Two NHTSA campaigns cover a combined 1,606 Blue Bird electric school and transit buses whose high-voltage battery mounting bolts may be loose or missing, creating a loss-of-drive-power risk.
NHTSA lists two related campaigns
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's recall data identify campaigns 26V641000 and 26V642000, both reported by Blue Bird Body Company on October 2, 2026. Both use manufacturer recall number R26AK and concern critical fasteners for the high-voltage battery propulsion system.
The combined population is 1,606 buses
Campaign 26V641 lists 1,590 potentially affected electric school buses. Campaign 26V642 lists 16 potentially affected electric transit buses. Added together, the two federal campaign populations total 1,606 vehicles. That total is not a count of failures, crashes or injuries.
The school-bus campaign covers Vision and All American models
NHTSA says campaign 26V641 covers certain model-year 2018–2024 and 2026 Blue Bird Vision and All American Electric school buses. A listed model year alone does not prove that a particular bus is included; owners should confirm each vehicle by VIN through the official lookup or Blue Bird.
The transit-bus campaign covers 16 All American Electrics
Campaign 26V642 covers certain model-year 2022–2024 All American Electric transit buses. NHTSA reports 16 potentially affected vehicles in this campaign. It is separate from the larger school-bus campaign even though the stated condition, remedy and manufacturer number are the same.
Battery mounting bolts may be loose or missing
For both campaigns, NHTSA says high-voltage battery-system mounting bolts may be loose or missing. The component is classified as an electrical propulsion-system critical-fastener issue. The public recall summary does not say that every bolt on every listed vehicle is loose or missing.
The stated safety risk is loss of drive power
NHTSA says a high-voltage battery with loose or missing mounting bolts can cause a loss of drive power, increasing crash risk. A sudden loss of propulsion can create danger in traffic even if steering and braking remain available. Operators should follow manufacturer instructions and their established safe-stop and defect-reporting procedures if a propulsion warning or power loss occurs.
The repair begins with an inspection
Dealers will inspect the mounting bolts and reinstall them with thread locker. Damaged or missing bolts will be replaced. NHTSA states that all repairs will be performed free of charge. Fleet technicians should not represent an improvised tightening procedure as recall completion unless it follows the authorized remedy and is documented accordingly.
Owner letters are expected December 1
The federal records say owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 1, 2026. School districts, contractors and transit operators do not need to wait for a paper letter to reconcile their Blue Bird electric-bus VINs, update ownership information and contact an authorized dealer about scheduling.
NHTSA does not list a park-it or park-outside instruction
The agency's API entries mark both park-it and park-outside as false. That means the public entries do not impose those universal recall instructions. It does not mean a bus with an observed unsafe condition should continue in service; the operator still must evaluate defects and follow Blue Bird, dealer and applicable fleet-safety directions.
Use VINs, not fleet assumptions
Create a roster of every potentially relevant Blue Bird electric school or transit bus, including leased, spare and recently transferred units. Run each 17-character VIN through NHTSA's recall lookup, record the result, contact the manufacturer or dealer for any uncertainty and track open, scheduled and completed status separately.
Drivers should report symptoms without approaching high-voltage hardware
Drivers can report warning messages, an unexpected loss of propulsion, unusual noise, visible damage or other abnormal behavior through the normal defect process. They should not crawl under the bus, touch orange high-voltage components or attempt to inspect battery fasteners unless trained, authorized and following the manufacturer's high-voltage safety procedure.
Inspection records do not replace recall completion
A pre-trip, post-trip or preventive-maintenance inspection remains important, but it does not close an open safety recall by itself. Keep the VIN check, dealer appointment, repair order and completion confirmation in the fleet record. Recheck the federal or manufacturer status after the dealer reports the remedy complete.
This recall is distinct from Blue Bird's earlier wiring campaign
Blue Bird recall R26AK and NHTSA campaigns 26V641 and 26V642 concern battery mounting bolts. They are separate from campaign 26V519, reported earlier in 2026, which concerned a wiring and fire-risk condition affecting other Vision school buses. A fleet should track each open recall by VIN and campaign number rather than assuming one repair closes another.
Primary-source note
This report is based on NHTSA's official recall API and downloadable recall dataset for campaigns 26V641000 and 26V642000, accessed October 13, 2026. The affected model years, 1,590- and 16-vehicle populations, bolt condition, loss-of-drive-power risk, free remedy, December 1 notification date and manufacturer number R26AK come from those federal records. The 1,606 total is arithmetic across the two campaigns and is not presented as an incident count.
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Official sources
NHTSA recall API: Blue Bird Vision Electric school buses (includes 26V641)NHTSA recall API: Blue Bird All American Electric transit buses (includes 26V642)NHTSA downloadable recall dataNHTSA VIN recall lookupCDL Truck Pro provides educational information. Confirm licensing, safety, tax, and regulatory requirements through current official sources and qualified professionals.