National Highway Traffic Safety Administration September 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This document announces the agency's decision to implement (with minor modifications) the planned update to the U.S. New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) that the agency announced in its June 26, 2013 request for comments (78 FR 38266). As we discussed in that request for comments, this update will enhance the program's ability to recommend to consumers vehicle models that have rearview video systems that the agency believes (based on currently available data) will decrease the risk of backover crashes. Further, the program will no longer list electronic stability control (ESC) as a Recommended Advanced Technology Feature because ESC is now required for all light vehicles. For many years, NCAP has provided comparative information on the safety of new vehicles to assist consumers with vehicle purchasing decisions. NCAP was most recently upgraded for model year 2011 to include recommended crash avoidance technologies. Those updates, along with today's updates to NCAP, allow consumers to better distinguish not only which vehicle models have advanced crash avoidance safety features but also which of these advanced features are best able to help them avoid crashes.

PACCAR Inc. (PACCAR) has determined that certain model year (MY) 2013 Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks, do not fully comply with paragraph S3.1.3 of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 102, Transmission Shift Position Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect. PACCAR has filed an appropriate revised report dated March 1, 2013, pursuant to 49 CFR Part 573, Defect and Noncompliance Responsibility and Reports.

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) has determined that certain model year (MY) 2009 through 2012 Nissan Titan trucks manufactured from January 31, 2008 to July 17, 2012 and MY 2012 Nissan NV trucks, buses or multipurpose passenger vehicles (MPVs) manufactured from December 20, 2010 to July 17, 2012, do not fully comply with paragraph S3.1.4.1 of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 102, Transmission Shift Position Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect. Nissan has filed an appropriate report dated July 23, 2012, pursuant to 49 CFR part 573, Defect and Noncompliance Responsibility and Reports.

This document announces receipt by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of a petition for a decision that nonconforming 1988-1996 Alpina B10 passenger cars that were not originally manufactured to comply with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), are eligible for importation into the United States because they have safety features that comply with, or are capable of being altered to comply with, all such standards.

Before a Federal agency can collect certain information from the public, it must receive approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Under procedures established by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, before seeking OMB approval, Federal agencies must solicit public comment on proposed collections of information, including extensions and reinstatement of previously approved collections. This document describes one collection of information for which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval.

This document responds to petitions for reconsideration of a 2011 final rule that established Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 226, ``Ejection mitigation.'' The standard is intended to reduce complete and partial ejections of vehicle occupants through side windows in crashes, particularly rollover crashes. Generally, the issues raised by the petitioners are of two types. The petitioners ask for reconsideration of policy issues relating to the agency's implementation of the standard, and of technical issues concerning engineering aspects of the rule, particularly as to how the compliance test procedure should be conducted or improved. Most of the requested changes were of the latter type. In general, NHTSA is denying the petitions for reconsideration. The few changes we have made in response to the petitions are minor, mostly to clarify the requirements of the standard.

Before a Federal agency can collect certain information from the public, it must receive approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Under procedures established by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), before seeking OMB approval, Federal agencies must solicit public comment on proposed collections of information, including extensions and reinstatements of previously approved collections. This document describes an Information Collection Request (ICR) for which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval.

Before a Federal agency can collect certain information from the public, it must receive approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Under procedures established by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), before seeking OMB approval, Federal agencies must solicit public comment on proposed collections of information, including extensions and reinstatements of previously approved collections. This document describes an Information Collection Request (ICR) for which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval.

This Notice provides NHTSA's finding that a waiver of the Buy America requirements is appropriate for the purchase of Can-Am Spyder motorcycles by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), using Federal grant funds, for use as training vehicles in its Motorcycle Safety Program. NHTSA has determined that a waiver is appropriate because there are no comparable three-wheeled ``trike'' motorcycles produced domestically that use the same wheel configuration as the Spyder.

Before a Federal agency can collect certain information from the public, the agency must receive approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Under procedures established by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), before seeking OMB approval, Federal agencies must solicit public comment on proposed collections of information, including extensions and reinstatements of previously approved collections. In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice describes one collection of information for which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval, relating to confidential business information.

This document revises the list of vehicles not originally manufactured to conform to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) that NHTSA has decided to be eligible for importation. This list is published in an appendix to the agency's regulations that prescribe procedures for import eligibility decisions. The list has been revised to add all vehicles that NHTSA has decided to be eligible for importation since October 1, 2012, and to remove all previously listed vehicles that are now more than 25 years old and need no longer comply with all applicable FMVSS to be lawfully imported. NHTSA is required by statute to publish this list annually in the Federal Register.