As a Federal agency, NHTSA regulates the safety of motor vehicles and related equipment.
POLICY & GUIDANCE
Guidance DocumentsLETTER OF INTERPRETATION
Letters from NHTSA's Chief CounselREPORTS TO CONGRESS
Evaluation & UpdatesStanding General Order
Crash Reporting for Levels of Driving Automation 2-5Part 583 AALA Reports
American Automobile Labeling Act ReportsSettlement Amounts since FY-1999
Civil Penalty Settlement AmountsRegulations
NHTSA issues Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) to implement laws from Congress. These regulations allow us to fulfill our mission to prevent and reduce vehicle crashes.
FMVSS Number | Part Sort descending | Subject | Actions |
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126 | 49 CFR Parts 571 & 585 | Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Electronic Stability Control Systems As part of a comprehensive plan for reducing the serious risk of rollover crashes and the risk of death and serious injury in those crashes, this rule establishes Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 126 to require electronic stability control (ESC) systems on passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, and buses with a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 Kg (10,000 pounds) or less. ESC systems use automatic computer-controlled braking of individual wheels to assist the driver in maintaining control in critical driving situations. NHTSA estimates ESC will reduce single-vehicle crashes of passenger cars by 34% and single vehicle crashes of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) by 59%, with a much greater reduction of rollover crashes. NHTSA estimates ESC would save 5,300 to 9,600 lives and prevent 156,000 to 238,000 injuries in all types of crashes annually once all light vehicles on the road are equipped with ESC. |
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Electronic Stability Control Systems Final Regulatory Impact Analysis: Electronic Stability Control Systems Final Rule: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Electronic Stability Control Systems; Controls and Displays Preliminary Regulatory Impact Analysis: Electronic Stability Control Systems On Heavy Vehicles |
126 | 49 CFR Parts 571 & 585 | Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Electronic Stability Control Systems As part of a comprehensive plan for reducing the serious risk of rollover crashes and the risk of death and serious injury in those crashes, this rule establishes Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 126 to require electronic stability control (ESC) systems on passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, and buses with a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 Kg (10,000 pounds) or less. ESC systems use automatic computer-controlled braking of individual wheels to assist the driver in maintaining control in critical driving situations. NHTSA estimates ESC will reduce single-vehicle crashes of passenger cars by 34% and single vehicle crashes of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) by 59%, with a much greater reduction of rollover crashes. NHTSA estimates ESC would save 5,300 to 9,600 lives and prevent 156,000 to 238,000 injuries in all types of crashes annually once all light vehicles on the road are equipped with ESC. |
Preliminary Regulatory Impact Analysis: Electronic Stability Control Systems On Heavy Vehicles Final Regulatory Impact Analysis: Electronic Stability Control Systems Final Rule: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Electronic Stability Control Systems; Controls and Displays Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Electronic Stability Control Systems |
49 CFR Parts 571 and 585 | FMVSS-Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems
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Final Rule; response to petitions for reconsideration: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems | |
216 | 49 CFR Parts 571 and 585 | Roof Crush Resistance; Phase-In Reporting Requirements As part of a comprehensive plan for reducing the risk of rollover crashes and the risk of death and serious injury in those crashes, this final rule upgrades the agency’s safety standard on roof crush resistance in several ways. |
Final Rule: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Roof Crush Resistance; Phase-In Reporting Requirements |
49 CFR Parts 571 and 585 | FMVSS-Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems;Controls and Displays
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Final Rule - Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems; Controls and Displays | |
216 |
49 CFR Parts 571 and 585 |
Roof Crush Resistance As part of a comprehensive plan for reducing the risk of rollover crashes and the risk of death and serious injury in those crashes, this final rule upgrades the agency’s safety standard on roof crush resistance in several ways. |
Supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM): Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Roof Crush Resistance Final Rule: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Roof Crush Resistance; Phase-In Reporting Requirements Extension of comment period: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Roof Crush Resistance Preliminary Regulatory Impact Analysis Request for Comments Notice of proposed rulemaking |
