A defect that imperils the safety of vehicle occupants in the event of an emergency situation has prompted the recall of hundreds of said vehicles.
The recall was announced by Gillig and concerns Lowfloor transit buses that come with Ricon 3-Minute Urban Transit Bus Window sets. Each of the vehicles is of the 2010 model year and was produced between April 16 and November 16, 2010. A total of 657 buses are affected by the recall.
The wrong mix of material was used to create the emergency exit window handle, and as a result, an attempt to open this emergency exit could lead to the handle breaking before the latch on the window can be properly released. Therefore, should the bus crash and something like a fire break out, the safety of passengers could be further compromised because those on board would have their exit from the vehicle hindered.
Owners can expect to receive word of the possible defect at some point next month. At that time, they will be able to bring the buses to a dealer to receive free repairs, which will consist of a replacement of the weakened handle.
Any recall is disappointing, but those involving buses used to potentially carry passengers on a daily basis are even more disconcerting. If these buses can’t be removed from service until the issue is fixed, then drivers should be particularly careful to avoid being in an accident.