Orion VII Recalls & Complaints by Model Year
NHTSA lists 26 safety recalls and 2 owner complaints across 12 model years of the Orion VII (2001–2012). The most-complained-about year is 2007.
Pick your Orion VII model year
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 Orion VII | 4 | 0 |
| 2011 Orion VII | 4 | 0 |
| 2010 Orion VII | 5 | 0 |
| 2009 Orion VII | 8 | 1 |
| 2008 Orion VII | 11 | 0 |
| 2007 Orion VII | 9 | 1 |
| 2006 Orion VII | 9 | 0 |
| 2005 Orion VII | 11 | 0 |
| 2004 Orion VII | 13 | 0 |
| 2003 Orion VII | 7 | 0 |
| 2002 Orion VII | 6 | 0 |
| 2001 Orion VII | 2 | 0 |
What Orion VII owners complain about
Across all model years, owners have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA. The 2007 model year has the most, with 1.
All Orion VII recalls (26)
Every NHTSA safety campaign that lists a Orion VII, most recent first, with the model years each one covers.
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Seats
Daimler Buses North America (DBNA) is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Orion VII transit buses manufactured April 5, 2010, to October 31, 2012, equipped with certain Recaro Ergo-M Commercial Bus Driver Seats. The affected seats have J-Brackets that may be missing welds which could allow the seat belt anchorage assembly to separate…
Remedy: DBNA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seats to determine if welds are missing. Any J-Bracket that is missing welds will be removed and replaced, free of charge. The recall began on February 29, 2016.…
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Engine (engine and engine cooling)
Daimler Buses North America (DBNA) is recalling certain model year 2007-2012 Orion VII natural gas-powered transit buses manufactured January 1, 2007, to October 1, 2012. Excessive engine crankcase pressures may cause the 90-degree elbow of the vent tube assembly to detach from the crankcase ventilation breather, possibly allowing…
Remedy: Cummins will notify owners on behalf of DBNA, and dealers will secure the ends of the 90-degree elbow. In addition, the electronic control module (ECM) will be reprogrammed with software that can adjust the engine…
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Engine (engine and engine cooling)
Daimler Buses North America (DBNA) is recalling certain model year 2007-2012 Orion VII transit buses manufactured January 2007 through October 2012 equipped with certain Cummins Westport Model ISL G engines. Condensation in the intake manifold may freeze during cold weather conditions and interfere with the proper operation of the…
Remedy: Cummins Inc. and Cummins Wesport Inc. will notify owners, and authorized Cummins service facilities will upload a new ECM calibration, free of charge. The recall began on April 12, 2014. Owners may contact DBNA at…
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Electrical system
Daimler Buses North America Ltd. (DBNA) is recalling certain model year 2003-2008 Orion V and model year 2002-2010 VII buses equipped with Sure Power equalizers and DC-DC Converters. The specific potting compound used in the equalizers and convertors for insulation was found to be capable of conducting electricity after being exposed to…
Remedy: DBNA will notify owners and Sure Power representatives will change out the equalizer and/or convertor, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during November 2014. Owners may contact DBNA at 1-905-403-1111.
Model years: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
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Chamber (parking brake)
Daimler Buses North America (DBNA) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Orion VII transit buses equipped with disc brakes using MGM brake components. In the affected vehicles, the brake chambers may leak pressure allowing the parking brake to drag when it is supposed to be released. Brake dragging could lead to overheated brake…
Remedy: DBNA will notify owners and will replace the affected brake chambers, free of charge. The safety recall began on March 7, 2013. Owners may contact Daimler Buses North America at 1-800-882-8054.
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Turbo/supercharger (engine and engine cooling)
Daimler Buses North America (DBNA) is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 Orion V and model year 2005-2006 Orion VII transit buses equipped with John Deere Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) turbocharged engines. The turbine or compressor wheel may fail, resulting in subsequent damage to the engine and/or an oil leak.
Remedy: DBNA will notify owners. The remedy for this issue is still under development. The safety recall began on September 28, 2012. Owners may contact Daimler Buses North America at 1-800-882-8054.
