Interpretation ID: aiam3024
P.O. Box 1344
Gloucester
MA 01930;
Dear Mr. Lee: This responds to your May 12, 1979, letter asking how to determine th correct date of manufacture of your motor home. You indicate that the chassis was constructed in 1977 and the body in 1978. The manufacturer apparently classified the vehicle as a 1978 model.; The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has a regulatio governing the date of manufacture of vehicles for the application of safety standards. Part 568, *Vehicles Manufactured in Two or More Stages*, of our regulations states that a manufacturer may choose as the date of manufacture of a vehicle the date of manufacture of the chassis, the date of manufacture of the completed vehicle, or any date between those two dates. However, the vehicle must comply with all of the applicable safety standards in effect on the chosen date. Since the body of your vehicle was manufactured in 1978, we assume that the vehicle was completed in 1978. Therefore, the manufacture could legally call your vehicle a 1978 model, at least for the purposes of our safety program.; Sincerely, Frank Berndt, Chief Counsel