Toyota Motor North America, Inc., Receipt of Petition for Decision of Inconsequential Noncompliance, 11446-11447 [2020-03961]

Agencies

• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 39 (Thursday, February 27, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11446-11447]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-03961]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2019-0099; Notice 1]


Toyota Motor North America, Inc., 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: Toyota Motor North America, Inc., (Toyota) has determined that 
certain model year (MY) 2019-2020 Toyota Tundra motor vehicles do not 
fully comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 
110, Tire Selection and Rims and Motor Home/Recreation Vehicle Trailer 
Load Carrying Capacity Information for Motor Vehicles with a GVWR of 
4,536 Kilograms (10,000 Pounds) or Less. Toyota filed a noncompliance 
report dated September 18, 2019. Toyota subsequently petitioned NHTSA 
on October 7, 2019, and later amended its petition on January 3, 2020, 
for a decision that the subject noncompliance is inconsequential as it 
relates to motor vehicle safety. This document announces receipt of 
Toyota's petition.

DATES: Send comments on or before March 30, 2020.

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, 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: Toyota has determined that certain MY 2019-2020 Toyota 
Tundra motor vehicles do not fully comply with paragraph S4.3(d) of 
FMVSS No. 110, Tire Selection and Rims and Motor Home/Recreation 
Vehicle Trailer Load Carrying Capacity Information for Motor Vehicles 
with a GVWR of 4,536 Kilograms (10,000 Pounds) or Less (49 CFR 
571.110). Toyota filed a noncompliance report dated September 18, 2019, 
pursuant to 49 CFR part 573, Defect and Noncompliance Responsibility 
and Reports. Toyota subsequently petitioned NHTSA on October 7, 2019, 
and later amended on January 3, 2020, 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 49 U.S.C. 30118(d) and 30120(h) and 49 CFR 
part 556, Exemption for Inconsequential Defect or Noncompliance.
    This notice of receipt of Toyota'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 1,667 MY 2019-2020 Toyota 
Tundra motor vehicles, manufactured between March 28, 2019, and August 
19, 2019, are potentially involved.
    III. Noncompliance: Toyota explains that the noncompliance is that 
the subject vehicles have tire information labels that contain spare 
tire size information that does not match the installed spare tire 
size.
    IV. Rule Requirements: Paragraph S4.3(d) of FMVSS No. 110 includes 
the requirements relevant to this petition. Each vehicle, except for a 
trailer or incomplete vehicle, shall show the information specified in 
paragraph S4.3(d) Tire size designation, indicated by the headings 
``size'' or ``original tire size'' or ``original size,'' and ``spare 
tire'' or ``spare,'' for the tires installed at the time of the first 
purchase for purposes other than resale. For full-size spare tires, the 
statement ``see above'' may, at the manufacturer's option replace the 
tire size designation. If no spare tire is provided, the word ``none'' 
must replace the tire size designation.
    V. Summary of Toyota's Petition: The following views and arguments 
presented in this section, V. Summary of Toyota's Petition, are the 
views and arguments provided by Toyota. They have not been evaluated by 
the Agency and do not reflect the views of the Agency.
    Toyota described the subject noncompliance and stated its belief 
that the noncompliance is inconsequential as it relates to motor 
vehicle safety. Toyota believes that the noncompliance is 
inconsequential to motor vehicle safety for the following reasons:
    1. There is no issue with the spare tire installed on the vehicle; 
it is a tire/wheel combination that is designed for this vehicle and 
meets all other applicable FMVSS. In addition, the cold tire inflation 
pressure specified on the placard is correct and is the recommended 
pressure for both spare tire sizes.

[[Page 11447]]

    a. The spare tire installed on the vehicle (P255/70R18) meets all 
applicable FMVSS. It is the appropriate temporary spare tire that was 
designed for the vehicle and meets the vehicle loading requirements. 
Only the spare tire size information indicated on the placard is 
incorrect and reflects the size of the spare that was used on the 
Tundra prior to a production change. All the other information on the 
placard is accurate, including the cold tire inflation pressure.
    b. In addition, if the vehicle owner wanted to check the size of 
the spare tire that is installed on the vehicle, the information is in 
the owner's manual and is also molded into the spare tire sidewall.
    c. Given the intent of FMVSS No. 110, S4.3(d), Toyota believes 
that, because the spare tire installed on the vehicle is the 
appropriate tire for the vehicle performance and loading requirements, 
there is no risk to motor vehicle safety.
    2. There is also no issue if the installed spare tire is replaced 
with one of the sizes indicated on the incorrect placard. This would 
also be a tire/wheel combination that is designed for this vehicle and 
would meet all other applicable FMVSS because the replacement spare 
tire would be the same size as the spare tire originally equipped on 
the Tundra prior to the production change and would be the same size as 
the four main tires on the subject vehicles.
    a. The spare tire size indicated on the incorrect placard was also 
designed for the subject vehicles and meets all applicable FMVSS. This 
spare tire wheel combination (P275/65R18) is the same size as the four 
main tires installed on the subject vehicles. It was used as a spare 
tire on the prior model year Tundra and on the 2019MY Tundra prior to 
the adoption of the current spare tire size (P255/70R18).
    b. In addition, the recommended spare tire inflation pressure and 
wheel size (R18) are the same for the subject vehicles as the prior 
model year Tundra.
    c. Because both spare tire sizes are appropriate for the vehicle 
loading specifications, were designed for the subject vehicles, meet 
all applicable FMVSS, and the wheel size and recommended tire pressure 
are the same, Toyota believes there is no risk to occupant safety 
should a P275/65R18 tire be used in place of the one equipped on the 
vehicle.
    3. Toyota is unaware of any owner complaints, field reports, or 
allegations of hazardous circumstances concerning the incorrect spare 
tire placard in the subject vehicles. Toyota has searched its records 
for reports or other information concerning the tire placard and spare 
tire in the subject vehicles. No owner complaints, field reports, or 
allegations of hazardous circumstances concerning the placard or tire 
were found.
    4. NHTSA has previously granted at least five similar petitions for 
inconsequential noncompliance for inaccurate tire placards. A brief 
summary of each petition is provided below:
    a. Daimler Chrysler Corporation, 73 FR 11462 (March 3, 2008) Dodge 
Dakota pickup trucks had the spare tire size indicated on the placard 
that did not match the size of the spare tire installed on the vehicle.
    b. Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) 78 FR 43967 (July 22, 2013) 
Vehicle placard on the affected vehicles incorrectly identified the 
tire size designation of the spare tire in the vehicle.
    c. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., 81 FR 88728 (December 8, 
2016) Subject vehicles had a tire placard label that was misprinted 
with an incorrect tire size as compared to the tires the vehicle was 
equipped with.
    d. Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC, 82 FR 5640 (January 18, 2017) The tire 
information placard affixed to the vehicles' B-pillar incorrectly 
identified the spare tire size.
    e. General Motors, LLC, 84 FR 25117 (May 30, 2019) Subject vehicles 
were equipped tire placards that stated the spare tire size is ``None'' 
when in fact it should have been ``T125/70R17'' and omitted the cold 
tire pressure for the spare tire when it should have read ``420 kPa, 60 
psi''.
    Toyota concludes 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.
    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 Toyota no 
longer controlled at the time it determined that the noncompliance 
existed. However, any decision on 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 Toyota 
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. 2020-03961 Filed 2-26-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-59-P