Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Child Restraint Systems; Child Restraint Anchorage Systems

This document responds to some of the issues raised by petitions for reconsideration of a March 1999 final rule establishing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 225, Child Restraint Anchorage Systems. The standard requires vehicle manufacturers to install the upper (tether) anchorages of universal child restraint anchorage systems, beginning September 1, 1999, and lower anchorages of those systems beginning September 1, 2000. This fall, we plan to publish a second document responding further to the petitions. In response to concerns of several petitioners about leadtime for and the stringency of the anchorage strength and other requirements in the March 1999 final rule, this document permits vehicle manufacturers to meet alternative requirements during an initial several year period. During this period, manufacturers have the alternative of meeting either the requirements in the March 1999 final rule or the less stringent Canadian requirements for tether anchorages, and those set forth in a draft standard being developed by a working group of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for lower anchorages. The temporary alternative for tether anchorages lasts until September 1, 2001, and that for lower anchorages until September 1, 2002. This document also clarifies the test procedures used to test tether anchorages and the lower child restraint anchorage systems; excludes shuttle buses from the standard; denies petitions from the Coalition of Small Volume Automobile Manufacturers and Indiana Mills and Manufacturing; and makes technical amendments to correct some of the figures and other portions of the March 1999 final rule, including amendments to Standard No. 213.