49 C.F.R. Subpart A—General
Title 49 - Transportation
This part contains the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment established under section 103 of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 (80 Stat. 718). [33 FR 19703, Dec. 25, 1968. Redesignated at 35 FR 5118, Mar. 26, 1970] (a) Statutory definitions. All terms defined in section 102 of the Act are used in their statutory meaning. (b) Other definitions. As used in this chapter— Act means the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 (80 Stat. 718). Approved, unless used with reference to another person, means approved by the Secretary. Boat trailer means a trailer designed with cradle-type mountings to transport a boat and configured to permit launching of the boat from the rear of the trailer. Bus means a motor vehicle with motive power, except a trailer, designed for carrying more than 10 persons. Curb weight means the weight of a motor vehicle with standard equipment; maximum capacity of engine fuel, oil, and coolant; and, if so equipped, air conditioning and additional weight optional engine. Designated seating capacity means the number of designated seating positions provided. Designated seating position means any plan view location capable of accommodating a person at least as large as a 5th percentile adult female, if the overall seat configuration and design and vehicle design is such that the position is likely to be used as a seating position while the vehicle is in motion, except for auxiliary seating accommodations such as temporary or folding jump seats. Any bench or split-bench seat in a passenger car, truck or multipurpose passenger vehicle with a GVWR less than 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds), having greater than 127 centimeters (50 inches) of hip room (measured in accordance with SAE Standard J1100(a)) shall have not less than three designated seating positions, unless the seat design or vehicle design is such that the center position cannot be used for seating. For the sole purpose of determining the classification of any vehicle sold or introduced into interstate commerce for purposes that include carrying students to and from school or related events, any location in such vehicle intended for securement of an occupied wheelchair during vehicle operation shall be regarded as four designated seating positions. Driver means the occupant of a motor vehicle seated immediately behind the steering control system. Emergency brake means a mechanism designed to stop a motor vehicle after a failure of the service brake system. 5th percentile adult female means a person possessing the dimensions and weight of the 5th percentile adult female specified for the total age group in Public Health Service Publication No. 1000, Series 11, No. 8, “Weight, Height, and Selected Body Dimensions of Adults.” Firefighting vehicle means a vehicle designed exclusively for the purpose of fighting fires. Fixed collision barrier means a flat, vertical, unyielding surface with the following characteristics: (1) The surface is sufficiently large that when struck by a tested vehicle, no portion of the vehicle projects or passes beyond the surface. (2) The approach is a horizontal surface that is large enough for the vehicle to attain a stable attitude during its approach to the barrier, and that does not restrict vehicle motion during impact. (3) When struck by a vehicle, the surface and its supporting structure absorb no significant portion of the vehicle's kinetic energy, so that a performance requirement described in terms of impact with a fixed collision barrier must be met no matter how small an amount of energy is absorbed by the barrier. Forward control means a configuration in which more than half of the engine length is rearward of the foremost point of the windshield base and the steering wheel hub is in the forward quarter of the vehicle length. Full trailer means a trailer, except a pole trailer, that is equipped with two or more axles that support the entire weight of the trailer. Gross axle weight rating or GAWR means the value specified by the vehicle manufacturer as the load-carrying capacity of a single axle system, as measured at the tire-ground interfaces. Gross combination weight rating or GCWR means the value specified by the manufacturer as the loaded weight of a combination vehicle. Gross vehicle weight rating or GVWR means the value specified by the manufacturer as the loaded weight of a single vehicle. H point means the mechanically hinged hip point of a manikin which simulates the actual pivot center of the human torso and thigh, described in SAE Recommended Practice J826, “Manikins for Use in Defining Vehicle Seating Accommodations,” November 1962. Head impact area means all nonglazed surfaces of the interior of a vehicle that are statically contactable by a 6.5-inch diameter spherical head form of a measuring device having a pivot point to “top-of-head” dimension infinitely adjustable from 29 to 33 inches in accordance with the following procedure, or its graphic equivalent: (a) At each designated seating position, place the pivot point of the measuring device— (1) For seats that are adjustable fore and aft, at— (i) The seating reference point; and (ii) A point 5 inches horizontally forward of the seating reference point and vertically above the seating reference point an amount equal to the rise which results from a 5–inch forward adjustment of the seat or 0.75 inch; and (2) For seats that are not adjustable fore and aft, at the seating reference point. (b) With the pivot point to “top-of-head” dimension