2002 BLUE BIRD WANDERLODGE Recalls, Complaints & Safety

EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE/TRAILER

Defect Description

BLUE BIRD IS RECALLING 162 MY 1999-2002 WANDERLODGE MOTOR HOMES EQUIPPED WITH NORCOLD MODEL 1200LR OR 1200LRIM GAS/ELECTRIC REFRIGERATORS. A FATIGUE FAILURE IN THE SECTION OF THE COOLING UNIT WHICH CONTAINS THE REFRIGERANT COULD ALLOW THE LIQUID SOLUTION TO SLOWLY LEAK.

Consequence

EXTENDED OPERATION OF A LEAKING COOLING UNIT COULD LEAD TO A FIRE FROM GAS WHICH MIGHT ESCAPE.

Remedy

BLUE BIRD IS WORKING WITH NORCOLD TO REPAIR THESE REFRIGERATORS. NORCOLD WILL PROVIDE THERMAL SWITCH KITS TO OWNERS ALONG WITH THE NECESSARY FORMS AND INSTRUCTIONS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 11, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NORCOLD AT 1-800-767-9101 OR BLUE BIRD AT 1-478-825-2021.

83 vehicles affected

Manufacturer: BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

Defect Description

ON CERTAIN MOTOR HOMES AND TOUR COACHES, A 'CHECK TRANS' WARNING LIGHT WHICH IS REQUIRED BY ALLISON TRANSMISSION INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS WAS OMITTED. IN THE EVENT THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT SELECTOR MALFUNCTIONS (LOOSES POWER OR SENDS ERRONEOUS SIGNALS TO THE TRANSMISSION ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT), TH... Read more

Consequence

THE DRIVER MAY SHIFT THE TRANSMISSION SELECTOR TO CHANGE DIRECTION AND THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT RECOGNIZE IT AND REMAIN IN THE ORIGINAL DIRECTION RESULTING IN THE POTENTIAL FOR A CRASH.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A "CHECK TRANS" WARNING LIGHT ON THESE VEHICLES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 31, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT BLUE BIRD AT 1-478-822-22... Read more

436 vehicles affected

Manufacturer: BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY

Complaint Statistics

1 total complaints

Top Reported Components

Component	Complaints
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR	1

Incident date: Apr 15, 2005

DT: CONSUMER STATES: BRAKES WENT OUT ON MOTOR COACH WAS GOING DOWN HILL AT 25 TO 30 MPH, NOTHING HAPPENED, PULLED SERVICE LEVER THE MECHANICAL BRAKES CAME ON AND STOPPED IT. NOTICED AIR PRESSURE KEPT DROPPING AND WAS ABOUT 90 LBS OF PRESSURE. *AK A TECHNICIAN CHECKED THE SYSTEM BUT FOUND NOTHING W... Read more

Technical Service Bulletins, 2002 BLUE BIRD WANDERLODGE

4 manufacturer communications from 4 unique bulletins. TSBs describe known problems and recommended fixes from the manufacturer.

Most Affected Components

Component	Bulletins
355200 EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL	2
980000 UNKNOWN OR OTHER	2

355200 EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

New Blue Bird Support Center - Technical Bus Support: Dealer memo to announce the new on-line Blue Bird Support Center for technical bus support requests.

355200 EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

Blue Bird Troubleshooting Guides: Blue Bird announcement of the addition of troubleshooting guides for assisting in the service of the Blue Bird products. These troubleshooting guides are available on the Vantage website.

980000 UNKNOWN OR OTHER

There are no Manufacturer Communications in accordance with 49 CFR 579.5 to report for October 2022 for Blue Bird Body Company.

980000 UNKNOWN OR OTHER

There are no Manufacturer Communications in accordance with 49 CFR 579.5 to report for December 2023 for Blue Bird Body Company.

