NHTSA Complaint #10105924 — 2002 FREIGHTLINER FS-65

ROSEAU SCHOOL DISTRICT OPERATES A FLEET OF 26 BUSES COVERING APPROX. 1000 SQUARE MILES IN AREA. IN 1999 ROSEAU SCHOOLS BEGAN PURCHASING BUSES WITH THE CUMMINS ISB ENGINES (AN ALL ELECTRONIC ENGINE REPLACING THE OLDER "B" ENGINES). THE DISTRICT NOW HAS 8 UNITS WITH THIS PARTICULAR ENGINE. THE DISTRICT HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING TOO MANY PROBLEMS WITH SENSORS, CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS COMING ON AND POWER DERATING WHEN OPERATING THESE ENGINES. A COMMON PROBLEM IS LIFT PUMP FAILURE CAUSING RETOACTIVE FAILURE TO THE INJECTION PUMP (CUMMINS NAME FOR THE INJECTION PUMP IS THE VP44 PUMP). WHEN PUMP FAILURE OCCURS A NUMBER OF THINGS MAY HAPPEN - EITHER THE ENGINE MAY GO INTO THE LIMP MODE WHICH WILL LET THE ENGINE STILL RUN BUT UNDER RESTRICTED POWER, THE ENGINE MAY LOSE POWER AND WITHIN SECONDS RETURN TO FULL POWER OR THE ENGINE MAY JUST STOP AND NOT RESTART. IN THE SCHOOL BUSING INDUSTRY ANY OF THESE TYPE OF FAILURES COULD PRESENT ITSELF AS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD FROM THE BUS SLOWING DOWN AND BEING REARENDED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE, THE LOSS OF POWER WHEN BRAKING OR TURNING CAUSING LOSS OF BRAKES OR POWER STEERING, THE LOSS OF POWER CAUSING STALLING OF THE UNIT IN AN INTERSECTION OR WORSE YET WHEN GOING ACROSS A RAILROAD INTERSECTION. IN OUR SITUATION IN NORTHERN MINNESOTA WE ARE SOMETIMES RUNNING IN SUB-ZERO TEMPERATURES (THIS PAST WEEK AS COLD AS -40 DEGREES BELOW 0). A STRANDED SCHOOL BUS OF KIDS IN THOSE TEMPERATURES COULD CREATE REAL PROBLEMS. THE LIST GOES ON AND ON OF WHAT MAY HAPPEN OR IN SOME CASES HAS ALREADY HAPPENED. OTHERS ARE HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEMS.*AK