Interpretation ID: aiam2664
Cantey
Hanger
Gooch
Munn & Collins
1800 First National Bank Building
Fort Worth
TX 76102;
Dear Mr. Ice: This responds to your August 9, 1977, letter asking whether a alterer's responsibility for ensuring the compliance of a vehicle with Federal safety standards, as required in Part 567, *Certification*, extends only to those aspects of performance that could have been affected by the alteration or whether it extends to the compliance of the entire vehicle with all Federal standards.; The intent of the alteration regulation is to make vehicle alterer responsible for the continued compliance of the vehicles they modify. Therefore, an alterer would be held responsible for any noncompliance of a vehicle caused by his alterations. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would not hold the alterer liable for noncompliances in a vehicle that were the responsibility of the original vehicle manufacturer and not affected by the alterer's conduct.; Sincerely, Joseph J. Levin, Jr., Chief Counsel