Nearly 50 of Metro’s newest hybrid buses must be overhauled as part of a national recall because of a problem with the battery system, according to Metro.
The manufacturer of the buses notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Friday that a problem in the lithium-ion battery energy storage system on its Xcelsior buses could cause an electrical short that is a potential fire hazard.
Over the past three years, 10 incidents have occurred on 2,200 of the buses in the U.S. and Canada, the manufacturers told Metro. No one was hurt. And none occurred on the Metrobus hybrids, which are less than a year old, Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said.
Manufacturer New Flyer and the part’s maker, BAE Systems, will retrofit the buses. Metro expects all 47 buses will be fixed in May, Stessel said. Metro will not have to pay for any of the parts or labor.
The problem is not severe enough to pull the buses from the road, though. Metro plans to perform enhanced inspections during the work as a safety measure.
