Petitions for Rulemaking, Defect and Noncompliance Orders; Standards Enforcement and Defect Investigations; Defect and Noncompliance Reports; Record Retention; and Defect and Noncompliance Notification

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is amending several provisions of its regulations that pertain to its enforcement of the provisions of Chapter 301 of Title 49 of the United States Code (49 U.S.C. 30101-169, formerly the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act), with respect to manufacturers' obligations to provide notification and remedy without charge to owners of motor vehicles or items of motor vehicle equipment that have been determined not to comply with a Federal motor vehicle safety standard or to contain a defect related to motor vehicle safety. Some of the rules published today implement provisions added by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA), regarding requirements for notification of certain vehicle lessees and for a second notification to owners of recalled vehicles and items of motor vehicle equipment in the event that NHTSA determines that the original notification has not resulted in an adequate number of vehicles or items of equipment being returned for remedy. This rule also amends the regulation governing NHTSA's consideration of petitions for rulemaking or for an investigation of an alleged safety-related defect or a noncompliance with a Federal motor vehicle safety standard (49 CFR part 552) and NHTSA's procedures following an initial determination that a safety-related defect exists. 49 CFR part 554. The rule also makes several changes in the regulations governing the form and content of defect and noncompliance reports submitted to NHTSA by manufacturers (49 CFR part 573); and to the agency's record retention requirements. 49 CFR part 576. Finally, this rule amends various sections of 49 CFR part 577 regarding the requirements for notification to owners, purchasers, dealers and lessees of safety-related defects and noncompliances.