at each value allowed by the device and the interior dimensions of the vehicle, determine all contact points above the lower windshield glass line and forward of the seating reference point. (c) With the head form at each contact point, and with the device in a vertical position if no contact points exists for a particular adjusted length, pivot the measuring device forward and downward through all arcs in vertical planes to 90° each side of the vertical longitudinal plane through the seating reference point, until the head form contacts an interior surface or until it is tangent to a horizontal plane 1 inch above the seating reference point, whichever occurs first. Interior compartment door means any door in the interior of the vehicle installed by the manufacturer as a cover for storage space normally used for personal effects. Longitudinal or longitudinally means parallel to the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle. Low-speed vehicle (LSV) means a motor vehicle, (1) That is 4-wheeled, (2) Whose speed attainable in 1.6 km (1 mile) is more than 32 kilometers per hour (20 miles per hour) and not more than 40 kilometers per hour (25 miles per hour) on a paved level surface, and (3) Whose GVWR is less than 1,361 kilograms (3,000 pounds). Motorcycle means a motor vehicle with motive power having a seat or saddle for the use of the rider and designed to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground. Motor-driven cycle means a motorcycle with a motor that produces 5-brake horsepower or less. Motor home means a multi-purpose vehicle with motive power that is designed to provide temporary residential accommodations, as evidenced by the presence of at least four of the following facilities: Cooking; refrigeration or ice box; self-contained toilet; heating and/or air conditioning; a potable water supply system including a faucet and a sink; and a separate 110–125 volt electrical power supply and/or an LP gas supply. Multifunction school activity bus (MFSAB) means a school bus whose purposes do not include transporting students to and from home or school bus stops. Multipurpose passenger vehicle means a motor vehicle with motive power, except a low-speed vehicle or trailer, designed to carry 10 persons or less which is constructed either on a truck chassis or with special features for occasional off-road operation. Open-body type vehicle means a vehicle having no occupant compartment top or an occupant compartment top that can be installed or removed by the user at his convenience. Outboard designated seating position means a designated seating position where a longitudinal vertical plane tangent to the outboard side of the seat cushion is less than 12 inches from the innermost point on the inside surface of the vehicle at a height between the design H-point and the shoulder reference point (as shown in fig. 1 of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 210) and longitudinally between the front and rear edges of the seat cushion. Overall vehicle width means the nominal design dimension of the widest part of the vehicle, exclusive of signal lamps, marker lamps, outside rearview mirrors, flexible fender extensions, and mud flaps, determined with doors and windows closed and the wheels in the straight-ahead position. Parking brake means a mechanism designed to prevent the movement of a stationary motor vehicle. Passenger car means a motor vehicle with motive power, except a low-speed vehicle, multipurpose passenger vehicle, motorcycle, or trailer, designed for carrying 10 persons or less. Pelvic impact area means that area of the door or body side panel adjacent to any outboard designated seating position which is bounded by horizontal planes 7 inches above and 4 inches below the seating reference point and vertical transverse planes 8 inches forward and 2 inches rearward of the seating reference point. Pole trailer means a motor vehicle without motive power designed to be drawn by another motor vehicle and attached to the towing vehicle by means of a reach or pole, or by being boomed or otherwise secured to the towing vehicle, for transporting long or irregularly shaped loads such as poles, pipes, or structural members capable generally of sustaining themselves as beams between the supporting connections. School bus means a bus that is sold, or introduced in interstate commerce, for purposes that include carrying students to and from school or related events, but does not include a bus designed and sold for operation as a common carrier in urban transportation. Seating reference point (SgRP) means the unique design H-point, as defined in SAE J1100 (June 1984), which: (a) Establishes the rearmost normal design driving or riding position of each designated seating position, which includes consideration of all modes of adjustment, horizontal, vertical, and tilt, in a vehicle; (b) Has X, Y, and Z coordinates, as defined in SAE J1100 (June 1984), established relative to the designed vehicle structure; (c) Simulates the position of the pivot center of the human torso and thigh; and (d) Is the reference point employed to position the two-dimensional drafting template with the 95th percentile leg described in SAE J826 (May 1987), or, if the drafting template with the 95th percentile leg cannot be positioned in the seating position, is located with the seat in its most rearward adjustment position. Semitrailer means a trailer, except a pole trailer, so constructed that a substantial part of its weight rests upon or is carried by another motor vehicle. Service brake means the primary mechanism designed to