: Blue bird will notify all its customers of this campaign. For those buses operated in or near any of the states listed above, blue bird is encouraging the bus owners to obtain the replacement switch. For those buses…

  5. Vehicle speed control

    NHTSA 05V152000 Reported 486 vehicles potentially affected BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY

    Certain 2001 through 2005 all american, commercial series, and q-bus school and transit buses equipped with john deere 8.1 cng engines. The subject buses equipped with the john deere engines may surge inappropriately due to erractic operation of the air throttle if the engine is taken from full to zero load.

    Remedy: John deere will notify blue bird's customers and repair the engines free of charge. Customers are being instructed to contact john deere at 1-800-jd-engine.

  6. Engine and engine cooling

    NHTSA 05V074000 Reported 416 vehicles potentially affected BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY

    Certain 2002-2006 my blue bird all american school and transit buses, conventional school buses, and commercial series transit buses manufactured between december 21, 2002, and february 24, 2005. These buses are equipped with webasto coolant heaters, model dbw 2010, assembled with webasto burner tubes, p/n 303046/26533a manufactured…

    Remedy: Blue bird will notify its customers and replace the burner tubes free of charge. The recall began on march 31, 2005. Owners may contact blue bird at 478-822-2242.

  7. Anchorage (seat belts)

    NHTSA 03V362000 Reported 233 vehicles potentially affected BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY

    On certain rear engine (a3re) school buses, the type and location of the fasteners used to retain the seat belt in the last row of seats does not conform to blue bird engineering specifications.

    Remedy: Blue bird will provide its distributors and owners the parts and instructions to install the correct fasteners free of charge. Owner notification is expected to begin november 20, 2003. Owners who do not receive the…

  8. Body (structure)

    NHTSA 03V363000 Reported 8,088 vehicles potentially affected BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY

    Certain school buses fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 221, "school bus body joint strength." one or more of the bolts attaching the driver's platform to the floor structure was omitted.

    Remedy: Blue bird will notify its customers and inspect and repair the affected units. Owner notification began on november 20, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do…

  9. Seats

    NHTSA 03V364000 Reported 3,825 vehicles potentially affected BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY

    On certain school buses equipped with optional seat belts or seat belt "ready" seats, some belts were installed with only two bolts rather than the required three (3) bolts.

    Remedy: Blue bird will furnish to distributors and owners, parts and instructions necessary to install the missing bolt free of charge. Owner notification is expected to on november 3, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to…

  10. Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings (service brakes)

    NHTSA 02V302000 Reported 485 vehicles potentially affected BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY

    On certain front engine school and transit buses equipped with hydraulic brakes, the rear hydraulic brake hose could contact the frame rail and abrade, allowing brake fluid leakage.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rear brake hose to frame rail clearance and reposition the brake hose clamps at the axle to ensure adequate clearance. Any chafed brake hoses will be replaced. Owner notification began december…

  11. Electrical system: wiring

    NHTSA 02V217000 Reported 255 vehicles potentially affected BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY

    On certain rear engine school and transit buses equipped with cummins isb engines, the wiring harness to the combustion air intake grid heater could chafe against engine components.

    Remedy: Owners will be contacted and advised to add a bracket to support the harness away from the engine components. Blue bird will provide a replacement harness for any harnesses found abraded and will reimburse the customer…

2 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 2003 Blue Bird All American have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA. Complaints peaked in 2006 with 1 filed that year.

Most-reported components

What owners are reporting

“Main frame rails cracking. Found by michigan state police inspector. Bus is red tagged and rendered unusuable.”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, January 18, 2017 · Structure

“We purchase 10 new blue bird all american school buses through our local authorized dealer, within a month of receiving the 10 unit they star presenting code 368 red failure, causing loss of power, wh”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, October 6, 2006 · Fuel system, diesel

Compare Blue Bird All American model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Blue Bird All American model year in NHTSA's database.

Model yearRecallsComplaints
1963 Blue Bird All American10
1964 Blue Bird All American10
1965 Blue Bird All American10
1966 Blue Bird All American10
1967 Blue Bird All American20
1968 Blue Bird All American40
1969 Blue Bird All American40
1970 Blue Bird All American30
1971 Blue Bird All American40
1972 Blue Bird All American40
1973 Blue Bird All American40
1974 Blue Bird All American50
1975 Blue Bird All American20
1976 Blue Bird All American30
1977 Blue Bird All American20
1978 Blue Bird All American10
1979 Blue Bird All American10
1980 Blue Bird All American30
1981 Blue Bird All American40
1982 Blue Bird All American50
1983 Blue Bird All American30
1984 Blue Bird All American40
1985 Blue Bird All American30
1986 Blue Bird All American50
1987 Blue Bird All American50
1988 Blue Bird All American80
1989 Blue Bird All American100
1990 Blue Bird All American90
1991 Blue Bird All American90
1992 Blue Bird All American916
1993 Blue Bird All American70
1994 Blue Bird All American80
1995 Blue Bird All American110
1996 Blue Bird All American60
1997 Blue Bird All American30
1998 Blue Bird All American91
1999 Blue Bird All American160
2000 Blue Bird All American160
2001 Blue Bird All American141
2002 Blue Bird All American141
2003 Blue Bird All American112
2004 Blue Bird All American1510
2005 Blue Bird All American131
2006 Blue Bird All American152
2007 Blue Bird All American214
2008 Blue Bird All American324
2009 Blue Bird All American333
2010 Blue Bird All American420
2011 Blue Bird All American350
2012 Blue Bird All American300
2013 Blue Bird All American281
2014 Blue Bird All American260
2015 Blue Bird All American273
2016 Blue Bird All American201
2017 Blue Bird All American100
2018 Blue Bird All American190
2019 Blue Bird All American262

Checking a specific 2003 Blue Bird All American

How do I know if my 2003 Blue Bird All American has an open recall?

Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 11 campaigns currently list the 2003 Blue Bird All American; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.

Is the recall repair free?

Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Blue Bird dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 02V217000).

What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?

A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.

Other Blue Bird models

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.