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Engine and engine cooling
Daimler buses north america (dbna) is recalling certain model year 2010 orion vii transit buses manufactured from november 2010 through january 2011, equipped with a cummins isb, isx, isc, or isl diesel engine. The v-band clamp assembly, part numbers q187684, q187685, and q187686, used to connect the inlet and outlet cone sections to…
Remedy: Dbna is working with cummins to identify and notify owners of the recall campaign. Repairs will be performed by authorized cummins dealers free of charge. The safety recall began on october 12, 2011. Owners may contact…
Model years: 2010
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Latch (latches/locks/linkages)
Daimler buses is recalling certain model year 2008 orion vii transit buses manufactured from june 13-16, 2008, and equipped with teeter lever assemblies. There is insufficient engagement between the teeter lever base and the cam plate.
Remedy: Daimler buses is working with vapor bus to repair the affected buses free of charge. The safety recall began on april 29, 2011. Owners may contact daimler buses at 1-800-716-7566.
Model years: 2008
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Pedal/hand lever(motorcycle) (power train)
Daimler buses is recalling certain orion transit buses equipped with the morse remote throttle control. The morse remote throttle control panel is located in the engine compartment and a switch on it is labeled, "throttle"; "off" or "front" and "on" or "rear" selecting the active engine control station. If a person operating the engine…
Remedy: Daimler will provide instructions to modify the wiring to the morse throttle control switch. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on april 1, 2010. Owners may contact daimler buses at…
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Interior lighting
Daimler buses of north america is recalling certain model year 2002 through 2009 orion transit buses equipped with luminator horizon LED side destination signs. The connector board can corrode due to an accumulation of moisture under the connector.
Remedy: Orion will notify owners and the buses will be repaired by luminator free of charge. Please see luminator's defect report 09e-054. The safety recall is expected to begin during november 2009. Owners may contact…
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Glass, side/rear (visibility)
Daimler bus north america is recalling certain model year 2006 through 2009 orion vii transit buses manufactured from december 2007 through july 2009. The passenger windows have a tip-in transom window which is attached by screws. These screws may loosen and the window may dislodge and fall into the bus.
Remedy: An interim notice was sent to owners on october 21, 2009 instructing them to check that the screws are properly tightened and to inspect them periodically. A permanent repair is now available and owners will be…
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Glass, side/rear (visibility)
Orion is recalling 286 model year 2007 through 2009 transit buses manufactured between december 2007 and april 2009. The bond of the glass to the aluminum frame of the passenger windows is not adequate enough to hold the window attached to the frame.
Remedy: Orion will notify owners and the moving window portion will be replaced free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or before july 15, 2009. Owners may contact hehr international at 1-989-845-3067 or…
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Electrical system
Daimler buses is recalling 380 my 2008-2009 vii buses configured with a mobile climate control (mcc) heater and those with a mcc defroster manufacturer from october 2008 - march 2009 only. The blower motor mount screws may not have the proper torque. If the four blower motor mount screws disconnect, the bracket can move possibly causing…
Remedy: Mcc will inspect the buses for incorrect torque on blower mounts and torque the screws correctly as required free of charge. If the inspection reveals any damage to the affected components, additional repairs will be…
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Seat heater/cooler (seats)
Daimler bus is recalling 804 my 2006-2009 transit buses equipped with a new york custom seat heater. Currently, the terminal connection of the seat heater is immediately located next to the seat bus bar. Should conductive material or debris, such as a washer, enter between the terminal connection and the seat bus bar, a short circuit…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect buses for debris and will relocate the terminal connection away from the bus bar. This service will be performed free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during april 2009. Owners may…
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Diesel (engine and engine cooling)
Daimler buses is recalling 175 my 2004-2008 orion v and vii buses equipped with a cummins isl diesel engines. Due to various alternator cable routing configurations, it may be possible for the cable to rub on engine components.
Remedy: Daimler buses will reroute the alternator cable to ensure that the cable does not contact engine components. The recall is expected to begin on or before january 2009. Owners may contact daimler buses at 1-800-716-7466.
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Engine and engine cooling
On certain transit buses equipped with cummins engines configured with diesel particulate filters (dpf) and ultra compact modules (ucm), the ucm may fail. The ucm is located in a wiring harness inside the engine compartment on the curb side.