214 | 49 CFR Parts 571 and 585 | Side Impact Protection This final rule incorporates a dynamic pole test into Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 214, “Side impact protection.” To meet the test, vehicle manufacturers will need to assure head and improved chest protection in side crashes. It will lead to the installation of new technologies, such as side curtain air bags and torso side air bags, which are capable of improving head and thorax protection to occupants of vehicles that crash into poles and trees and vehicles that are laterally struck by a higher-riding vehicle. |
Final Rule: Occupant Protection in Interior Impact; Side Impact Protection; Fuel System Integrity; Electric-Powered Vehicles: Electrolyte Spillage and Electrical Shock Protection; Side Impact Phase-In Reporting Requirements |
226 | 49 CFR Parts 571, 585 | Ejection Mitigation This final rule establishes a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 226, "Ejection Mitigation" to reduce the partial and complete ejection of vehicle occupants through side windows in crashes, particularly rollover crashes. The standard applies to the side windows next to the first three rows of seats, and to a portion of the cargo area behind the first or second rows, in motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 4,536 kilogram (kg) or less (10,000 pounds (lb) or less). To assess compliance, the agency is adopting a test in which an impactor is propelled from inside a test vehicle toward the windows. The ejection mitigation safety system is required to prevent the impactor from moving more than a specified distance beyond the plane of a window. |
Final Rule: Ejection Mitigation; Phase-In Reporting Requirements; Incorporation by Reference |
49 CFR Parts 571, 585, 586, 589, 590, 596, 597 |
Occupant Crash Protection This document adopts NHTSA’s proposal to require all designated seating positions in rear seats, other than side-facing seats, be equipped with Type 2 integral lap/shoulder safety belts. Side-facing seats may be equipped with either a Type 1 lap belt or a Type 2 belt. This final rule responds to a Congressional mandate that the agency begin to phase-in requirements for lap/shoulder belts for all rear seating positions, wherever practicable, not later than September 1, 2005. |
Final rule | |
49 CFR Parts 571, 585, 586, 589, 590, 596, 597 |
Occupant Crash Protection This document adopts NHTSA’s proposal to require all designated seating positions in rear seats, other than side-facing seats, be equipped with Type 2 integral lap/shoulder safety belts. Side-facing seats may be equipped with either a Type 1 lap belt or a Type 2 belt. This final rule responds to a Congressional mandate that the agency begin to phase-in requirements for lap/shoulder belts for all rear seating positions, wherever practicable, not later than September 1, 2005. |
Final rule | |
121 | 49 CFR, Part 571 | Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard; Air Brake Systems Regarding trailers with antilock brake systems being equipped with an external antilock malfunction indicator lamp |
Interim Final Rule, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard; Air Brake Systems Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard; Air Brake Systems |
111 | 49 CFR, Parts 571 & 585 | FMVSS, Rearview Mirrors The Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007 directs NHTSA issue a final rule amending the agency’s Federal motor vehicle safety standard on rearview mirrors to improve the ability of a driver to detect pedestrians in the area immediately behind his or her vehicle and thereby minimize the likelihood of a vehicle’s striking a pedestrian while its driver is backing the vehicle. Pursuant to this mandate, NHTSA is proposing to expand the required field of view for all passenger cars, trucks, multipurpose passenger vehicles, buses, and low-speed vehicles rated at 10,000 pounds or less, gross vehicle weight. NHTSA is proposing to specify an area immediately behind each vehicle that the driver must be able to see when the vehicle’s transmission is in reverse. It appears that, in the near term, the only technology available with the ability to comply with this proposal would be a rear visibility system that includes a rear-mounted video camera and an in-vehicle visual display. Adoption of this proposal would significantly reduce fatalities and injuries caused by backover crashes involving children, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and other pedestrians. |
Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard; Rearview Mirrors Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard, Rearview Mirrors; Low-Speed Vehicles Phase-in Reporting Requirements |
403, 404 | 571 | Response to Petitions for Reconsideration
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Final Rule: Platform Lifts for Motor Vehicles, Platform Lift Installations in Motor Vehicles |
403, 404 | 571 | Interpretations
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Select NHTSA Interps and search on keywords "Platform lift". |
403, 404 | 571 | Platform Lift Systems for Motor Vehicles, Platform Lift Installation in Motor Vehicles
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Final Rule: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Platform Lift Systems for Accessible Motor Vehicles, Platform Lift Installation on Motor Vehicles |
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View notices, proposed rules and final rules NHTSA administers. Also respond to requests for comment.