National Highway Traffic Safety Administration December 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Consistent with a Global Technical Regulation on electric vehicle safety, NHTSA is establishing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 305a to replace FMVSS No. 305, "Electric-powered vehicles: Electrolyte spillage and electrical shock protection." Among other improvements, FMVSS No. 305a applies to light and heavy vehicles and includes performance requirements for the propulsion battery. NHTSA is also establishing a new regulation, part 561, "Documentation for Electric-powered Vehicles," that requires manufacturers to compile risk mitigation documentation and to submit standardized emergency response information to assist first and second responders handling electric vehicles.

This final rule addresses an important source of motor vehicle safety information and fulfills a requirement in the Motor Vehicle Safety Whistleblower Act (Whistleblower Act) that NHTSA promulgate regulations on the requirements of the Act, in complement to NHTSA's existing whistleblower program. The Whistleblower Act authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to pay an award, subject to certain limitations, to eligible whistleblowers who voluntarily provide original information relating to any motor vehicle defect, noncompliance, or any violation or alleged violation of any notification or reporting requirement, which is likely to cause unreasonable risk of death or serious physical injury, if the information provided leads to the successful resolution of a covered action. This final rule defines certain terms important to the operation of the whistleblower program, outlines the procedures for submitting original information to NHTSA and applying for awards, discusses NHTSA's procedures for making decisions on award applications, and generally explains the scope of the whistleblower program to the public and potential whistleblowers.

NHTSA is extending the comment period for the notice NHTSA published on October 29, 2024, seeking public comment on draft test procedure (TP) number TP-523-00, which is intended to assess vehicles for compliance with certain off-road capabilities requirements for vehicle classification within the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program. The comment period for the RFC notice was scheduled to end on November 30, 2024. NHTSA is extending the comment period for the notice to February 28, 2025, to allow for additional time to submit comments.

On October 9, 2024, NHTSA issued a final rule responding to petitions for reconsideration of a June 2022 final rule establishing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 213a and the December 2023 final rule establishing FMVSS No. 213b. That rule contained an amendatory instruction to amend a section of text that did not exist. This document provides the correct amendatory instruction. It does not change the regulatory text set forth in the October 9, 2024 final rule.

Daimler Truck North America, LLC (DTNA) has determined that a model year (MY) 2022 Western Star 4900 truck tractor does not fully comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 136, Electronic Stability Control Systems for Heavy Vehicles. DTNA filed a noncompliance report dated February 28, 2024, and subsequently petitioned NHTSA (the "Agency") on March 22, 2024, for a decision that the subject noncompliance is inconsequential as it relates to motor vehicle safety. This document announces receipt of DTNA's petition.