United States Department of TransportationInterpretation ID: aiam0917
Cotter
Atkinson
Campbell & Kelsey
Bank of New Mexico Building
Post Office Drawer 1126
Albuquerque
NM 87103;
Dear Mr. Fish: Thank you for your letter of October 27, 1972, inquiring abou information on fuel tanks.; The location of fuel tanks in passenger cars is at the option of th vehicle manufacturer, since there are no Federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) concerned with tank location. The FMVSS are essentially performance oriented, and the manufacturer has the freedom for innovation and use of his own expertise in selecting the means for compliance to a specified safety performance requirement. FMVSS No. 301, which has been in effect since January 1, 1968, specifies certain fuel containment requirements as the result of a front-end impact at 30 miles per hour into a fixed barrier. Proposed amendments for FMVSS No. 301 have been issued specifying performance requirements for rear-end impacts, but the final rule has not yet been issued. The effective date for this amendment, when issued, has now been indicated as September 1, 1976. Copies of FMVSS No. 301 and the Notice of Proposed Rule Making are enclosed for your interest. A copy of Public Law 89-563 is also enclosed with a booklet briefly describing the current standards.; A number of research studies have been completed on fuel systems, an some statistical data is provided in these reports which may be of some interest. These reports are available form the National Technical Information Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, Virginia 22151, at a price of three dollars per volume. The NTIS code number must be identified when ordering. >>>1. An Assessment of Automotive Fuel System Hazards, Dynamic Science Final Report on Contract No. FH-11-7579, December 1971, NTIS Codes PB-208240 and PB-208241 (2 volumes); 2. Impact Intrusion Characteristics of Fuel Systems, Contract No FH-11- 7309 (Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory, Inc.) April 1970, NTIS Code PB-195347; 3. Fuel Tank Protection: Fairchild-Hiller, Contract No. FH-11-6919 June 1969, NTIS Code PB-191148 (1 volume); 4. Investigation of Motor Vehicle Performance Standards for Fuel Tan Protection: Fairchild-Hiller, Contract No. FH-11- 6608, September 1967, NTIS Code PB-177690 (1 volume).<<<; The correspondence containing comments from manufacturers and othe interested parties, together with other documentation concerning the rule making action to amend FMVSS No. 301, Fuel System Integrity, is contained in the public record. Docket No. 70-20 identifies this rule making action, and this file is available for examination in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Office of the Chief Counsel, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Room 5221, Washington, D.C. 20590.; We trust this information will provide some of the data you ar seeking.; Sincerely, Robert L. Carter, Associate Administrator, Motor Vehicl Programs;