FCA US, LLC, Receipt of Petition for Decision of Inconsequential Noncompliance, 35989-35990 [2020-12715]

Agencies

• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 114 (Friday, June 12, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35989-35990]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-12715]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2019-0070; 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 model year (MY) 2017-2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia 
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. FCA US 
filed a noncompliance report dated June 6, 2019. FCA US subsequently 
petitioned NHTSA on June 28, 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: The closing date for comments on the petition is July 13, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written data, 
views, and arguments on this petition. Comments must refer to the 
docket number 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: FCA US has determined that certain MY 2017-2018 Alfa 
Romeo Giulia motor vehicles do not fully comply with paragraph S4.3(c) 
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). FCA US filed a noncompliance report dated June 6, 2019, 
pursuant to 49 CFR part 573, Defect and Noncompliance Responsibility 
and Reports. FCA US subsequently petitioned NHTSA on June 28, 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 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 FCA US's petition, is published under 49 
U.S.C. 30118 and 30120 and does not represent any agency decision or 
other exercises of judgment concerning the merits of the petition.
    II. Equipment and Vehicles Involved: Approximately 16,332 MY 2017-
2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia motor vehicles, manufactured between September 
7, 2016, and August 2, 2018, are potentially involved.
    III. Noncompliance: FCA US explains that the noncompliance is that 
the subject vehicles are equipped with vehicle placards that display 
the incorrect manufacturer's recommended cold tire inflation pressures 
as required by paragraph S4.3(c) of FMVSS No. 110 for the three 
available tires sizes that can be installed on the vehicles. 
Specifically, the vehicle placards show for: (1) Rear tires sized at 
225/45R18 and a 91V rating labeled with an incorrect inflation pressure 
of 35 pounds per square inch (PSI) instead of the correct

[[Page 35990]]

inflation pressure of 36 PSI; (2) rear tires sized at 225/40R19 and a 
93V rating labeled with an incorrect inflation pressure of 37 PSI 
instead of the correct inflation pressure of 39 PSI; and (3) rear tires 
sized at 225/35R19 92W and 92Y tires labeled with an incorrect 
inflation pressure of 33 PSI instead of the correct inflation pressure 
of 35 PSI.
    IV. Rule Requirements: Paragraph S4.3(c) 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(a) through (g). A vehicle manufacturer's recommended 
cold tire inflation pressure for the front, rear, and spare tires, are 
subject to the limitations of paragraph S4.3.4. For full-size spare 
tires, the statement ``see above'' may, at the manufacturer's option, 
replace manufacturer's recommended cold tire inflation pressure.
    V. Summary of FCA US's Petition: The following views and arguments 
presented in this section, V. Summary of FCA US's petition, are the 
views and arguments provided by FCA US. They have not been evaluated by 
the Agency and do not reflect the views of the Agency.
    FCA US described the subject noncompliance and stated that the 
noncompliance is inconsequential as it relates to motor vehicle safety. 
FCA US submitted the following views and arguments in support of the 
petition:
    1. The incorrect pressure values are all within the range of 
acceptable tire inflation and would not cause a Tire Pressure 
Monitoring System (TPMS) alert.
     The affected Alfa Romeo Giulia vehicles are FMVSS No. 138 
compliant.
     Consistent with FMVSS No. 138, the TPMS illuminates at 
equal to or less than the pressure 25 percent below the correct vehicle 
manufacturer's recommended cold inflation pressure. The TPMS warning 
telltale will illuminate prior to the tire pressure dropping to the 
range of 26-29 PSI on the affected Alfa Romeo Giulia vehicles, which is 
significantly above the 20 PSI requirement called out and tested to in 
FMVSS No. 139. FCA US believes the warning provided by the TPMS will 
give drivers ample time to check and inflate tires well before low tire 
inflation becomes a safety concern.
    2. The subject tires passed a low inflation pressure performance 
test.
     The affected Alfa Romeo Giulia vehicles are equipped with 
tires that are FMVSS No. 139 compliant.
     Tire manufacturers are required to certify the tires meet 
all applicable requirements of FMVSS No. 139.
     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 Alfa Romeo Giulia 
vehicles. In order to pass this test, the tires are loaded to 100 
percent of the tire's maximum load-carrying capacity and then run on a 
test axle for 1.5 hours at 20 PSI.
    3. FCA US is not aware of any crashes, injuries, or customer 
complaints associated with the condition.
    4. NHTSA has previously granted inconsequential treatment for FMVSS 
No. 110 noncompliance for incorrect vehicle placard values; see 
examples below.
     MY 2018 Buick Regal, See 84 FR 25117;
     MY 2016 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible, See 81 FR 88728; 
and
     MY 2016-2017 Mercedes Benz GLE and GLS, See 84 FR 25118.
    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.
    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 
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 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. 2020-12715 Filed 6-11-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P