stop a motor vehicle. Speed attainable in 1 mile means the speed attainable by accelerating at maximum rate from a standing start for 1 mile, on a level surface. Speed attainable in 2 miles means the speed attainable by accelerating at maximum rate from a standing start for 2 miles, on a level surface. Torso line means the line connecting the “H” point and the shoulder reference point as defined in SAE Recommended Practice J787g, “Motor Vehicle Seat Belt Anchorage,” September 1966. Trailer means a motor vehicle with or without motive power, designed for carrying persons or property and for being drawn by another motor vehicle. Trailer converter dolly means a trailer chassis equipped with one or more axles, a lower half of a fifth wheel and a drawbar. Truck means a motor vehicle with motive power, except a trailer, designed primarily for the transportation of property or special purpose equipment. Truck tractor means a truck designed primarily for drawing other motor vehicles and not so constructed as to carry a load other than a part of the weight of the vehicle and the load so drawn. Unloaded vehicle weight means the weight of a vehicle with maximum capacity of all fluids necessary for operation of the vehicle, but without cargo, occupants, or accessories that are ordinarily removed from the vehicle when they are not in use. 95th percentile adult male means a person possessing the dimensions and weight of the 95th percentile adult male specified in Public Health Service Publication No. 1000, Series 11, No. 8, “Weight, Height, and Selected Body Dimensions of Adults.” Vehicle fuel tank capacity means the tank's unusable capacity (i.e., the volume of fuel left at the bottom of the tank when the vehicle's fuel pump can no longer draw fuel from the tank) plus its usable capacity (i.e., the volume of fuel that can be pumped into the tank through the filler pipe with the vehicle on a level surface and with the unusable capacity already in the tank). The term does not include the vapor volume of the tank (i.e., the space above the fuel tank filler neck) nor the volume of the fuel tank filler neck. [33 FR 19703, Dec. 25, 1968. Redesignated at 35 FR 5118, Mar. 26, 1970] Editorial Note: For The word any, used in connection with a range of values or set of items in the requirements, conditions, and procedures of the standards or regulations in this chapter, means generally the totality of the items or values, any one of which may be selected by the Administration for testing, except where clearly specified otherwise. Examples: “The vehicle shall meet the requirements of S4.1 when tested at any point between 18 and 22 inches above the ground.” This means that the vehicle must be capable of meeting the specified requirements at every point between 18 and 22 inches above the ground. The test in question for a given vehicle may call for a single test (a single impact, for example), but the vehicle must meet the requirement at whatever point the Administration selects, within the specified range.
“Each tire shall be capable of meeting the requirements of this standard when mounted on any rim specified by the manufacturer as suitable for use with that tire.” This means that, where the manufacturer specifies more than one rim as suitable for use with a tire, the tire must meet the requirements with whatever rim the Administration selects from the specified group. “Any one of the items listed below may, at the option of the manufacturer, be substituted for the hardware specified in S4.1.” Here the wording clearly indicates that the selection of items is at the manufacturer's option. [36 FR 2511, Feb. 5, 1971] (a) Incorporation. There are hereby incorporated, by reference, into this part, all materials referred to in any standard in subpart B of this part that are not set forth in full in the standard. These materials are thereby made part of this regulation. The Director of the Federal Register has approved the materials incorporated by reference. For materials subject to change, only the specific version approved by the Director of the Federal Register and specified in the standard are incorporated. A notice of any change in these materials will be published in the (b) Availability. The materials incorporated by reference, other than acts of Congress and matter published elsewhere in the (1) Standards of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). They are published by the Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc. Information and copies may be obtained by writing to: Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc., 400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, Pennsylvania 15096. (2) Standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). They are published by the American Society for Testing and Materials. Information and copies may be obtained by writing to: ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428–2959. (3) Standards of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). They are published by the American National Standards Institute. Information and copies may be obtained by writing to: RESNA, 1700 North Moore St., Suite 1540, Arlington, VA 22209–1903. (4) Data on the Weight Height and Selected Body Dimensions of Adults. They are published by the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Information and copies may be obtained on the CDC web site at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs or by writing to National Division for Health Statistics, Division of Data Services, Hyattsville, MD 20782–2003. (5) Test Methods of the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC). They