Recall 12V059 covers 677 2011-2012 Ic Bus Re, Ce, and Be buses for unlatching seat cushions. Free repair at a franchised Ic Bus dealer once available.
Ic Bus is recalling 677 2011-2012 Re, Ce, and Be school buses because the C. E. White seat cushion latch can fail to secure the cushion to the frame. An unsecured cushion can dislodge, increasing the risk of injury to occupants; the Ic Bus dealer repair will be free once available.
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What's wrong?
The seat cushion in the 2011-2012 Ic Bus Re, Ce, and Be school buses sits on a frame and is supposed to stay locked to that frame. These buses use C. E. White seat cushions with a self-latching mechanism. That latch is the part that secures the cushion without a separate manual step, so the passenger seating surface stays in place.
On the recalled buses, the self-latching mechanism does not activate as intended. When the latch fails to engage, the cushion is not retained to the frame the way Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 222 requires for school bus passenger seating and crash protection. The filing identifies the latch action as the defect and does not give a separate root-cause explanation.
There is no warning sign before failure. An owner or fleet operator is not told to look for a noise, warning light, or change in seat feel before the latch problem is found.
Who's affected?
Scope spans the Re, Ce, and Be bus lines across the 2011 and 2012 model years, all tied to the seat assembly.
| 2012 Ic Bus Re | seat assembly |
|---|---|
| 2011 Ic Bus Ce | seat assembly |
| 2012 Ic Bus Ce | seat assembly |
| 2012 Ic Bus Be | seat assembly |
| 2011 Ic Bus Be | seat assembly |
| Units affected | 677 |
A matching year and model does not guarantee inclusion. Check your VIN to confirm whether your specific bus is included.
What's the safety risk?
An unsecured seat cushion can come loose from the seat structure. If that happens, the seat no longer holds occupants as designed, increasing injury risk during a sudden stop or crash. If your VIN is included, schedule the recall service promptly. Repair will be free at any franchised Ic Bus dealer once available.
What should I do?
- Check your VIN to confirm whether this recall includes your 2011-2012 Ic Bus Be or Ce, or 2012 Ic Bus Re school bus.
- Use the Ic Bus owner notice mailed on March 14, 2012, then contact a franchised Ic Bus dealer about repair timing.
- Schedule the free seat-cushion latch repair that secures the cushion to the seat frame.
- Reference recall number 12V059 when you call the dealer or Ic Bus customer service.
- Keep passengers out of unrepaired affected seats until the seat repair is complete.
What happens at the repair
At the dealer, an Ic Bus technician repairs the affected C. E. White seat cushions so the self-latching mechanism retains the cushion to the seat frame as intended. The remedy status is not confirmed in the filing provided, so treat the final dealer repair as free once available. Before taking the bus in, ask an Ic Bus dealer to confirm parts and repair availability for recall 12V059. The stated remedy covers the seat repair at no charge.
Timeline
| February 16, 2012 | NHTSA published the recall |
|---|---|
| March 14, 2012 | Owner notification mailed |
Frequently asked questions
What is recall 12V059?
Recall 12V059 covers 677 2011-2012 Ic Bus Re, Ce, and Be school buses equipped with C.E. White seat cushions. The seat cushion latch can fail to engage, so the cushion is not secured to the frame. Ic Bus dealers will repair the seats for free.
What should I do if my 2011-2012 Ic Bus Re, Ce, or Be is on this recall?
Check your VIN to confirm your specific bus is included in recall 12V059. If it is, contact a franchised Ic Bus dealer to schedule the seat repair. Reference recall number 12V059 when you call. The dealer repair is free.
Is the recall repair free?
Yes. Federal recall law requires manufacturers to repair safety defects at no cost, and Ic Bus dealers will repair the affected seats free of charge under recall 12V059. Parts and labor are covered for included vehicles.
What is the safety risk in recall 12V059?
The risk is that an unsecured seat cushion can become dislodged from the seat structure. NHTSA campaign 12V059 states that this increases the risk of injury to vehicle occupants. The repair secures the affected seats so the cushion is retained properly.
What if I bought the Ic Bus used?
The free recall repair still applies. Recalls follow the vehicle, not the first owner. Check your VIN to confirm whether your specific 2011-2012 Ic Bus Re, Ce, or Be is included, then reference recall number 12V059 when you call the dealer.
More information
| NHTSA campaign page | nhtsa.gov/vehicle-recalls/12V059000 |
|---|---|
| Ic Bus customer service | 260-461-1890 |
| NHTSA recall # | 12V059 |
| NHTSA recall # (full) | 12V059000 |
Source documents
-
Download Recall Document (PDF) (PDF) - Download Owner Notification Letter (PDF)
- Download Owner Notice (PDF)
- Download Defect / Noncompliance Notice (PDF) (PDF)
- Download Recall Acknowledgement (PDF)
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 →