2020 Blue Bird All American School Bus Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 2020 Blue Bird All American School Bus has 20 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 78,232 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 4 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the seats. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

EQUIPMENT 24V758000 2024-10-11 28,479 affected
Defect

Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2019-2024 Vision and All American school buses. The emergency exit label operating instructions lettering is too small and may be difficult to read. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)…

Consequence

An emergency exit label that is difficult to read can prevent or delay the use of the emergency exit, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the emergency exit label, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 9, 2024. Owners may contact Blue Bird Customer Service at 478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R23CK (SB).

STRUCTURE 24V543000 2024-07-19 16,708 affected
Defect

Blue Bird Bus Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Vision, All American Front Engine, and All American Rear Engine school buses. An exterior roof joint may have been manufactured with insufficient strength that can allow the roof panels to separate in a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply…

Consequence

Roof panels that separate during a crash can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect the roof panel joints and install additional rivets as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 17, 2024. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242.

SEATS 24V078000 2024-02-07 6,691 affected
Defect

Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Vision 2020-2023 All American school buses. The convertible seats may have been incorrectly installed, which can result in an unsecured seat. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number…

Consequence

An unsecured seat may not adequately restrain an occupant, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect and repair the seat, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 04, 2024. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R24CM-SB.

STRUCTURE 23V778000 2023-11-20 6,124 affected
Defect

Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2014-2024 All American school buses equipped with 39" High Back seat restraining barriers. The bolts securing the restraining barriers to the floor may separate when fully loaded. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor…

Consequence

An unsecured seat restraining barrier may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will install a longer bolt with rectangular washer and nut, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed January 16, 2024. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R23CU-SB. This recall is an expansion of recall number…

POWER TRAIN 23V276000 2023-04-18 419 affected
Defect

Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2018-2021 All American and Vision School Buses, equipped with PowerDrive 7000 electric drive systems. The System Control Module (SCM) may activate the anti-rollback feature, causing the vehicle to reverse faster than expected when the vehicle is in reverse and…

Consequence

A vehicle reversing faster than expected can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will update the SCM software calibration, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 10, 2023. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R23CG (SB)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 22V505000 2022-07-14 482 affected
Defect

Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2018-2022 All American and Vision school buses equipped with Cummins PD7000 Electric Drivetrains containing an electric air compressor. The air compressor housing is improperly grounded, causing electrical voltage greater than 50V AC during operation.

Consequence

An improperly grounded air compressor can cause electric shock, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will install an electrical ground strap between the compressor motor housing and vehicle chassis, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 6, 2023. Owners may contact Blue Bird's customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R22BY-SB.

FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL 21V312000 2021-05-04 1,053 affected
Defect

Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2018-2022 All American buses. The sealing washer may not seat correctly in the pilot bore holes, allowing the high pressure fuel rail assembly to leak.

Consequence

A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy

The remedy for this recall is still under development. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 30, 2021. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R21BH-SB.

POWER TRAIN 21V300000 2021-04-28 302 affected
Defect

Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Vision and All American school buses. The drivetrain may experience an electromagnetic noise on the Control Area Network (CAN) bus, which may cause a loss of electrical power to the power steering pump.

Consequence

A loss of assisted power steering increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Cummins will replace the High Voltage Low Power Inverter Harness, and install an overlay harness, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on May 22, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 25, 2021. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242.

SERVICE BRAKES, AIR 21V284000 2021-04-22 1,634 affected
Defect

Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Vision and All American school buses. A retainer was not properly seated in the SC-3 single check valve and may not provide source air isolation when pressure is applied. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor…

Consequence

Unintended spring brake application may occur, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the SC-3 check valves, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on November 18, 2021. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R21BE-SB.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 21V253000 2021-04-12 292 affected
Defect

Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Vision and All American school buses. The electric drive train cannot detect isolation faults when the high voltage contactors are closed.

Consequence

An undetected high voltage isolation can expose service personnel to high voltage, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy

Blue Bird will notify owners, and dealers will update the Vehicle Control Unit software or install a different combination of High Voltage Power Distribution Unit hardware, free of charge. The recall began on May 22, 2021. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this…

SEAT BELTS 21V070000 2021-02-12 620 affected
Defect

Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Vision and All American buses. The seats with integrated 3-point seat belts may have been installed incorrectly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 210, "Seat Belt…

Consequence

An incorrectly installed seat can increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy

Blue Bird will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seats and install any missing hardware, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin April 9, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed February 03, 2022. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's…

SEAT BELTS 20V409000 2020-07-15 3,532 affected
Defect

Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2018-2021 All-American and 2019-2021 Vision school buses. The three-point seatbelt assembly may have been installed without reinforcing washers under the floor at the anchorage point, possibly preventing the assembly from remaining anchored in the event of a…

Consequence

In the event of a crash, seat belt anchorages that do not remain secured increase the risk of injury to those seat occupants.

Remedy

Blue Bird will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the seat belt anchorage point hardware and install any missing hardware as needed, free of charge. This recall began August 11, 2020. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R20AX.

EQUIPMENT 20V266000 2020-05-12 1,239 affected
Defect

Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Vision and All American school buses equipped with factory-installed air conditioning (A/C) systems. The A/C circuit breaker may have been installed incorrectly.

