Interpretation ID: 12582.mls
833 Hawks Hollow
Delafield, WI 53018
Dear Mr. Horan:
This responds to your inquiry asking whether there were Federal safety laws in 1968 or 1969 pertinent to side-mounted exhaust systems known as "heat shields" on passenger cars. You state that a Wisconsin State trooper ticketed you for not having the original-equipment heat shield.
Although the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is authorized to regulate the safety of newly manufactured motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment by issuing Federal motor vehicle safety standards, it has never issued any Federal motor vehicle safety standard or other regulation applicable to heat shields. Thus, Federal regulations neither require nor prohibit them.
I hope this information is helpful. If you have any further questions about NHTSA's safety standards, please feel free to contact Marvin Shaw of my staff at this address or by telephone at (202) 366-2992.
Sincerely,
John Womack
Acting Chief Counsel
ref:mis
d.11/21/96