2016 ARBOC SPIRIT OF AMERICA Recalls, Complaints & Safety

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES

Defect Description

ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, LLC (ARBOC) is recalling certain 2016-2020 Spirit of America and 2014-2019 Spirit of Liberty buses built on a Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) chassis. The power cables on the driver's side may have been routed incorrectly, allowing them to rub against the fr... Read more

Consequence

The misrouted power cables may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy

ARBOC will notify owners, and dealers will re-route, inspect, and repair power cable wiring as needed, free of charge. The recall began June 24, 2020. Owners may contact ARBOC customer service at 1-866-953-5555. ARBOC's number for this recall is RC059801.

113 vehicles affected

Manufacturer: ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, LLC

No complaints found for this vehicle.

Technical Service Bulletins — 2016 ARBOC SPIRIT OF AMERICA

1 manufacturer communications from 1 unique bulletins. TSBs describe known problems and recommended fixes from the manufacturer.

Most Affected Components

Component	Bulletins
110000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	1

110000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Complaint: 30A Recessed Breaker not secured with top & bottom bolt through firewall Cause: Hole is cut too large Correction: R/R Circuit Breaker with a Mounting Plate

NHTSA Safety Investigations — ARBOC SPIRIT OF AMERICA

Investigations opened by NHTSA into potential safety defects. These are separate from recalls and may or may not result in a recall.

PE — Closed — Model Year: 2016

Trolley bus circuit breaker fires

In a July 7, 2020 letter, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of three separate fire incidents resulting in the total loss of eight of its Spirit of America trolley buses. These buses were manufactured by ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, LLC... (Arboc) on incomplete chassis from Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation. Considering the safety concerns and substantial losses, LAWA grounded the remaining buses in its fleet. OnJanuary 15, 2021, NHTSA opened an investigation to determine if a defect in the subject vehicles exists and presents an unreasonable risk to vehicle occupants and nearby people or property. On February 24, 2021, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) sent an Information Request (IR) letter to Arboc. On April 8, 2021, ODI received an IR response from Arboc that included information on vehicle production, consumer complaints, field reports, warranty claims, manufacturer actions, vehicle changes and other data related to the alleged defect. On June 29, 2021, Arboc sent NHTSA a copy of an investigation report/update (Investigations into LAWA Thermal Events) done by a third-party investigation firm (hired by the chassis manufacturer) that included an assessment of the alleged defect/fires. ODI also engaged in discussions with the manufacturer about the alleged defect on multiple occasions during this investigation. Upon analysis of available data, ODI has not determined the existence of a safety defect. The third-party investigation report points to the 30-amp recessed circuit breaker as the hottest point in the vehicle during the December 21, 2019 fire (first fire) and suggests that it could have been a root cause for that fire. However, that report is inconclusive.Based on available information, the causation of the two subsequent fires appears unrelated to the circuit breaker. The second fire (February 2020) appears to have been caused by technician error during repair of fleet vehicles by Arboc pursuant to TSB AR 875. Information provided by Arboc from the third-party investigation indicates that the third fire (June 3, 2020) was likely caused by the intentional or negligent acts of individuals who gained unauthorized access to LAWA property and the trolleys themselves. NHTSA is not aware of fires other than the three described above in the LAWA fleet. There are other fleets with the same make and model trolley buses. Arboc has also previously taken several actions related to the subject vehicles. On June 9, 2020, Arboc issued TSB AR875 to secure the 30-amp recessed circuit breaker. On June 17, 2020, Arboc issued Recall 20V-335 to address misrouted power cables that may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire. Since June 3, 2020, there have been no reports of vehicle fires and no reports of crash, injury, or death. Based on the available information, NHTSA has closed this investigation without finding a safety-related defect. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that no safety-related defect exists. The Agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.Read more

ARBOC SPIRIT OF AMERICA — All Years Overview

Complete safety history for the ARBOC SPIRIT OF AMERICA across all model years (2016–2020).

5 Total Recalls

0 Total Complaints

1 Investigations

0 Reported Crashes

0 Reported Fires

0 Reported Deaths

ARBOC SPIRIT OF AMERICA — Year by Year

Compare recalls and complaints across model years. Click any year to see full details.

Year	Recalls
2020	1	View
2019	1	View
2018	1	View
2017	1	View
2016 (current)	1

Other ARBOC Models

Model	Recalls	Complaints
AIR LIFT CIRCUIT BREAKER	0	0	View
FREEDOM	0	0	View
SPIRIT OF EQUESS	0	0	View
SPIRIT OF FREEDOM	0	0	View
SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENCE	0	0	View
SPIRIT OF LIBERTY	0	0	View
SPIRIT OF MOBILITY	0	0	View

Vehicle Safety

Consumer Safety

Infrastructure

Public Health

2016 ARBOC SPIRIT OF AMERICA