Consumer News: Wheelchair restraint failures, fire risks dominate this week's Auto Safety Recall Derby

The first cluster of recalls comes from Corp. Micro Bird, which issued multiple notices (25V751, 25V752, 25V770) covering G5 and T-Series school and transit buses from model years 20232026. The problem: wheelchair restraint retractors that may not lock properly. If the system fails during a crash or sudden stop, a wheelchair user could be thrown, resulting in serious injury. Similar defects appear again later in the week involving Coach and Equipment Phoenix buses (25V772), Nova Bus LFS models (25V773), and two major recalls from Forest River Bus (25V779, 25V780). In all, wheelchair-restraint failures make up five separate recall events, suggesting a possible upstream supplier or design issue affecting multiple OEMs.

Commercial vehicles also feature prominently. McNeilus Truck & Manufacturing announced two recalls (25V754 and 25V755) for missing or non-compliant reflex reflectors and rear clearance lightsseemingly small omissions that still violate federal visibility standards and can increase crash risk. Meanwhile, Daimler Trucks North America issued one of the weeks more serious heavy-truck recalls (25V760), warning that loose axle clamp fasteners in certain Freightliner and Western Star models could cause a loss of vehicle control.

Two separate recalls from Wabash National Corporation (25V762 and 25V774) involve insufficient rear-impact protection on Stepdeck trailers. Non-compliant underride guards are a high-stakes safety issue because they protect passenger cars during rear-end collisions with large trailers.

On the light-vehicle side, General Motors issued multiple recallsincluding one very serious one. Recall 25V764 warns that roof-rail air bag inflators in the 2014 Buick Verano and Chevrolet Cruze may rupture, an echo of past inflator crises. GM also reported a power brake assist failure risk (25V768) in Chevrolet Silverado 4500/5500/6500 trucks due to damaged wiring harnesses, and a defect that may prevent the front passenger air bag from deploying (25V769) in the 2026 GMC Hummer EV lineup.

Chrysler (FCA US) added two high-impact recalls: 25V765 warns that driver air bags may fail to deploy in 20212022 RAM 15005500 trucks, while 25V766 involves plug-in hybrid 4xe models of the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Wrangler, where engine failure may lead to engine fires or a sudden loss of drive power.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing issued a large recall (25V767) for the Lexus GX, Lexus LX, and Toyota Tundra, noting that debris inside the engine could cause an engine stallraising risks especially at highway speeds or in heavy traffic.

In the RV and powersports sector, Keystone RV recalled Voltage models (25V771) because generator fuel lines may have been incorrectly installed, potentially increasing fire risk. Winnebago Towable recalled Micro Minnie trailers (25V776) for a cooktop flame that may invert, and Yamaha announced a major recall for the 20182022 XMAX scooter (25V778), warning that a loose camshaft bolt could cause engine failure.

Taken together, this weeks recalls touch nearly every corner of the vehicle marketfrom school buses and heavy-duty work trucks to high-end SUVs, pickups, RVs, and scooters. Owners and fleet operators should check their VINs promptly and schedule free repairs where needed.