[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 79 (Tuesday, April 26, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 21493]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-8265]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA 2005-20428; Notice 2]


Hankook Tire America Corp., Grant of Petition for Decision of 
Inconsequential Noncompliance

    Hankook Tire America Corp. (Hankook) has determined that certain 
tires it produced in 2003 and 2004 do not comply with S6.5(d) of 
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 119, ``New pneumatic 
tires for vehicles other than passenger cars.'' Pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 
30118(d) and 30120(h), Hankook has petitioned for a determination that 
this noncompliance is inconsequential to motor vehicle safety and has 
filed an appropriate report pursuant to 49 CFR part 573, ``Defect and 
Noncompliance Reports.'' Notice of receipt of a petition was published, 
with a 30-day comment period, on March 9, 2005, in the Federal Register 
(70 FR 11728). NHTSA received no comments.
    A total of approximately 41,716 tires are involved, which were 
produced during the period April 1, 2003 through December 20, 2004. 
S6.5(d) of FMVSS No. 119 requires that the maximum load rating and 
corresponding inflation pressure of the tires be marked on the tire in 
both English and metric units. The noncompliant tires do not have the 
metric markings.
    Hankook believes that the noncompliance is inconsequential to motor 
vehicle safety and that no corrective action is warranted. Hankook 
states that the noncompliance does not relate to motor vehicle safety, 
and that the problem has been corrected either by discontinuation or 
change of the mold of the affected tires.
    NHTSA agrees that the noncompliance is inconsequential to safety. 
The correct English unit information required by FMVSS No. 119 is 
provided and therefore is likely to achieve the safety purpose of the 
requirement. NHTSA granted a petition for a similar noncompliance by 
Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC in 2004 (69 FR 75106, 
December 15, 2004). Hankook has corrected the problem.
    In consideration of the foregoing, NHTSA has decided that the 
petitioner has met its burden of persuasion that the noncompliance 
described is inconsequential to motor vehicle safety. Accordingly, 
Hankook's petition is granted and the petitioner is exempted from the 
obligation of providing notification of, and a remedy for, the 
noncompliance.

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

    Issued on: April 20, 2005.
Ronald L. Medford,
Senior Associate Administrator for Vehicle Safety.
[FR Doc. 05-8265 Filed 4-25-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P