National Highway Traffic Safety Administration September 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents
Results 1 - 19 of 19
Regulatory Update of Transfer and Sanction Programs
This action revises the Federal implementing regulations for the Section 154 (Open Container) and Section 164 (Repeat Intoxicated Driver) programs as a result of enactment of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. It incorporates the new compliance criteria for the Section 164 program and updates the regulations to reflect current practice. This document is being issued as an interim final rule to ensure that States receive instructions that are important to upcoming compliance determinations to be made on October 1, 2016. The agencies request comments on this rule. The agencies will publish a document responding to any comments received and, if appropriate, will amend provisions of the regulations.
General Motors, LLC, Receipt of Petition for Decision of Inconsequential Noncompliance
General Motors, LLC (GM), has determined that certain model year (MY) 2016-2017 Cadillac CTS, CT6, XTS and Escalade motor vehicles do not fully comply with paragraph S5.5.5(a) of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 135, Light Vehicle Brake Systems. GM filed a report dated August 17, 2016, pursuant to 49 CFR part 573, Defect and Noncompliance Responsibility and Reports. GM then petitioned NHTSA under 49 CFR part 556 for a decision that the subject noncompliance is inconsequential as it relates to motor vehicle safety.
Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment for Rulemaking To Require the Installation and Maintenance of Speed Limiting Devices in Heavy Vehicles
NHTSA and FMCSA announce the availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of proposed regulations requiring the installation of vehicle speed limiting devices in new heavy vehicles and maintenance of a maximum speed setting by motor carriers operating affected vehicles. The Draft EA was prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) regulations implementing NEPA, U.S. DOT Order 5610.1C, NHTSA's NEPA implementing regulations, and FMCSA's NEPA Order 5610.1. Interested persons are invited to comment on the Draft EA.
Exemption From Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard
In this rulemaking action, NHTSA is finalizing procedures for obtaining an exemption from the vehicle theft prevention standard for vehicles equipped with immobilizers. An immobilizer is an anti-theft device that combines microchip and transponder technology with engine and fuel immobilizer components that can prevent vehicles from starting unless a verified code is received by the transponder. This final rule streamlines the exemption procedure for immobilizer-equipped vehicles by adding performance criteria for immobilizers. The criteria, which roughly correlate with the types of qualities for which petitioners have been submitting testing and technical design details under existing procedures, closely follow the immobilizer performance requirements in the anti-theft standard of Canada. After this final rule, it would be sufficient for a manufacturer seeking the exemption of some of its vehicles to provide data showing that the device meets the performance criteria, as well as a statement that the device is durable and reliable. Adopting these performance criteria for immobilizers bring the U.S. anti-theft requirements more into line with those of Canada.
Decision That Certain Nonconforming Motor Vehicles Are Eligible for Importation
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.
Reports, Forms, and Record Keeping Requirements
Before a Federal agency may 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 reinstatements of previously approved collections. This document describes a collection of information for which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval.
NHTSA Enforcement Guidance Bulletin 2016-02: Safety-Related Defects and Automated Safety Technologies
Automotive technology is at a moment of rapid change and may evolve farther in the next decade than in the previous 45-plus year history of the Agency. As the automobile industry moves toward fully automated (self-driving) vehicles and other innovative mobility solutions, NHTSA seeks to facilitate the advance of automated technologies that currently present safety improvements and that, in the future, are likely to improve safety and decrease the number of crashes, traffic fatalities, and serious injuries on U.S. roadways. NHTSA is commanded by Congress to protect the safety of the driving public against unreasonable risks of harm that may occur because of the design, construction, or performance of a motor vehicle or motor vehicle equipment, and to mitigate risks of harm, including risks that may be emerging or contingent. As NHTSA has always done when evaluating new vehicle technologies, the Agency will be guided by its statutory mission, the laws it is obligated to enforce, and the benefits of the emerging automated safety technologies appearing on U.S. roadways. NHTSA has broad enforcement authority under existing statutes and regulations to address existing and emerging automated safety technologies. This Enforcement Guidance Bulletin sets forth NHTSA's current views on its enforcement authorityincluding its view that when vulnerabilities in automated safety technology or equipment pose an unreasonable risk to safety, those vulnerabilities constitute a safety-related defectand suggests guiding principles and best practices for motor vehicle and equipment manufacturers in this context.
