[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 237 (Wednesday, December 10, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 65127]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-32266]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA-97-3146]


Toyota Technical Center, U.S.A., Inc., Receipt of Application for 
Decision of Inconsequential Noncompliance

    Toyota Technical Center, U.S.A., Inc. (Toyota) of Washington, D.C. 
on behalf of the Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. has 
determined that some 1998 model Toyota Sienna vehicles fail to comply 
with 49 CFR 571.120, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 
120, ``Tire Selection and Rims for Vehicles Other Than Passenger 
Cars,'' and has filed an appropriate report pursuant to 49 CFR Part 
573, ``Defect and Noncompliance Reports.'' Toyota has also applied to 
be exempted from the notification and remedy requirements of 49 U.S.C. 
Chapter 301--``Motor Vehicle Safety'' on the basis that the 
noncompliance is inconsequential to motor vehicle safety.
    This notice of receipt of an application is published under 49 
U.S.C. 30118 and 30120 and does not represent any agency decision or 
other exercise of judgment concerning the merits of the application.
    Paragraph S5.3 of FMVSS No. 120 states that the recommended cold 
inflation pressure for the designated tire must appear either on the 
certification label or a tire information label.
    Toyota produced 8,528 vehicles from May 12, 1997 through October 
13, 1997 which do not meet the labeling requirements stated in the 
standard. The recommended 240KPa (35 PSI) cold inflation pressure for 
the designated tire (P205/70R15) is misstated on the certification 
label as 220 KPa (33 PSI). However, the correct tire inflation pressure 
appears on the voluntary-affixed tire information label and in the 
vehicle owners manual.
    Toyota supports its application for inconsequential noncompliance 
with the following three statements:
    1. On these vehicles, Toyota has applied a voluntary tire 
information label, on which the correct recommended pressure, ``240 
KPa/35 PSI'' (at maximum loaded vehicle weight) appears, [located at] 
the door opening portion of the driver side B-pillar. Toyota believes 
that owners will refer to this tire information label rather than the 
certification label, making the possibility of confusion due to the 
different tire inflation pressures quite low.
    2. The vehicle owner's manual also indicates the correct 
recommended inflation pressure.
    3. The Maximum Loaded Vehicle Weight (MLVW)--the weight of the 
heaviest vehicle of the car line with full accessories, passengers in 
all designated seating positions, and maximum cargo and luggage load--
of the Toyota Sienna is 2,365 kg. In such [a] fully-loaded condition, 
the rear axle is loaded more than the front [axle], resulting in a rear 
axle load of 1,204 kg or 602 kg on each rear tire. The load limit of 
the subject P205/70R15 tire inflated to 220 KPa (33 PSI) is 650 kg. 
Therefore, there still exists a 48 kg margin under the MLVW. Since the 
Sienna is a passenger vehicle--as opposed to a cargo vehicle--it is 
unlikely that the owner will overload it.
    Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and 
arguments on the application of Toyota described above. Comments should 
refer to the docket number and be submitted to: U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Docket Management, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, 
S.W., Washington, D.C., 20590. It is requested that two copies be 
submitted.
    All comments received before the close of business on the closing 
date indicated below will be considered. The application and supporting 
materials, and all comments received after the closing date, will also 
be filed and will be considered to the extent possible. When the 
application is granted or denied, the notice will be published in the 
Federal Register pursuant to the authority indicated below.
    Comment closing date: January 9, 1998.

(49 U.S.C. 30118, 30120; delegations of authority at 49 CFR 1.50 and 
501.8)

    Issued on: December 4, 1997.
L. Robert Shelton,
Associate Administrator for Safety Performance Standards.
[FR Doc. 97-32266 Filed 12-9-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P