Defect and Noncompliance Reports; Record Retention; Defect and Noncompliance Notification Establishment of Effective Date

This document clarifies that the effective date of several of the amendments to NHTSA's defect investigation and reporting regulations that were published in the Federal Register on April 5, 1995 (60 FR 17254) will be January 2, 1996. These amendments--to 49 CFR Part 576 (record retention) and 49 CFR sections 573.5(c)(8) (recall schedule); 573.7 (leased vehicle recordkeeping); and 577.5(h) (recall notification of lessees)--are currently the subject of petitions for reconsideration. To allow the agency the opportunity to consider the issues raised by the petitions for reconsideration, NHTSA indefinitely suspended the effectiveness of those amendments on July 7, 1995 (60 FR 35458). In response to advice from the Office of the Federal Register that it is not proper to have rules in place without a definite effective date, NHTSA is establishing January 2, 1996 as the effective date of the identified amendments. All other amendments made by the April 5, 1995 final rule went into effect on July 7, 1995.