1995 AM-TRAN GENESIS — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS FOUR 1995 AMTRAN/INTERNATIONAL BUSES WITH BROKEN ROOF BOW WELDS. (THE SAME TYPE OF PROBLEM AS THE CARPENTER BUSES.) THIS PROBLEM FIRST APPEARED IN THE SPRING OF 2001. THESE DEFECTS WERE BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF INTERNATIONAL, AND THROUGH THE IC BODY DIVISION, INTERNATIONAL SENT UP A REPAIRMAN IN THE SUMMER OF 2001 WHO REPAIRED EACH OF THESE BODIES IN THE FIELD. NOW 2.5 YEARS LATER THESE BODIES ARE COMING APART IN THE IDENTICAL PLACES WHERE THEY WERE REPAIRED. OUR LOCAL INTERNATIONAL DEALER, SKUBIC BROS. INT'L, HAS BEEN TRYING TO WORK WITH INTERNATIONAL DIRECTLY ON THIS ISSUE SINCE WE DISCOVERED IN DECEMBER 2003 THAT THESE REPAIRS DID NOT WORK AND THE WELDS WERE ONCE AGAIN BREAKING. INTERNATIONAL CONTENDS THAT THE BODIES ARE TOO OLD TO BE COVERED UNDER ANY KIND OF WARRANTY, OR EVEN THEIR "FIELD FIX" ANY LONGER. MR. CARL THOMASON AT THE IC PLANT (1-800-993-7686) SAYS THAT THEY HAVE NO RECORDS REGARDING THIS REPAIR. MR. THOMASON DID SAY THAT THE REPAIRS BACK IN 2001 WERE COVERED UNDER A "FIELD FIX" FOR THIS VERY PROBLEM, BUT IT WAS DONE ONLY ON AN "AS NEEDED" BASIS. IN OTHER WORDS, THEY WERE ONLY FIXING THE BODIES THAT CUSTOMERS COMPLAINED ABOUT. THEY APPARENTLY WERE DOING NOTHING WITH THE UNSAFE BODIES THAT CUSTOMERS WERE NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT, OR AWARE OF. WE FEEL THAT THE BODIES WERE NOT PROPERLY REPAIRED BY INTERNATIONAL'S "FIELD FIX" PERSONNEL AND THE LIABILITY AND COST TO PROPERLY REPAIR THESE BUSES SHOULD FALL ON INTERNATIONAL. OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO USE THESE FOUR BUSES SINCE DECEMBER 2003 AND WE DO NOT HAVE PLANS ON GETTING RID OF THESE BUSES ANYTIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE. I AM AWARE OF A BUS COMPANY IN DULUTH, MN - VOYAGEUR BUS - THAT IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH THEIR 1995 AMTRAN/INTERNATIONAL BUSES. THEY WERE ALSO PART OF THE "FIELD FIX" BACK IN 2001.