Collins Bantam Recalls & Complaints by Model Year

NHTSA lists 23 safety recalls and 3 owner complaints across 22 model years of the Collins Bantam (1986–2011). The most-complained-about year is 1999.

Pick your Collins Bantam model year

• 1986
• 1987
• 1988
• 1989
• 1990
• 1991
• 1992
• 1993
• 1997
• 1998
• 1999
• 2000
• 2002
• 2003
• 2004
• 2005
• 2006
• 2007
• 2008
• 2009
• 2010
• 2011

What Collins Bantam owners complain about

Across all model years, owners have filed 3 complaints with NHTSA. The 1999 model year has the most, with 2.

• Suspension: rear1
• Tires1
• Visibility: windshield1

All Collins Bantam recalls (23)

Every NHTSA safety campaign that lists a Collins Bantam, most recent first, with the model years each one covers.

1. Electrical (equipment) and electrical system

   NHTSA 13V469000 Reported September 25, 2013 251 vehicles potentially affected Collins Bus Corporation

   Collins Bus Corporation (Collins) is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 Bantam, Super Bantam, Grand Bantam, Mid Bus Guide, Super Guide, and Grand Guide school buses manufactured September 2009 through April 2010, and equipped with A&M Systems-brand electric door actuators. Voltage spikes may damage electrical components and…

   Remedy: Collins will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the circuit board free of charge. The recall began on December 4, 2013. Owners may contact Collins at 1-800-533-1850.

   Model years: 2009, 2010

2. Air conditioner (equipment)

   NHTSA 11V502000 Reported October 14, 2011 11 vehicles potentially affected COLLINS BUS CORPORATION

   Collins is recalling certain model year 2006 through 2008 bantam, grand bantam, and super bantam school buses manufactured from august 23, 2006, through february 1, 2008, equipped with carrier genv em-1 evaporator units. Due to time, temperature, and/or vibration, the fuse may loosen in the fuse holder resulting in high resistance and…

   Remedy: Collins will notify owners and provide information on how to obtain the retrofit kit from carrier along with repair instructions. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on november 11,…

   Model years: 2006, 2007, 2008

3. Seats

   NHTSA 11V293000 Reported May 23, 2011 702 vehicles potentially affected COLLINS BUS CORPORATION

   Collins is recalling certain model year 2002-2011 bantam, grand bantam, and super bantam school buses manufactured from october 2002 through may 20, 2011, for failing to conform to the leg protection zone impact requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard 222 "school bus passenger seating and crash protection."

   Remedy: Collins will notify owners and dealers will install additional foam padding under the upholstery free of charge. The safety recall began on july 18, 2011. Owners may contact collins bus at 1-800-533-1850.

   Model years: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

4. Seats

   NHTSA 10V362000 Reported August 2, 2010 516 vehicles potentially affected COLLINS BUS CORPORATION

   Collins is recalling certain model year 2008 bantam, grand bantam, and super bantam model school buses. The 39 inch three passenger seats fail to meet the minimum performance requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 222, "school bus passenger and crash protection."

   Remedy: Collins will notify owners and dealers will repair the buses free of charge. The safety recall began on january 3, 2011. Owners may contact collins at 1-800-533-1850.

   Model years: 2008

5. Turn signal (exterior lighting) and brake lights (exterior lighting)

   NHTSA 10V049000 Reported February 18, 2010 112 vehicles potentially affected COLLINS BUS CORPORATION

   Collins is recalling certain model year 2009 bantam, super bantam, and grand bantam school buses manufactured between april 1 and october 1, 2009, built on ford cutaway chassis. The brake-turn separator module which is used to control the brake lights and turn signals lights in the rear may not always distinguish correctly between a…

   Remedy: Collins will notify owners and dealers will replace the brake-turn signal separator module, if the bus is equipped with one, free of charge. The safety recall began on march 2, 2010. Owners may contact collins…

   Model years: 2009

6. Body (structure)

   NHTSA 09V083000 Reported March 6, 2009 2,741 vehicles potentially affected COLLINS BUS CORPORATION

   Collins is recalling 2,741 my 2008 school buses manufactured between january 1, 2008 and january 1, 2009. The bolts used to mount the body to the chassis frame rail may have been improperly installed which could lead to failure of the bolts.

   Remedy: Collins will notify owners and inspect and repair the buses if necessary free of charge. The safety recall began on march 19, 2009. Owners may contact collins toll-free at 1-800-533-1850.

