2005 Thomas FS-65 Recalls, Complaints & Specs
2 safety recalls list the 2005 Thomas FS-65, and owners have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.
2 safety recalls for the 2005 Thomas FS-65
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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Spindle (suspension)
Certain 2005 thomas built fs-65 and c-2 school buses and 2005 freightliner argosy, columbia, century st, and m2 business class trucks manufactured between june 4 and july 8, 2005. The spindles in the rear axle housing were overheated during the heat treatment process. Incorrectly heat treated spindles could result in a fracture of the…
Remedy: Freightliner will notify its customers and inspect for the heat treat date code on the end of the rear spindles and replace the axle housing if necessary. The recall is expected to begin on january 23, 2006. Owners may…
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Service brakes, hydraulic
Certain freightliner custom chassis fs-65 school bus chassis and fb-65 shuttle bus chassis equipped with caterpillar c7 engines and revised cooling packages and manufactured between january 24, 2004, and june 15, 2005. The front hydraulic line may rub through on a radiator tube, possibly resulting in the loss of brake fluid to the front…
Remedy: Freightliner and thomas built will notify its customers and will inspect and secure the brake line to provide more clearance free of charge. The recall began on january 20, 2006. Owners may contact freightliner at…
2 owner complaints filed with NHTSA
Owners of the 2005 Thomas FS-65 have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 37,591 miles. Complaints peaked in 2006 with 1 filed that year.
Most-reported components
What owners are reporting
“LED light started smoking and burned up emitting smoke inside the bus. This was the second incident with this type of light. *tr”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, May 5, 2008 · Exterior lighting
“I writing in response to a service bulletin issued by freightliner custom chassis, sb 54-26. This service bulletin covers an issue with the turn signal cancellation ring on a 2005 model thomas school”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, February 9, 2006 · Exterior lighting
Compare Thomas FS-65 model years
Recall and complaint counts for every Thomas FS-65 model year in NHTSA's database.
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 Thomas FS-65 | 1 | 1 |
| 2005 Thomas FS-65 | 2 | 2 |
Checking a specific 2005 Thomas FS-65
How do I know if my 2005 Thomas FS-65 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. 2 campaigns currently list the 2005 Thomas FS-65; 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 Thomas dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 05V426000).
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 Thomas models
- School Bus21 complaints
- Thomas11 complaints
- Bus7 complaints
- Mvp EF7 complaints
- Saf-T-Liner5 complaints
- C23 complaints
- CL1002 complaints
- Conventional2 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.