Request for Comment on “Federal Automated Vehicles Policy”
NHTSA invites public comment on the document, ``Federal Automated Vehicles Policy.'' This document is intended as a starting point that provides needed initial guidance to industry, government, and consumers. It will necessarily evolve over time, changing based on public comment; the experience of the agency, manufacturers, suppliers, consumers, and others; and/or further technological innovation. NHTSA intends to revise and refine the document within one year, and periodically thereafter, to reflect such public input, experience, and innovation, and will address significant comments received in the next revision of this document.
Notice of Receipt of Petition for Decision that Nonconforming Model Year 2009 Jeep Compass Multipurpose Passenger Vehicles Are Eligible for Importation
This document announces receipt by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of a petition for a decision that model year (MY) 2009 Jeep Compass multipurpose passenger vehicles (MPVs) 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 are substantially similar to vehicles that were originally manufactured for sale in the United States and that were certified by their manufacturer as complying with the safety standards (the U.S.-certified version of the 2009 Jeep Compass MPVs) and they are capable of being readily altered to conform to the standards.
General Motors LLC, Receipt of Petition To Amend Takata DIR Schedule
General Motors, LLC (GM) has petitioned the Agency to alter the Part 573 defect information report (DIR) filing schedule set forth in paragraph 14 of the May 4, 2016 Amendment to November 3, 2015 Consent Order between NHTSA and TK Holdings Inc. (``Takata''). More specifically, GM has requested that NHTSA modify the DIR schedule with respect to certain GM-branded motor vehicles from December 31, 2016 to December 31, 2017.
Preliminary Theft Data; Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard
This document requests comments on data about passenger motor vehicle thefts that occurred in calendar year (CY) 2014, including theft rates for existing passenger motor vehicle lines manufactured in model year (MY) 2014. The preliminary theft data indicate that the vehicle theft rate for MY/CY 2014 vehicles (1.1525 thefts per thousand vehicles) decreased by 0.32 percent from the theft rate for MY/CY 2013 vehicles (1.1562 thefts per thousand vehicles). Publication of these data fulfills NHTSA's statutory obligation to periodically obtain accurate and timely theft data, and publish the information for review and comment.
Public Meeting Regarding NHTSA's Research Portfolio
NHTSA is announcing a public meeting to present information describing our vehicle and behavioral safety research portfolio and outline the activities we plan to pursue over the next 12 to 16 months. Each year, NHTSA executes a broad array of research in the areas of crash avoidance, electronics systems safety, biomechanics, crashworthiness, and behavioral research. The purpose of this meeting is to present and describe research projects in these areas that the agency will be focusing on to enhance safety.
Reports, Forms, and Recordkeeping Requirements
The Department of Transportation (DOT) invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) renewed approval for an existing collection of information for brake fluid labeling in 49 CFR 571.116, ``Motor Vehicle Brake Fluids.'' 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 existing collection involves labeling requirements for manufacturers and packagers of brake fluids, as well as packagers of hydraulic system mineral oils. The information to be collected will be used to and/or is necessary to insure the following: The contents of the container are clearly stated; these fluids are used for their intended purpose only; and, the containers are properly disposed of when empty. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period was published on March 2, 2016 (81 FR 10952).
Reports, Forms, and Record Keeping Requirements
In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below is being forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comments. A Federal Register notice (81 FR 13874) with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the proposed information collection for the agency's existing collection of vehicle safety information (OMB Control Number 2127-0629) was published on March 15, 2016. No comments were received.