Consequence

Incorrect installation of the air conditioning circuit breaker may increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy

Blue Bird will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the installation of the A/C circuit breaker, correcting it as necessary. Any damaged circuit breakers will be replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began July 6, 2020. Owner letters were mailed on November 30, 2021. Owners may…

PARKING BRAKE 20V258000 2020-05-08 1,585 affected
Defect

Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Vision and All American school buses. The foot pedal parking brake assembly may have been improperly assembled possibly resulting in a failure to hold the vehicle stationary on an incline when the vehicle is loaded to its maximum weight. As such,…

Consequence

Unintended vehicle movement can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Blue Bird will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the foot pedal parking brake assembly application force and adjust it as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin July 3, 2020. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R20AP-SB.

SEATS 20V125000 2020-03-03 2,790 affected
Defect

Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2008-2021 Vision and All American school buses. The seat barrier behind the driver seat with an integrated 3-point seat belt may have been installed incorrectly and may be missing the reinforcing bracket. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the…

Consequence

In the event of a crash, the seat barrier may not adequately protect the occupant seated behind the seat barrier separating them from the driver seat with integrated 3-point seat belt, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy

Blue Bird will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and properly install the seat barrier including adding reinforcing bracket, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin April 23, 2020. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is…

STRUCTURE 19V707000 2019-10-04 302 affected
Defect

Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2019-2021 All American and Vision school buses. An insufficient number of rivets were installed in the roof sheets, allowing the roof sheets to separate in the event of a severe impact. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal…

Consequence

In the event of a crash, if the roof sheets separate, there is an increased risk of injury.

Remedy

Blue Bird will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the roof joints and add the sufficient number of rivets, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 22, 2019. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R19AH.

STRUCTURE 19V524000 2019-07-12 13 affected
Defect

Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2020 Vision and All American buses equipped with Specialty Prolo 24" x 24" roof hatches. Due to a manufacturing issue, the roof hatch external handle may unexpectedly break under reasonable use. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of…

Consequence

If the roof hatch external handle breaks, in the event of an emergency, the hatch cannot be easily opened from outside the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy

Blue Bird will notify owners, and dealers will replace the outer hatch handle, free of charge. The recall began August 21, 2019. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R19AF - NSB.

STRUCTURE 19V526000 2019-07-12 1,737 affected
Defect

Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Vision and All American school buses equipped with Specialty Manufacturing Prolo roof emergency exit hatches. Due to a manufacturing issue, the roof hatch external handle may unexpectedly break under reasonable use. As such, these vehicles fail to…

Consequence

If the roof hatch external handle breaks, in the event of an emergency, the hatch cannot be easily opened from outside the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy

Blue Bird will notify owners, and Specialty dealers will replace the outer handle, free of charge. The recall began August 21, 2019. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R19AF - SB.

SERVICE BRAKES, AIR 19V391000 2019-05-24 4,218 affected
Defect

Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Vision and All American school buses equipped with Bendix ADB22X air brakes. The driver side rear brakes may drag.

Consequence

A dragging brake may cause damage to the brake components, which may activate the ABS warning light. The warning light may cause the driver to immediately stop the vehicle and transfer occupants. Additionally, the high temperatures at the wheel end can increase the risk of a fire. Either condition increases the…

Remedy

Blue Bird will notify owners, and dealers will install a new caliper with an updated clearance adjustment mechanism, free of charge. Blue Bird issued owners interim notification on July 18, 2019. The recall began August 28, 2019. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number…

SEATS 18V846000 2018-11-28 12 affected
Defect

Blue Bird Body Company (Blue Bird) is recalling certain 2020 Blue Bird All American and 2019-2020 Blue Bird Vision school buses, equipped with certain HSM NextGen 45" 3PT school bus seats, part number GenQ3-45 LH. There may be an insufficient number of bolts attaching the seat to the bus floor, allowing the seat to…

Consequence

In the event of a crash, if the bus seat detaches from the floor, it can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy

Blue Bird will notify owners, and dealers will install a secondary floor mounting brace, free of charge. The recall began December 12, 2018. Owners may contact Blue Bird customer service at 1-478-822-2242. Blue Bird's number for this recall is R18ZT-SB.

Complaints by component

SEATS
3
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL
1
Total complaints4

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“The contact called about a 2020 blue bird bb conventional. The contact was a bus driver for the coweta school district and stated that while at the diesel fuel pump, diesel spilled out of the spout. The contact stated that the failure occurred after the vehicle was fueled and while closing the…”

FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL · reported 2025-10-21

“Bluebird next gen seats continuously break. The seat bottoms break under the weight of a high school aged kid. If the child is sitting in the seat when it breaks it could injure the child. The seat backs also break regularly.”

SEATS · reported 2024-10-10

“I am writing to bring to your attention several persistent issues we have encountered with the blue bird student seating in our buses. The seat backs, constructed from a black mesh material welded at all four corners and secured with a top bar, have repeatedly failed. We have observed that nearly…”

SEATS · reported 2024-08-01

“I am writing to bring to your attention several persistent issues we have encountered with the blue bird student seating in our buses. The seat backs, constructed from a black mesh material welded at all four corners and secured with a top bar, have repeatedly failed. We have observed that nearly…”

SEATS · reported 2024-05-01
Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2020 Blue Bird All American School Bus as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.