FCA US LLC, Receipt of Petition for Decision of Inconsequential Noncompliance, 48208-48209 [2019-19723]

Agencies

• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 177 (Thursday, September 12, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48208-48209]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-19723]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2019-0041; Notice 1]


FCA US LLC, Receipt of Petition for Decision of Inconsequential 
Noncompliance

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

ACTION: Receipt of petition.

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SUMMARY: FCA US LLC (f/k/a Chrysler Group LLC) (``FCA US''), has 
determined that certain MY 2014-2019 Fiat 500 motor vehicles do not 
comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 138, Tire 
Pressure Monitoring Systems. FCA US filed a noncompliance report dated 
April 11, 2019 and subsequently petitioned NHTSA on May 3, 2019, for a 
decision that the subject noncompliance is inconsequential as it 
relates to motor vehicle safety. This document announces receipt of FCA 
US's petition.

DATES: Send comments on or before October 15, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written data, 
views, and arguments on this petition. Comments must refer to the 
docket and notice number cited in the title of this notice and may be 
submitted by any of the following methods:
     Mail: Send comments by mail addressed to the U.S. 
Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building 
Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 
20590.
     Hand Delivery: Deliver comments by hand to the U.S. 
Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building 
Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 
20590. The Docket Section is open on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
except for Federal Holidays.
     Electronically: Submit comments electronically by logging 
onto the Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) website at https://www.regulations.gov/. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Comments may also be faxed to (202) 493-2251.
    Comments must be written in the English language, and be no greater 
than 15 pages in length, although there is no limit to the length of 
necessary attachments to the comments. If comments are submitted in 
hard copy form, please ensure that two copies are provided. If you wish 
to receive confirmation that comments you have submitted by mail were 
received, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard with the 
comments. Note that all comments received will be posted without change 
to https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information 
provided.
    All comments and supporting materials received before the close of 
business on the closing date indicated above will be filed in the 
docket and will be considered. All comments and supporting materials 
received after the closing date will also be filed and will be 
considered to the fullest extent possible.
    When the petition is granted or denied, a notice of the decision 
will also be published in the Federal Register pursuant to the 
authority indicated at the end of this notice.
    All comments, background documentation, and supporting materials 
submitted to the docket may be viewed by anyone at the address and 
times given above. The documents may also be viewed on the internet at 
https://www.regulations.gov by following the online instructions for 
accessing the dockets. The docket ID number for this petition is shown 
in the heading of this notice.
    DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement is available for review in a 
Federal Register notice published on April 11, 2000, (65 FR 19477-78).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    I. Overview: FCA US has determined that certain MY 2014-2019 Fiat 
500 motor vehicles do not comply with paragraph S4.2(a) of FMVSS No. 
138, Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (49 CFR 571.138). FCA US filed a 
noncompliance report dated April 11, 2019, pursuant to 49 CFR 573, 
Defect and Noncompliance Responsibility and Reports, and subsequently 
petitioned NHTSA on May 3, 2019, for an exemption from the notification 
and remedy requirements of 49 U.S.C. Chapter 301 on the basis that this 
noncompliance is inconsequential as it relates to motor vehicle safety, 
pursuant to 40 U.S.C. 30118 and 49 U.S.C. 30120, Exemption for 
Inconsequential Defect or Noncompliance.
    This notice of receipt of FCA US's petition is published under 49 
U.S.C. 30118 and 30120 and does not represent any agency decision or 
other exercise of judgment concerning the merits of the petition.
    II. Vehicles Involved: Approximately 12,675 MY 2014-2019 Fiat 500 
motor vehicles, manufactured between July 27, 2013, and February 9, 
2019, are potentially involved.
    III. Noncompliance: FCA US explains that the noncompliance is that 
the subject vehicles are equipped with incorrectly programmed tire 
pressure monitor system (TPMS) sensors that do not meet the minimum 
activation pressure requirements of paragraph S4.2(a) of FMVSS No. 138. 
Specifically, the TPMS sensors may not illuminate the low tire pressure 
warning telltale until the inflation pressure is one to two pounds per 
square inch (PSI) below the minimum allowable activation pressure.
    IV. Rule Requirements: Paragraph S4.2(a) of FMVSS No. 138 provides 
the requirements relevant to this petition. The TPMS must illuminate a 
low tire pressure warning telltale not more than 20 minutes after the 
inflation pressure

[[Page 48209]]

in one or more of the vehicle's tires, up to a total of four tires, is 
equal to or less than either the pressure 25 percent below the vehicle 
manufacturer's recommended cold inflation pressure, or the pressure 
specified in the 3rd column of Table 1 of FMVSS No. 138 for the 
corresponding sort of tire, whichever is higher.
    V. Summary of Petition: FCA US described the subject noncompliance 
and stated its belief that the noncompliance is inconsequential as it 
relates to motor vehicle safety.
    In support of its petition, FCA US submitted the following 
reasoning:
    1. The affected Fiat 500 vehicles meet FMVSS No. 110. The vehicle 
maximum load on the tire is not to be greater than the applicable 
maximum load rating as marked on the sidewall of the tire.
    2. The affected Fiat 500 vehicles are equipped with tires that meet 
FMVSS No. 139:
    a. Tire manufacturers are required to certify the tires meet all 
applicable requirements of FMVSS No. 139.
    b. FMVSS No. 139 specifies a low inflation pressure performance 
test in which the tire is loaded to its maximum tire load capacity and 
inflated to only 140 kPa (20 PSI), significantly less than the TPMS 
telltale activation pressure for the subject Fiat 500 vehicles. In 
order to pass this test, the tires are loaded to 100% of the tire's 
maximum load carrying capacity and then run on a test axle for 1.5 
hours at 20 PSI.
    3. Although the TPMS warning telltale may not illuminate until the 
tire pressure drops to the point where a noncompliance exists (28-27 
PSI) on the affected Fiat 500 vehicles, which is significantly above 
the 20 PSI requirement called and tested to in FMVSS No. 139, FCA US 
believes that the warning provided will give drivers sufficient time to 
check and inflate tires well before the tires would be susceptible to 
appreciable damage and that the described noncompliance is 
inconsequential to motor vehicle safety.
    4. FCA US is not aware of any crashes, injuries, or customer 
complaints associated with the condition.
    5. FCA US says that NHTSA has previously granted inconsequential 
treatment for a similar FMVSS No. 138 noncompliance to the American 
Honda Motor Company (77 FR 43145, July 23, 2012).
    6. FCA US believes that the foregoing information establishes that 
the noncompliance is inconsequential to safety and that the operator 
can safely use their vehicle in the noncompliant condition.
    7. Tire pressure sensor values in unsold vehicles are being updated 
to reflect the correct pressure values.
    FCA US concluded that the subject noncompliance is inconsequential 
as it relates to motor vehicle safety and that its petition to be 
exempted from providing notification of the noncompliance, as required 
by 49 U.S.C. 30118, and a remedy for the noncompliance, as required by 
49 U.S.C. 30120, should be granted.
    The FCA US complete petition and all supporting documents are 
available by logging onto the Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) 
website at https://www.regulations.gov/. and following the online 
search instructions to locate the docket number listed in the title of 
this notice.
    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, any decision on 
this petition only applies to the subject vehicles that FCA US no 
longer controlled at the time it determined that the noncompliance 
existed. However, any decision on this petition does not relieve 
equipment 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 FCA US 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)

Otto G. Matheke III,
Director, Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2019-19723 Filed 9-11-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-59-P