1998 Blue Bird TC2000 Recalls, Complaints & Specs
17 safety recalls list the 1998 Blue Bird TC2000. Check your own VIN below.
17 safety recalls for the 1998 Blue Bird TC2000
Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.
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Fuel system, diesel
Certain 1998 through 2002 blue bird all american, tc2000 school and transit buses, and commercial series buses equipped with cummins isb diesel engines. The fuel pump could fail to transfer fuel appropriately creating an engine stall condition.
Remedy: Customers will be notified by cummins to bring their vehicles to an authorized dealer to have the fuel lift pump replaced free of charge. For more information, customers may contact cummins at 1-800-diesels.
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Body (structure)
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…
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Alternator/generator/regulator (electrical system)
On certain school and transit buses equipped with cummins isb 6 cylinder engines, the lower alternator support brace or mounting hardware can loosen or break which will allow the alternator to drop onto the engine.
Remedy: Cummins will notify customers and replace the upper and lower alternator support brackets free of charge. Owners who take their vehicle to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free…
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Alternator/generator/regulator (electrical system)
On certain front engine school and transit buses equipped with blue bird option 40177 cummins isb engine, the alternator power cables may not be routed properly from the alternator output to the starter motor.
Remedy: Dealers will add a loom and reroute the electrical power cable from alternator output to starting motor. The alternator power cable will be replaced if abrasions are found. Owner notification is expected to begin on or…
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Labels (equipment)
Certain transit buses fail to comply with requirements of federal motor vehicle standard no. 101, "controls and displays." this standard requires specific labeling for "engine start" and "engine stop." the wording of the labels on these vehicles do not meet the requirements of the standard.
Remedy: Owners will be provided with new decals and installation instructions. Owner notification began august 29, 2002. Owners who do not receive the free label and installation instructions within a reasonable time should…
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Electrical system: wiring
Vehicle description: school and transit buses equipped with rear mounted engines. The 12-volt power supply cable(s) may be chaffed by hoses, harnesses, frame components, or clamps.
Remedy: Dealers will remove and inspect the 12-volt power cable(s) from the battery to the starter and, if necessary, will replace the cables. Owner notification began july 30, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an…
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Antilock (service brakes)
Vehicle description: school and transit buses built with bendix air ABS with an ec-17 1030r electronic control unit (ECU), there have been reports of unwanted ABS activation at low speeds caused by 1) chafed ABS wheel speed sensor wires on rotating parts or 2) a damaged component at the wheel end that generates a certain type of erratic…
Remedy: Dealers will replace the ABS ECU.
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Body (structure)
Vehicle description: school buses. These buses fail to meet the 60 percent joint strength requirements of FMVSS no. 221, "school bus body joint strength."
Remedy: Owners will be contacted and advised to inspect each roof joint. Owners will install repair rivets in each joint found to have insufficient quantity of rivets in each examined 8 inch section.
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Foot control/valve (service brakes)
Vehicle description: school and transit buses equipped with bendix air brakes. Bendix changed the internal design of the qr1c relay valve by adding a hole in the internal diaphragm. When the hole in the diaphragm aligns with the hole in the valve body, the brake application time increases.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the diaphragms with holes with solid diaphragms for the qr1c valves.
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Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings (service brakes)
Vehicle description: school and transit buses equipped with bendix ABS anti-lock braking system. The primary and secondary brake treadle valve air lines were installed incorrectly at the bendix r12dc relay valve.
Remedy: Dealers will correct the air line plumbing at the bendix r12dc relay valve.
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Suspension: front
Vehicle description: school buses. There is a shimmy in the front end of the bus.
Remedy: Owners will be provided with an axle damper kit and installation instructions.
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Electrical system: wiring
Vehicle description: school buses equipped with cummins isb engines. Electrical power cables may not have been routed properly from the alternator output to the starting motor.
Remedy: Dealers will add loom and reroute the electrical power cable from the alternator output to staring motor. Any cables found with abrasions will be replaced.
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Seats
Vehicle description: school buses. The wall side attaching bolts for some of the passenger seats may have been installed too close to the edge of the seat ledge and in the wrong attaching hole resulting in weakening of the seat ledge at the attachment points.
Remedy: Blue bird will furnish to distributors and owners, parts and instructions necessary to strengthen the passenger seat attachment at the wall side.
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Electrical system: front underhood
Vehicle description: school and transit forward and rear engine buses equipped with cummins isb and isc engines. The wiring harness to the combustion air intake grid heater can chafe against the engine and wear through causing an electrical short in the grid heater power supply. The short causes the fusible link to fail.
Remedy: Owners will be advised to replace the original grid heater power supply harness with fusible links with a new grid heater power supply harness equipped with fuses. In addition, a clamp will be added to support the…
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Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings (fuel system)
Vehicle description: rear engine school buses equipped with option 04888 dedicated compressed natural gas (cng) fuel package. The 24" long stainless steel braided fuel hoses can leak at the hose end fittings.
Remedy: Dealers will replace these hoses with conductive thermoplastic hoses.
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Interior lighting
Vehicle description: school and transit buses. The parking brake indicator light can illuminate without the parking brake being set.
Remedy: Dealers will add a diode to the stop light circuit to prevent illumination of the parking brake indicator unless the parking brake has been set.
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Tank assembly (fuel system)
Vehicle description: front and rear engine school buses equipped with 60 gallon side mounted fuel tank barriers. These buses do not comply with the requirements of FMVSS no. 301, "fuel system integrity."
Remedy: Blue bird will ship instructions and modification kits to the owners of these buses.
No owner complaints on file
NHTSA has no owner complaints on file for the 1998 Blue Bird TC2000. For context, the average model year in NHTSA's database has dozens; a zero can mean a reliable vehicle, a rare one, or both.
Compare Blue Bird TC2000 model years
Recall and complaint counts for every Blue Bird TC2000 model year in NHTSA's database.
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 Blue Bird TC2000 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988 Blue Bird TC2000 | 11 | 0 |
| 1989 Blue Bird TC2000 | 14 | 1 |
| 1990 Blue Bird TC2000 | 13 | 1 |
| 1991 Blue Bird TC2000 | 12 | 0 |
| 1992 Blue Bird TC2000 | 14 | 1 |
| 1993 Blue Bird TC2000 | 14 | 2 |
| 1994 Blue Bird TC2000 | 14 | 9 |
| 1995 Blue Bird TC2000 | 18 | 7 |
| 1996 Blue Bird TC2000 | 13 | 3 |
| 1997 Blue Bird TC2000 | 8 | 0 |
| 1998 Blue Bird TC2000 | 17 | 0 |
| 1999 Blue Bird TC2000 | 15 | 5 |
| 2000 Blue Bird TC2000 | 12 | 1 |
| 2001 Blue Bird TC2000 | 12 | 0 |
| 2002 Blue Bird TC2000 | 11 | 0 |
| 2003 Blue Bird TC2000 | 6 | 8 |
| 2004 Blue Bird TC2000 | 5 | 0 |
| 2005 Blue Bird TC2000 | 1 | 0 |
Checking a specific 1998 Blue Bird TC2000
How do I know if my 1998 Blue Bird TC2000 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. 17 campaigns currently list the 1998 Blue Bird TC2000; 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 00V051000).
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
- All American52 complaints
- School Bus33 complaints
- Vision23 complaints
- Conventional14 complaints
- Blue Bird13 complaints
- Wanderlodge M450 Lxi9 complaints
- All American School Bus8 complaints
- Buses8 complaints
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.