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Campaign 12V007 Posted January 10, 2012 333 units

2009-2012 Trans Tech School Bus Recall 12V007: Seat Latch

RN
Reviewed by the RecallNotify editorial team
Published June 2, 2026

Recall 12V007 covers 333 2009-2012 Trans Tech school buses with seat cushions that fail to latch. Repair is free at any franchised Trans Tech dealer.

Trans Tech is recalling 333 2009-2012 school buses, including STH4139 and Roadstar models, because C. E. White seat cushions can fail to latch to the seat frame. In a crash, an unlatched cushion can flip out of position and increase injury risk; the Trans Tech dealer repair will be free once available.

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What's wrong?

The seat cushion on these 2009-2012 Trans Tech school buses is part of the passenger seat assembly. The cushion sits on the seat frame and is supposed to lock into place with a self-latching mechanism, so the seating surface stays attached during normal use and supports the school bus passenger seating and crash protection design.

On affected buses, the self-latching mechanism that holds a C. E. White seat cushion to the frame does not activate as designed. When the latch does not engage, the cushion is not retained the way the seat was built and certified to retain it. That is why these seats do not meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 222 for school bus passenger seating and crash protection.

There is no warning sign before failure. An owner, driver, or service technician is unlikely to get a dashboard alert or obvious symptom from the bus itself before the cushion retention problem is found during inspection.

Who's affected?

Spans the 2009-2012 model years across multiple Trans Tech bus configurations, all tied to the seat assembly.

2011 Trans Tech STH4139 seat assembly
2011 Trans Tech DW5+9159FRLSST seat assembly
2012 Trans Tech DDW5+9159FRLSST seat assembly
2011 Trans Tech DW4+9139SST seat assembly
2011 Trans Tech DW6159SST seat assembly
Units affected333

The year and model narrow the scope, but the VIN decides. Check your VIN to confirm whether your specific bus is included.

What's the safety risk?

In a crash, an unlatched seat cushion can flip out of position and increase injury risk for occupants. Check that the cushion is latched before using the vehicle, and schedule the recall repair soon if your VIN is included. Repair will be free at any franchised Trans Tech dealer once available.

What should I do?

  1. Check your VIN to confirm your 2009-2012 Trans Tech school bus is included in this recall.
  2. Contact Trans Tech customer service at 1-845-988-0419 to confirm the seat-cushion latch repair path before moving the bus.
  3. Ask whether a franchised Trans Tech dealer can repair the C. E. White seat cushion latch so the cushion stays secured to the seat frame.
  4. Reference recall number 12V007 when you call, and bring the owner notice if Trans Tech mailed one.
  5. Keep passengers out of any bus with an unsecured seat cushion until Trans Tech confirms the free seat repair is complete.

What happens at the repair

At the dealer, a Trans Tech technician repairs the school bus seats so the seat cushion latching mechanism holds the cushion to the frame as intended. The filing says the safety recall began on March 7, 2012, and the seat repair is free of charge. Trans Tech told owners they can contact the company at 1-845-988-0419 for recall handling, but the dealer repair is the covered fix.

Timeline

January 10, 2012 NHTSA published the recall
March 7, 2012 Owner notification mailed

Frequently asked questions

What is recall 12V007?

Recall 12V007 covers 333 2009-2012 Trans Tech school buses with C. E. White seat cushions whose self-latching mechanism can fail to hold the cushion to the frame. Trans Tech dealers will repair the affected seats free of charge.

What should I do if my 2009-2012 Trans Tech school bus is on this recall?

Check your VIN to confirm your specific bus is included in recall 12V007. If it is, contact a franchised Trans Tech dealer to schedule the seat repair. Reference recall number 12V007 when you call. The dealer repair is free.

Is the recall repair free?

Yes. Federal recall law requires manufacturers to perform recall repairs at no cost, and Trans Tech's remedy says dealers will repair the affected seats free of charge. Parts and labor are covered at a franchised Trans Tech dealer.

What is the safety risk?

The safety risk is occupant injury during a crash. If the seat cushion is not fully latched to the seat structure, it can flip up out of position during a crash and increase the risk of injury to bus occupants.

What if I bought this Trans Tech bus used?

The free recall repair still applies. Recall coverage follows the vehicle, not the first owner. Check your VIN to confirm whether your specific Trans Tech bus is included, then call a franchised Trans Tech dealer and reference recall number 12V007.

More information

NHTSA campaign pagenhtsa.gov/vehicle-recalls/12V007000
Trans Tech customer service1-845-988-0419
NHTSA recall #12V007
NHTSA recall # (full)12V007000

Source documents

This article is generated from NHTSA's primary recall filings and reviewed against the source on June 2, 2026. RecallNotify does not paraphrase NHTSA's consequence language; that text is reproduced as written above. Editorial standards →