Remedy: Owners will be provided with instructions and parts to replace the 5 amp circuit breaker with a 2 amp fuse to mitigate the failure of the ucm from subsequently causing a fire. The recall began on january 25, 2008.…
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Exhaust system (engine and engine cooling)
On certain transit buses built with cummins isl engines, the exhaust elbow was incorrectly assembled and welded during production. The upper flange has a butt type weld instead of a fillet type weld.
Remedy: Owners will be reimbursed for the replacement of the exhaust elbow. The recall began during september 2007. Owners may contact orion at 1-800-716-7466.
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Hoses/lines/piping/fittings (engine and engine cooling)
On certain transit buses equipped with configuration fc510 high pressure fan motor hoses, the wrong hose specification was selected.
Remedy: Daimlerchrysler/orion bus has replaced the hoses on all vehicles involved in this recall.
Model years: 2005
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Service brakes, air
On certain buses equipped with a graham white brake air dryer model qba15, the brake air dryer timer does not function properly. The air entering into the brake system may not have the moisture removed. If not properly drained, small ice crystals may form in the brake system preventing the system to operate the brakes properly.
Remedy: Daimlerchrysler is working with graham white to develop a remedy. Owners are being asked to inspect the wet brake air tank for moisture by using a manual drain. Only two customers are involved and have been contacted.
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Fuel pump (fuel system)
On certain transit buses equipped with cummins isb-02 diesel engines built with emc controlled fuel lift pumps. Erratic voltage supply to the fuel lift pump causes premature electric brush wear internal to the fuel lift pump. This premature wear could result in fuel lift pump failure and in some cases may cause an engine stall condition.
Remedy: Cummins, in conjunction with orion, will notify owners and 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 at…
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Door (structure)
On certain commercial buses equipped with vapor door assemblies, the two piece curved connecting rods when used as an element of the door actuation linkage in conjunction with a vapor medium pneumatic differential engine, may be subject to fatigue failure resulting in bending or breaking of the connecting rod.
Remedy: Orion is working with vapor bus international to notify owners and have the repair performed on their vehicles. The remedy consists of replacing the two piece connecting rod with a one piece connecting rod. Owners may…
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Fuel system, diesel
On certain transit buses, the fuel lift pump could fail in a manner which results in engine fuel starvation, which could result in a stall condition. Potential lift pump failure modes include: brush wear out, bushing failure, rotor tab insert failure, or any other failure mode that would cause the fuel pumping element to stop spinning.
Remedy: Cummins is conducting the owner notification and remedy for this campaign. Owners may contact cummins at 1-800-343-7357 or orion bus at 905-403-7807.
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Tie rod assembly (steering)
On certain transit busses equipped with arvinmeritor urresko tie rod clamps, heat treatment of clamps created a surface hardness that could lead to a fracture of the clamps.
Remedy: Arvinmeritor is conducting the owner notification and remedy for this campaign. Owners may contact arvinmeritor at 1-866-668-7221 or orion bus at 905-403-7832.
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Latches/locks/linkages
On certain buses, the battery storage sliding tray locking toggle was not tightened sufficiently. The battery door can open allowing the battery tray to slide out from the stored position.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and add a locking pin to keep the battery tray from sliding. Orion has not yet provided an owner notification schedule for this campaign. Customers may also contact orion at 1-905-403-7832.
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Non-powered axle assembly (suspension)
On certain buses, the assembly of the walking beam connection to the rear suspension exhibits loose or breaking of bolts due to misaligned spacers.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the spacer with one that will provide proper alignment where needed and confirm torque. The recall began july 14, 2005. Owners should contact orion at 1-905-403-7832.
Model years: 2004
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Storage (fuel system)
Certain buses equipped with compressed natural gas fuel containers, model alt823d, p/n 1273147, do not conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 304, 'compressed natural gas fuel container integrity.' the ngv container's pressure relief devices fail to timely and fully activate as required by the standard.
Remedy: Structural composites will notify the orion bus owners. Structural composites has not yet provided the agency with a finalized remedy. Owners should contact sci at 1-909-444-2503 or orion at 1-905-403-7832.
Other Orion models
- VI4 complaints
- I2 complaints
- Orion2 complaints
- V2 complaints
- II0 complaints
- Orion V0 complaints
- Orion VII0 complaints
- Orion VII Li-Ion Ess0 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.