[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 51 (Wednesday, March 15, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14009-14010]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-6061]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-99-6269; Notice 2]


IMPCO Technologies; Grant of Application for Decision of 
Inconsequential Noncompliance

    IMPCO Technologies (IMPCO), of Irvine, California, has determined 
that a number of model year (MY) 1997 and (MY) 1998 bi-fueled 
compressed natural gas (CNG) Chevrolet/GMC C2500 and Sierra model 
pickup trucks that it altered do not meet the requirements of S5.3 and 
S5.4 of 49 CFR 571.303, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 
No. 303, ``Fuel System Integrity of Compressed Natural Gas Vehicles.'' 
and has filed an appropriate report pursuant to 49 CFR part 573, 
``Defect and Noncompliance Reports.''
    Notice of receipt of the application was published, with a 30-day 
comment period, on October 7, 1999, in the Federal Register (64 FR 
54726). NHTSA received one comment from General Motors Corporation (GM) 
during the 30-day comment period. GM agreed with IMPCO that the labels 
and owner's manual supplement information provided with the vehicles 
were responsive to and consistent with the rationale and intent of 
FMVSS No. 303.
    FMVSS No. 303, S5.3, requires that CNG vehicles shall be 
permanently labeled, near the vehicle refueling connection, with the 
information specified in S5.3.1 and S5.3.2.
    S5.3.1 requires the statement: ``Service pressure __________ kPa 
(__________ psig),'' and S5.3.2 requires the statement ``See 
instructions on fuel container for inspection and service life.''
    S5.4 requires that, when a motor vehicle is delivered to the first 
purchaser, for purposes other than resale, the manufacturer shall 
provide the purchaser with a written statement of the information in 
S5.3.1 and S5.3.2 in the owner's manual, or, if there is no owner's 
manual, on a one-page document.
    IMPCO notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 
that it altered 400 MY 1997 and 285 MY 1998 Chevrolet/GMC C2500 and 
Sierra model pickup trucks that did not fully comply with the labeling 
requirements specified in 49 CFR 571.303. IMPCO stated that, as 
altered, the noncompliance consists of deviations from the wording 
required on the CNG vehicle label and in the owner's manual.
    IMPCO explained that an out-of-date version of FMVSS No. 303, which 
did not contain specific requirements, was used by the supplier that 
prepared the label and owner's manual supplement. As a result, the CNG 
vehicle label applied near the refueling connection, and the owner's 
manual for the subject vehicles, did not contain the exact statements 
required by FMVSS No. 303, S5.3 and S5.4.
    The required words and actual words used by IMPCO are shown as 
follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                 1997 and 1998 bi-fuel
  FMVSS paragraph     Required label wording      truck label wording
------------------------------------------------------------------------
S5.3.1............  SERVICE PRESSURE 24820     3600 PSI SYSTEM OPERATING
                     kPa (3600 psig).           PRESSURE
S5.3.2............  SEE INSTRUCTIONS ON FUEL   SEE CNG OWNERS MANUAL
                     CONTAINER FOR INSPECTION   SUPPLEMENT FOR FUEL TANK
                     AND SERVICE LIFE.          SERVICE LIFE.
------------------------------------------------------------------------


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             Required owner's manual                                         1997        1998
     FMVSS paragraph                 wording            CNG truck owner's manual wording    manual      manual
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
S5.4.....................  SERVICE PRESSURE 24820 kPa   This system operates at                   X           X
                            (3600 psig).                 pressures up to 3600 PSI (24.8
                                                         MPa). (p. iv).
                                                        The CNG fuel system is designed   ..........          X
                                                         to use a fill pressure of 3,600
                                                         psi (24.8 Mpa) at 70 deg.F (21
                                                         deg.C) (P. 6-3).
                                                        13.2 gallons (equivalent) (50 L)          X   ..........
                                                         at 3600 psi (24.8 Mpa) and 70
                                                         deg.F (21 deg.C) (page 6-6).
                                                        13 GGE (Gasoline Gallon           ..........          X
                                                         Equivalent) (49 L) at 3600 psi
                                                         (24.8 Mpa) and 70 deg.F (21
                                                         deg.C). (page 6-6).
                                                        3600 PSI SYSTEM PRESSURE (page 7-         X           X
                                                         7).

