Middlebury, Ind. – Feb. 02, 2017 – ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, LLC, announced that it would have to recall some of its buses in response to a defect that may lead to sudden, accidental brake engagement.
The Defect
ARBOC will recall model year 2015-2016 ARBOC Spirit of Liberty buses manufactured between Nov. 7, 2014 and July 29, 2016. According to documents compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the parking brake on these vehicles can engage if the doors are opened at any speed. If the door happens to open accidentally, this could cause the bus to suddenly slow down and stop. It is believed that an electrical flaw in the system caused the two functions to connect.
Timeline of Events
- Oct. 10, 2016 – The manufacturer received a notice that a driver had experienced a sudden parking brake activation when the entry door was opened. This notice was then sent to dealers.
- Dec. 6, 2016 – A Freightliner repair shop told the manufacturer that a bus had come into the shop after its parking brake failed while driving at highway speeds. The bus had not been fixed yet, and at the time the repair was considered optional. However, the high-speed failure led the manufacturer to consider a full recall.
Resolution
All dealers will notify affected customers, the process of which may take up to two weeks to complete. Once this is done, vehicle owners will be able to bring their buses in to dealers, who will make adjustments to the parking brake. Owners will then be able to file warranty claims with the manufacturer.
