AI Damage2009 Blue Bird ALL American: common problems
Owners of the 2009 Blue Bird ALL American filed 3 complaints with NHTSA, most often about seats and engine and cooling. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 3
What fails most often
- 1 Seats 67% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 33% of all complaints
- Seats: 2 complaints (67% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (33% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 3 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seats | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
We have blue bird busses with ce white student safety seats with three point seat belts. The seat backs have styrofoam in them for some of the padding the problem is that the bigger students don?t fit in the small space between seats and their knees break the styrofoam up after a short time, leaving the foam broke up…
However, whenever the system had a problem, there was reduced power from the engine, which happened at any given time. Over the past three years, the buses have been out of service over 1100 days. The buses would be picked up from the dealer and would break down before being returned to the school.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 blue bird all american school bus. The contact stated that the foam from all of the seats was coming undone from behind the seat. The vehicle was not inspected for the failures or repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 22,250. Updated 04/12/11 updated 04/29/11
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 17,150 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 47% most complained about).
On average one model year of the ALL American has 3 complaints (17 years in the data). This year has 3, about average.
What to check before buying
- Seats. Occupant sensor, power adjustment, seat mounts.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2009 Blue Bird ALL American?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: seats, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 3. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: loss of power / limp mode (33%), seat belts (33%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2009 Blue Bird ALL American?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2009 Blue Bird ALL American from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2009 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.