[[Page 14010]]

 
S5.4.....................  SEE INSTRUCTIONS ON FUEL     A trained technician must remove          X           X
                            CONTAINER FOR INSPECTION     the tank cover and perfrom a
                            AND SERVICE LIFE.            CNG fuel tank and mounting
                                                         bracket inspection every three
                                                         years or 36,000 miles (60,000
                                                         km) whichever comes first.
                                                         (Page 7-6).
                                                        The CNG fuel tank has a service           X           X
                                                         life of 15 years. After the
                                                         tank expiration date, the tank
                                                         must be replaced by an
                                                         authorized GM dealer. (Page 7-
                                                         7).
                                                        This (expiration) date is listed          X   ..........
                                                         on the fuel tank and the fuel
                                                         tank cover label. (Page 7-7).
                                                        This (expiration) date is listed  ..........          X
                                                         on the fuel tank and the fuel
                                                         tank, the fuel fill door label
                                                         and the under-hood bi-fuel
                                                         information label. (Page 7-7).
                                                        CNG Fuel Tank Inspection Record           X           X
                                                         (page 7-8).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    IMPCO supported its application with the following arguments:
    IMPCO believes that the labels and owner's manual supplement 
information provided with these vehicles are responsive and consistent 
with the rationale and intent of the requirements, even though the 
exact words required by the standard are not used. The actual labels 
and the owner's manual supplement provide equivalent information 
required by FMVSS 303, S5.3 and S5.4. The CNG refueling valve label 
clearly states the operating pressure and refers the user to the 
owner's manual for information about tank service life. Both the 
refueling valve and the under-hood labels include the service 
expiration date and the owners manual indicates the service life, 
inspection information, and provide a form to record the expiration 
date.
    Virtually all CNG refueling stations incorporate an overfill 
protection system. Granted, a few CNG fill stations exist that are 
capable of providing a fill greater than 3,000 psi, however, the 
vehicle fill valve is designed to be incompatible with fill stations 
that have a fill pressure greater than the vehicle's rated service 
pressure. For example, a vehicle with a fill valve rated at 3,600 psi 
would be capable of filling at a 3,600, 3,000 or 2,400 psi fill 
station. However, it would be incapable of filling at a 5,000 psi fill 
station.
    Also, the subject vehicles are equipped with a CNG container 
validated up to 200 percent of the service pressure without leakage as 
required by FMVSS 304, S7.2.2 for such containers. Thus, even in the 
unlikely event of an overfill, the CNG containers are designed to 
provide adequate protection. IMPCO has not received any reports of 
injuries or property damage associated with overfilling of these 
vehicles and believes it is extremely remote that these deviations from 
FMVSS 303 label and owner's manual requirements could contribute to an 
injury or property damage incident.
    For all of these reasons, IMPCO believes that this noncompliance is 
inconsequential to motor vehicle safety. Accordingly, IMPCO petitions 
that it be exempted from the remedy and recall provisions of the Motor 
Vehicle Safety Act in this case.
    We have reviewed IMPCO's arguments. The primary safety purpose of 
labeling requirements in FMVSS No. 303 is to ensure that the vehicle 
owner is aware (1) of the service pressure during refueling operations 
and (2) that the CNG fuel container has a recommended inspection period 
and a service life. NHTSA concludes that the labels and owner's manual 
supplement information provided with these vehicles are consistent with 
the rationale and intent of the labeling requirements in FMVSS No. 303, 
even though the exact words required by the standard are not used.
    In consideration of the foregoing, NHTSA has decided that the 
applicant has met its burden of persuasion that the noncompliance 
described above is inconsequential to motor vehicle safety. 
Accordingly, its application is granted, and the applicant is exempted 
from providing the notification of the noncompliance that is required 
by 49 U.S.C. 30118, and from remedying the noncompliance, as required 
by 49 U.S.C. 30120.

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

    Issued on: March 7, 2000.
Stephen R. Kratzke,
Acting Associate Administrator for Safety Performance Standards.
[FR Doc. 00-6061 Filed 3-14-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P