General Motors, LLC, Grant of Petition for Decision of Inconsequential Noncompliance, 23402-23403 [2014-09498]

Agencies

• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 81 (Monday, April 28, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23402-23403]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-09498]



[[Page 23402]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2013-0039; Notice 2]


General Motors, LLC, Grant of Petition for Decision of 
Inconsequential Noncompliance

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 
Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Grant of Petition.

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SUMMARY: General Motors, LLC (GM) has determined that certain model 
year (MY) 2013 Chevrolet Equinox multipurpose passenger vehicles (MPVs) 
manufactured on January 24, 2013 do not fully comply with paragraph S6 
of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 205, Glazing 
Materials. GM filed an appropriate report dated February 22, 2013, 
pursuant to 49 CFR Part 573, Defect and Noncompliance Responsibility 
and Reports.

ADDRESSES: For further information on this decision contact Luis 
Figueroa, Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance, the National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), telephone (202) 366-5298, 
facsimile (202) 366-5930.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. GM's Petition

    Pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 30118(d) and 30120(h) and the rule 
implementing those provisions at 49 CFR Part 556, GM has petitioned for 
an exemption from the notification and remedy requirements of 49 U.S.C. 
Chapter 301 on the basis that this noncompliance is inconsequential to 
motor vehicle safety.
    Notice of receipt of the petition was published, with a 30-day 
public comment period, on November 1, 2013 in the Federal Register (78 
FR 65760). No comments were received. To view the petition and all 
supporting documents log onto the Federal Docket Management System 
(FDMS) Web site at: https://www.regulations.gov/. Then follow the online 
search instructions to locate docket number ``NHTSA-2013-0039.''

II. Vehicles Involved

    Affected are approximately 170 MY 2013 Chevrolet Equinox MPVs 
manufactured on January 24, 2013.

III. Noncompliance

    GM explains that the noncompliance is that the vehicles are 
equipped with left-rear quarter windows that do not fully comply with 
the marking requirements specified in paragraph S6 of FMVSS No. 205.
    GM further explained that the subject vehicles may be purchased 
with either solar glazing (having light transmittance greater than 70%) 
or privacy glazing (having light transmittance of approximately 22%) 
installed rearward of the driver. On the affected vehicles, the left-
rear quarter window is privacy glazing; however it has markings 
appropriate for solar glazing. The correct privacy-glass markings and 
the markings on the affected quarter windows are as follows:
    The specific noncompliance to FMVSS No. 205 on the subject quarter 
windows is the AS2 designation (instead of AS3) and the M504 model 
designation (instead of M513). The transmissibility value on the 
subject windows is also incorrect (70% instead of 22%); however, this 
information is not specified by FMVSS No. 205 and therefore is not a 
compliance issue.

IV. Rule Text

    Paragraph S6 of FMVSS No. 205 specifically states:

    S6. Certification and marking.
    S6.1 A prime glazing material manufacturer must certify, in 
accordance with 49 U.S.C. 30115, each piece of glazing material to 
which this standard applies that is designed--
    (a) As a component of any specific motor vehicle or camper; or
    (b) To be cut into components for use in motor vehicles or items 
of motor vehicle equipment.
    S6.2 A prime glazing manufacturer certifies its glazing by 
adding to the marks required by section 7 of ANSI/SAE Z26.1-1996, in 
letters and numerals of the same size, the symbol ``DOT'' and a 
manufacturer's code mark that NHTSA assigns to the manufacturer. 
NHTSA will assign a code mark to a manufacturer after the 
manufacturer submits a written request to the Office of Vehicle 
Safety Compliance, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 
400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. The request must 
include the company name, address, and a statement from the 
manufacturer certifying its status as a prime glazing manufacturer 
as defined in S4.
    S6.3 A manufacturer or distributor who cuts a section of glazing 
material to which this standard applies, for use in a motor vehicle 
or camper, must--
    (a) Mark that material in accordance with section 7 of ANSI/SAE 
Z26.1-1996; and
    (b) Certify that its product complies with this standard in 
accordance with 49 U.S.C. 30115.