   Model years: 2008

7. Body (structure)

   NHTSA 09V068000 Reported February 23, 2009 559 vehicles potentially affected COLLINS BUS CORPORATION

   Collins is recalling 559 my 2007 through 2009 school buses built on ford e-350 and e-450 chassis from november 3, 2006 to october 1, 2009. These buses may have been produced with the absence of two body mount bolts and associated hardware in 2 of the body/chassis mounting locations immediately behind the rear axle.

   Remedy: Collins will notify owners and inspect and repair the buses if necessary free of charge. The safety recall began on february 26, 2009. Owners may contact collins toll-free at 1-800-533-1850.

   Model years: 2007, 2008, 2009

8. Equipment adaptive/mobility

   NHTSA 08V498000 Reported September 26, 2008 8 vehicles potentially affected COLLINS BUS CORPORATION

   Collins is recalling 8 my 2007 bantam, super bantam, or grand bantam school buses equipped with module lock601-gd wheelchair lift interlock module manufactured by intermotive, inc. If the vehicle's battery voltage drops to 7.5 volts, the module may go into fault mode and may not lock the shifter in park when the lift door is opened…

   Remedy: Collins will notify owners and repair the buses free of charge. The recall began on october 17, 2008. Owners may contact collins toll-free at 1-800-533-1850 ext. 430.

   Model years: 2007

9. Retractor (seat belts)

   NHTSA 08V018000 Reported January 14, 2008 296 vehicles potentially affected COLLINS BUS CORPORATION

   Certain my 2005 and 2006 collins bantam, grand bantam, super bantam, and omni school buses manufactured between november 2005 and june 2006, for failing to comply with all the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 209, "seat belt assemblies", and no. 210, "seat belt assembly anchorages." the web of the belt rubs up…

   Remedy: Collins will notify owners and replace the seat belt free of charge. The recall began on january 7, 2008. Owners may contact collins at 1-800-533-1850.

   Model years: 2005, 2006

10. Equipment adaptive/mobility

    NHTSA 06V193000 Reported June 1, 2006 23 vehicles potentially affected COLLINS BUS CORPORATION

    Certain 2005 bantam, super bantam, and grand bantam school buses manufactured between june 10 and september 28, 2005, equipped with ricon model s20005 wheelchair lifts. The platform lifts may have a defect in the weld which will allow a joint on the vertical lift to crack.

    Remedy: Ricon is conducting this recall (please see 06e008000) and will replace the two vertical arms even if only one arm is cracked free of charge. The recall began on june 22, 2006. Owners may contact ricon customer support…

    Model years: 2005

11. Seats

    NHTSA 05V440000 Reported September 29, 2005 150 vehicles potentially affected COLLINS BUS CORPORATION

    Certain 2005 collins bantam, super bantam, and grand bantam school buses and super omni buses built between august 1 and september 15, 2005. The fasteners securing the seats and the barriers to the wall track may be inadequately tightened which fails to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 210, seat…

    Remedy: Collins will notify the bus owners and repair the vehicles free of charge. The recall began on september 23, 2005. Owners may contact collins at 620-662-9000 or 800-533-1850 x430.

    Model years: 2005

12. Roof and pillars (structure)

    NHTSA 05V359000 Reported August 15, 2005 201 vehicles potentially affected COLLINS BUS CORPORATION

    Certain 2004 my bantam and super bantam school buses manufactured between july 2004 and november 2004. The amount of adhesive applied to the roof seams is inadequate for the type of adhesive used which fails to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 221, school bus body joint strength.

    Remedy: Dealers will correct the buses by adding two additional screws between the current screws that attach the seams of the ceiling skins to the structural roof bows. The recall began on december 14, 2005. Owners may…

    Model years: 2004

13. School bus stop arm assembly (other)

    NHTSA 05V343000 Reported August 1, 2005 1,345 vehicles potentially affected COLLINS BUS CORPORATION

    Certain 2002-2005 my collins bantam, super bantam, and grand bantam school buses 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,…

    Remedy: Collins bus will notify its customers and the original switch will be replaced free of charge with a switch pack that is not sensitive to extreme cold weather and will inspect to ensure the microswitch heater wiring is…

    Model years: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005

14. School bus stop arm assembly (other)

    NHTSA 05V345000 Reported August 1, 2005 687 vehicles potentially affected COLLINS BUS CORPORATION

    Certain 2002-2005 my collins bantam, super bantam, and grand bantam school buses equipped with "5" series stop arms. These school buses were originally sold in or currently registered in states other than the following: alaska, colorado, connecticut, delaware, idaho, illinois, indiana, iowa, kansas, kentucky, maine, maryland,…

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

    Model years: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005

15. Seats

    NHTSA 05V192000 Reported May 2, 2005 272 vehicles potentially affected COLLINS BUS CORPORATION

    Certain collins my 2002-2005 bantam, super bantam, and grand bantam model school buses manufactured between april 22, 2002, and april 27, 2005. These buses were equipped with a bench-style single passenger seats having a lower cushion surface of 24 inches in width. These seats should have a seating surface of only 22 inches for a signal…

    Remedy: Collins will notify its customers and replace the 24 inch seat cushion with a 22 inch seat cushion free of charge. The recall began april 29, 2005. Owners may contact collins customer service at 1-800-533-1850.