Petition for Exemption From the Federal Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard; Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
This document grants in full the Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.'s (Volkswagen) petition for exemption of the mid-size sports utility vehicle (SUV) line in accordance with 49 CFR part 543, Exemption from the Theft Prevention Standard. This petition is granted because the agency has determined that the antitheft device to be placed on the line as standard equipment is likely to be as effective in reducing and deterring motor vehicle theft as compliance with the parts-marking requirements of 49 CFR part 541, Federal Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard (Theft Prevention Standard). Volkswagen also requested confidential treatment for specific information in its petition. While official notification granting or denying its request for confidential treatment will be addressed by separate letter, no confidential information provided for purposes of this document has been disclosed.
BMW of North America, LLC, Grant of Petition for Decision of Inconsequential Noncompliance
BMW of North America, LLC, (BMW) a subsidiary of BMW AG in Munich, Germany, has determined that certain Model year (MY) 2015 BMW model X5 xDrive35i and model X5 xDrive35d multipurpose passenger vehicles (MPV) do not fully comply with paragraph S4.3.3 of 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. BMW filed a report dated October 22, 2014, pursuant to 49 CFR part 573, Defect and Noncompliance Responsibility and Reports. BMW then petitioned NHTSA under 49 CFR part 556 requesting a decision that the subject noncompliance is inconsequential to motor vehicle safety.
Reports, Forms and Recordkeeping Requirements, Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review
In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the collection of information abstracted below will be forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The notice describes the nature of the information collection and its expected burden. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period was published on May 2, 2016 (81 FR 26312). No comments were received.
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations; Parts and Accessories Necessary for Safe Operation; Speed Limiting Devices
NHTSA and FMCSA are proposing regulations that would require vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 11,793.4 kilograms (26,000 pounds) to be equipped with a speed limiting device initially set to a speed no greater than a speed to be specified in a final rule and would require motor carriers operating such vehicles in interstate commerce to maintain functional speed limiting devices set to a speed no greater than a speed to be specified in the final rule for the service life of the vehicle. Specifically, NHTSA is proposing to establish a new Federal motor vehicle safety standard (FMVSS) requiring that each new multipurpose passenger vehicle, truck, bus and school bus with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of more than 11,793.4 kilograms (26,000 pounds) be equipped with a speed limiting device. The proposed FMVSS would also require each vehicle, as manufactured and sold, to have its device set to a speed not greater than a specified speed and to be equipped with means of reading the vehicle's current speed setting and the two previous speed settings (including the time and date the settings were changed) through its On-Board Diagnostic connection. FMCSA is proposing a complementary Federal motor carrier safety regulation (FMCSR) requiring each commercial motor vehicle (CMV) with a GVWR of more than 11,793.4 kilograms (26,000 pounds) to be equipped with a speed limiting device meeting the requirements of the proposed FMVSS applicable to the vehicle at the time of manufacture, including the requirement that the device be set to a speed not greater than a specified speed. Motor carriers operating such vehicles in interstate commerce would be required to maintain the speed limiting devices for the service life of the vehicle. Based on the agencies' review of the available data, limiting the speed of these heavy vehicles would reduce the severity of crashes involving these vehicles and reduce the resulting fatalities and injuries. We expect that, as a result of this joint rulemaking, virtually all of these vehicles would be limited to that speed.
Update Means of Providing Recall Notification
NHTSA proposes to amend the means of recall notification to owners and purchasers required under the Safety Act to be in an electronic manner, in addition to first class mail, in accordance with Section 30130 of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) and Section 24104 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act). Through this proposed rule, NHTSA also seeks to improve the efficacy of recalls by requiring manufacturers to send additional notifications of defects or noncompliance with applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) if a second notification by the manufacturer does not result in an adequate number of motor vehicles or replacement equipment being returned for remedy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google
Privacy Policy and
Terms of Service apply.