are published by the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists. Information and copies may be obtained by writing to: AATCC, 1 Davis Dr., P.O. Box 12215, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. (6) Test methods of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES). They are published by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America. Information and copies may be obtained by writing to: IES, 120 Wall St., 7th Floor, New York, NY 10005. (7) Standards of Suppliers of Advanced Composite Materials Association (SACMA). They are published by Suppliers of Advanced Composite Materials Association. Information and copies may be obtained by writing to: Suppliers of Advanced Composite Materials Association, 1600 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1008, Arlington, VA 22209. (8) Standards of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). They are published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Information and copies may be obtained by writing to: ASME, 22 Law Drive, P.O. Box 2900, Fairfield, NJ 07007–2900. (9) Regulations of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE). They are published by the United Nations. Information and copies may be obtained by writing to: United Nations, Conference Services Division, Distribution and Sales Section, Office C.115–1, Palais des Nations, CH–1211, Geneva 10, Switzerland. Copies of Regulations also are available on the ECE internet web site: www.unece.org/trans/main/wp29/wp29regs.html. (10) Child Restraint Systems Seat Assembly Drawing Package. Copies may be obtained by contacting: Leet-Melbrook, 18810 Woodfield Road, Gaithersburg, MD, 20879, telephone (301) 670–0090. (11) All of the above materials, as well as any other materials incorporated by reference, are available for inspection and copying at the Office of Vehicle Safety Standards, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. The materials are also available for inspection and copying at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this material at NARA, call 202–741–6030, or go to: http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal_regulations/ibr_locations.html. [33 FR 19704, Dec. 25, 1968. Redesignated at 35 FR 5118, Mar. 26, 1970, and amended at 35 FR 5120, Mar. 26, 1970; 36 FR 1148, Jan. 23, 1971; 41 FR 52880, Dec. 2, 1976; 41 FR 56812, Dec. 30, 1976; 47 FR 7254, Feb. 18, 1982; 48 FR 30141, June 30, 1983; 54 FR 20083, May 9, 1989; 59 FR 49021, Sept. 26, 1994; 60 FR 37843, July 24, 1995; 64 FR 45898, Aug. 23, 1999; 67 FR 77193, Dec. 17, 2002; 68 FR 37654, June 24, 2003] (a) General. Except as provided in paragraphs (c) and (d) of this section, each standard set forth in subpart B of this part applies according to its terms to all motor vehicles or items of motor vehicle equipment the manufacture of which is completed on or after the effective date of the standard. (b) [Reserved] (c) Military vehicles. No standard applies to a vehicle or item of equipment manufactured for, and sold directly to, the Armed Forces of the United States in conformity with contractual specifications. (d) Export. No standard applies to a vehicle or item of equipment in the circumstances provided in section 108(b)(5) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 1397 (b)(5)). (e) Combining new and used components. When a new cab is used in the assembly of a truck, the truck will be considered newly manufactured for purposes of paragraph (a) of this section, the application of the requirements of this chapter, and the Act, unless the engine, transmission, and drive axle(s) (as a minimum) of the assembled vehicle are not new, and at least two of these components were taken from the same vehicle. (f) Combining new and used components in trailer manufacture. When new materials are used in the assembly of a trailer, the trailer will be considered newly manufactured for purposes of paragraph (a) of this section, the application of the requirements of this chapter, and the Act, unless, at a minimum, the trailer running gear assembly (axle(s), wheels, braking and suspension) is not new, and was taken from an existing trailer— (1) Whose identity is continued in the reassembled vehicle with respect to the Vehicle Identification Number; and (2) That is owned or leased by the user of the reassembled vehicle. [33 FR 19703, Dec. 25, 1968. Redesignated at 35 FR 5118, Mar. 26, 1970, and amended at 36 FR 7855, Apr. 27, 1971; 38 FR 12808, May 16, 1973; 40 FR 49341, Oct. 22, 1975; 41 FR 27074, July 1, 1976]
Link to an amendment published at 70 FR 7435, Feb. 14, 2005. Notwithstanding the effective date provisions of the motor vehicle safety standards in this part, the effective date of any standard or amendment of a standard issued after September 1, 1971, to which firefighting vehicles must conform shall be, with respect to such vehicles, either 2 years after the date on which such standard or amendment is published in the rules and regulations section of the [36 FR 13927, July 28, 1971] If any standard established in this part or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the part and the application of that standard to other persons or circumstances is not affected thereby. [33 FR 19705, Dec. 25, 1968. Redesignated at 35 FR 5118, Mar. 26, 1970]
Title 49: Transportation
PART 571—FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS
Subpart A—General
§ 571.1 Scope.
§ 571.3 Definitions.
§ 571.4 Explanation of usage.
§ 571.5 Matter incorporated by reference.
§ 571.7 Applicability.
§ 571.8 Effective date.
§ 571.9 Separability.