NHTSA Safety Investigations, BLUE BIRD WANDERLODGE

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: 2005

Front Tire Overload

As detailed in the opening resume for this investigation dated November 16, 2015, Blue Bird Corporation (BBC) conducted recall 07V-586 with two subsequent amendments to address overloaded front axles and tires on the subject vehicles.Following the remedy installations, NHTSA received nine petitions ... and seven consumer complaints (many from the same owners who had filed petitions) alleging the remedial actions taken by BBC were inadequate.At the time, NHTSA was aware of two consumer complaints and three crashes of vehicles that received the 07V-586 recall remedy.One of the complaints was similar to the petitions in that it focused on utility loss and not safety issues.The second complaint (received May 2014) described a crash that occurred in May 2013 that was also identified in media reports. The second and third crashes occurred in August 2013 and January 2015. All three crashes allegedly resulted from failure of one of the front tires.During this investigation, NHTSA requested information from BBC including details about the three referenced crashes and if they were aware of any additional failures.BBC responded that they were not aware of any other failures and had only received crash information on one of the incidents from sources other than NHTSA.In order to understand why the tires failed prior to or during each of the three crashes, NHTSA attempted to collect as much information about each incident as possible.This included insurance documents, photographs, police accident reports, vehicle weights, maintenance history, and the failed tires.In the case of two of the crashes, not enough information could be obtained to determine the exact cause of the tire failure and crash.In the case of the third crash, the tire was collected and analyzed.This analysis found that the tire failed as a result of impact damage and not overloading.In October 2015, BBC initiated a customer service campaign (S15YF) where owners would be notified that BBC would replace the front wheels and tires on the subject vehicles.This action was taken to address owner concerns that the ride comfort in the vehicle was bad and that tire pressure was difficult to maintain at the required 130psi.The new wheels and tires installed by BBC increased the load capacity of the tire, allowing owners to carry the maximum load of the coach at a lower tire pressure.At the time of the closing of this investigation, NHTSA does not have the necessary evidence to establish the existence of an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety in the subject vehicles.NHTSA is not aware of any front axle failures in the subject vehicles for any reason. The single tire failure crash where sufficient evidence had been preserved resulted from the vehicle striking an object damaging the tire.The action taken by BBC to increase the load capacity of the tires on the subject vehicles addresses the safety concerns prompting this investigation.This investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that no safety-related defect exists.The agency may take further action if warranted by the circumstances.Read more

DP, Closed , Model Year: 2005

Alleged inadequate recall remedy 07V-586

On December 11, 2007, Blue Bird Corporation (BBC) submitted an uninfluenced recall 07V-586 to the agency.This recall described a defect on fifty eight 2005?2007 Model Year (MY) Wanderlodge Recreational Vehicles (RV) where the curb weight of the front axle could exceed the axle?s 16,000 pound rating.... Read more

BLUE BIRD WANDERLODGE - All Years Overview

Complete safety history for the BLUE BIRD WANDERLODGE across all model years (1966, 2005).

76 Total Recalls

7 Total Complaints

2 Investigations

0 Reported Crashes

0 Reported Fires

0 Reported Deaths

BLUE BIRD WANDERLODGE - Year by Year

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

Year	Recalls	Complaints
2005	1	0	View
2004	1	0	View
2003	1	0	View
2002 (current)	2	1
2001	3	0	View
2000	5	0	View
1999	9	0	View
1998	5	0	View
1997	4	0	View
1996	2	0	View
1995	1	1	View
1994	1	0	View
1993	1	0	View
1991	2	0	View
1990	2	0	View
1989	2	0	View
1988	4	0	View
1987	3	1	View
1986	3	0	View
1985	3	0	View
1984	2	0	View
1983	1	0	View
1982	2	0	View
1981	1	0	View
1973	1	0	View
1972	3	0	View
1971	2	0	View
1970	2	0	View
1969	2	0	View
1968	2	0	View
1967	2	0	View
1966	1	0	View

Other BLUE BIRD Models

Model	Recalls	Complaints
ALL AMERICAN	720	222	View
VISION	537	24	View
TC2000	214	39	View
VISION SCHOOL BUS	196	4	View
ALL AMERICAN SCHOOL BUS	148	9	View
CONVENTIONAL	125	20	View
MICRO BIRD	120	0	View
VISION TRANSIT BUS	73	0	View

Vehicle Safety

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2002 BLUE BIRD WANDERLODGE