V. Summary of GM's Analyses

    GM stated its belief that this noncompliance is inconsequential to 
motor vehicle safety for the following reasons:
    1. The subject glazing meets all applicable performance 
requirements of FMVSS No. 205. There is no safety performance 
implication associated with this technical noncompliance.
    2. In addition to meeting all of the component-level performance 
requirements of FMVSS No. 205, the subject glazing also fully meets the 
vehicle-level installation requirements specified by FMVSS No. 205. The 
subject tempered-glass glazing at 22% transmissibility is permitted in 
the left-rear quarter window location on the affected vehicles.
    3. The actual transmissibility of the subject glazing 
(approximately 22%) is consistent with all other glazing rearward of 
the driver (i.e., the rear side windows, the back window, and the 
right-side rear quarter glazing) on the affected vehicles. Accordingly, 
there is no reason for the customer, state inspection authorities, 
service personnel, or anyone else to focus on or detect any distinction 
involving the subject left-side rear quarter window.
    4. None of the subject population of glazing will be available as 
service parts. Therefore, if service replacement of the left-rear 
quarter window on an affected vehicle is required, the replacement part 
would be correct and properly labeled in accordance with all FMVSS No. 
205 requirements.
    5. Even in the extremely unlikely event that a glazing 
corresponding to the incorrect markings (i.e., solar glazing with 70% 
transmittance) was installed on an affected vehicle, this would also be 
fully compliant to all requirements of FMVSS No. 205, including the 
component-level, vehicle-level and marking requirements of the 
standard.
    GM also stated its belief that NHTSA has previously granted 
inconsequential treatment for FMVSS No. 205 marking noncompliances.
    GM has additionally informed NHTSA that it has corrected the 
noncompliance so that all future production vehicles will comply with 
FMVSS No. 205.
    In summation, GM believes that the described noncompliance of its 
vehicles is inconsequential to motor vehicle safety, and that its 
petition, to exempt from providing recall notification of noncompliance 
as required by 49 U.S.C. 30118 and remedying the recall noncompliance 
as required by 49 U.S.C. 30120 should be granted.

VI. NHTSA Decision

    The agency agrees with GM that the noncompliance is inconsequential 
to motor vehicle safety. The agency believes that the true measure of 
inconsequentiality to motor vehicle

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safety in this case is that there is no effect of the noncompliance on 
the operational safety of the subject vehicles in which the subject 
glazing is used. In the agency's judgment, this noncompliance to the 
labeling requirements in FMVSS 205 will have an inconsequential effect 
on motor vehicle safety because:
    The affected vehicles are equipped with solar glazing and privacy 
glazing. While the light transmittance value that appears on the 
affected glazing was not marked in accordance with GM's requirements, 
there is no FMVSS No. 205 labeling requirement for light transmittance 
value.
    The subject glazing meets the component level and the vehicle-level 
installation requirements specified by FMVSS No. 205. The subject 
glazing meets all performance requirements specified by FMVSS 205. None 
of the subject population of glazing will be available as service 
parts. If service replacement of the left-rear quarter window on an 
affected vehicle is required, the replacement part would be correct and 
properly labeled in accordance with all FMVSS No. 205 requirements. 
Therefore, there are no safety implication concerns with this 
noncompliance.
    In consideration of the foregoing, NHTSA has decided that GM has 
met its burden of persuasion that the FMVSS No. 205 noncompliance is 
inconsequential to motor vehicle safety. Accordingly, GM's petition is 
hereby granted and GM is exempted from the obligation of providing 
notification of, and a remedy for, that noncompliance under 49 U.S.C. 
30118 and 30120.
    NHTSA notes that the statutory provisions (49 U.S.C. 30118(d) and 
30120(h)) that permit manufacturers to file petitions for a 
determination of inconsequentiality allow NHTSA to exempt manufacturers 
only from the duties found in sections 30118 and 30120, respectively, 
to notify owners, purchasers, and dealers of a defect or noncompliance 
and to remedy the defect or noncompliance. Therefore, this decision 
only applies to the subject nonconforming vehicles that GM no longer 
controlled at the time it determined that the noncompliance existed. 
However, the granting of this petition does not relieve vehicle 
distributors and dealers of the prohibitions on the sale, offer for 
sale, or introduction or delivery for introduction into interstate 
commerce of the noncompliant vehicles under their control after GM 
notified them that the subject noncompliance existed.

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30118, 30120: delegations of authority at 
49 CFR 1.95 and 501.8.

Jeffrey M. Giuseppe,
Acting Director, Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2014-09498 Filed 4-25-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P