National Highway Traffic Safety Administration August 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This document announces decisions by NHTSA that certain motor vehicles not originally manufactured to comply with all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) are eligible for importation into the United States because they are substantially similar to vehicles originally manufactured for sale in the United States and certified by their manufacturers as complying with the safety standards, and they are capable of being readily altered to conform to the standards or because they have safety features that comply with, or are capable of being altered to comply with, all applicable FMVSS.

This final rule delays the effective date of an amendment that reorganizes and improves the structure and clarity of the Federal motor vehicle safety standard on lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment, from September 1, 2008 to December 1, 2009. The final rule reorganizing the lighting standard was published on December 4, 2007.\1\ The agency received fifteen petitions for reconsideration of the final rule, including two that requested a delay in the effective date of the rule, and others which raised concerns that the reorganization of FMVSS No. 108 imposed new requirements. To allow for more time for the agency to analyze the petitions prior to the rule taking effect, the agency is delaying the effective date until December 1, 2009.

This final rule announces NHTSA's determination that there are no new model year (MY) 2009 light duty truck lines subject to the parts-marking requirements of the Federal motor vehicle theft prevention standard because they have been determined by the agency to be high-theft or because they have a majority of interchangeable parts with those of a passenger motor vehicle line. This final rule also identifies those vehicle lines that have been granted an exemption from the parts-marking requirements because the vehicles are equipped with antitheft devices determined to meet certain statutory criteria.

This final rule amends a provision in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 213 that specifies that child restraints manufactured on or after August 1, 2008 are tested by NHTSA with the Hybrid III version of the 6-year-old child dummy. NHTSA is postponing the August 1, 2008 date to August 1, 2010. The August 1, 2010 date provides NHTSA time to consider comments on seating procedures proposed earlier this year for the dummy and to complete an evaluation of technical issues relating to the use of the Hybrid III dummy in FMVSS No. 213, and provides the public more time to become experienced with testing with the dummy. As a result of this final rule, FMVSS No. 213 will permit, at the manufacturer's option, the use of either the Hybrid II or Hybrid III 6-year-old dummy in compliance tests of child restraints manufactured on or before August 1, 2010. Child restraints manufactured on or after August 1, 2010 will be tested with the Hybrid III 6-year-old child test dummy.