    Model years: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005

16. Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings (fuel system)

    NHTSA 05V011000 Reported January 21, 2005 108 vehicles potentially affected COLLINS BUS CORPORATION

    Certain 2002 thru 2005 collins bantam and super bantam school buses manufactured between september 18, 2002, and january 17, 2005. The protective rubber parts that cover the fuel lines to prevent contact with metal edges may be missing.

    Remedy: Customers will be notified to take their buses to an authorized dealer for free repair. Dealers will inspect the fuel lines and install the protective rubber covering should it be missing. If the fuel lines are…

    Model years: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005

17. Exterior (visibility)

    NHTSA 00V191000 Reported July 13, 2000 286 vehicles potentially affected COLLINS BUS CORPORATION

    Vehicle description: school buses built on ford or chevrolet cutaway van chassis equipped with the rosco "euro-style" overhanging right hand rearview mirror. These mirrors have an inadequate strength attachment at the mirror brace mounting point and could pull loose during high winds (from oncoming traffic) or severe vibration. This…

    Remedy: Dealers will relocate the mirror brace mounting point from the front cap of the bus body to the roof skin of the bus cab, providing significantly increased strength. Owners will be provided with a description and…

    Model years: 1999, 2000

18. Anchorage (seat belts)

    NHTSA 99V308000 Reported November 2, 1999 38 vehicles potentially affected COLLINS BUS CORPORATION

    Vehicle description: single-rear-wheel and dual-rear-wheel school buses built on chevrolet 3500 van cutaway chassis. Certain buses are equipped with school bus certified safety seats which may not meet the requirements of FMVSS no. 210, "seat belt assembly anchorages."

    Remedy: Collins will provide replacement seat legs for these buses.

    Model years: 1999

19. Seats

    NHTSA 98V328000 Reported December 22, 1998 11 vehicles potentially affected COLLINS BUS CORPORATION

    Vehicle description: single rear-wheel and dual rear-wheel school buses built on chevrolet 3500 van cutaway chassis, exterior body width of 81" or 94". The school bus certified safety seats do not comply with the requirements of FMVSS no. 210, "sear belt assembly anchorages." the seat legs may have incomplete or missing welds.

    Remedy: Dealers will replace the noncomplying seat legs.

    Model years: 1999

20. Seats

    NHTSA 97V168000 Reported October 2, 1997 86 vehicles potentially affected COLLINS BUS CORPORATION

    Vehicle description: school buses equipped with 39" school bus seats. The seats in these buses have frame material that does not comply with the energy absorption requirements of FMVSS no. 222, "school bus passenger seating and crash protection."

    Remedy: A gusset will be added to the seat cushion frame. In addition, a reinforcement strap will be added to the front of the seat leg.

    Model years: 1997

21. Body (structure)

    NHTSA 97V130000 Reported August 18, 1997 14 vehicles potentially affected COLLINS BUS CORPORATION

    Vehicle description: school buses built on a 9,500 lb. Gross vehicle weight ratio gmt-600 chevy cutaway chassis with an exterior width of 80 inches. There is not enough clearance between the wheelwell and the rear tire allowing the inside of the rear tire to rub on the steel wheelwell.

    Remedy: Dealers will repair the wheelwell to prevent the tire from rubbing. If an owner prefers, detailed instructions will be provided so the bus owners can repair their vehicles.

    Model years: 1993

22. Body (structure)

    NHTSA 93V032006 Reported September 28, 1993 2,833 vehicles potentially affected COLLINS BUS CORPORATION

    Passengers clothing can unknowingly become caught in the handrails at bus doors when exiting the bus.

    Remedy: Replace or reposition the handrails to stop clothing from becoming caught.

    Model years: 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993

23. Seats

    NHTSA 91V129000 Reported July 25, 1991 499 vehicles potentially affected COLLINS BUS CORPORATION

    The fasteners attaching the seats to the floor of the vehicle do not meet design specifications and may fail.

    Remedy: Replace fasteners as necessary.

    Model years: 1990, 1991

Other Collins models

• Ambulance2 complaints
• Civitran1 complaints
• Grand Bantam1 complaints
• Cgb0 complaints
• Cgo0 complaints
• Collins0 complaints
• Csb0 complaints
• De0 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.