[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 189 (Friday, September 28, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59703-59704]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-23834]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2012-0117; Notice 1]


Mazda North American Operations, Receipt of Petition for Decision 
of Inconsequential Noncompliance

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Receipt of petition.

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SUMMARY: Mazda North American Operations (MNAO),\1\ on behalf of Mazda 
Motor Corporation of Hiroshima, Japan (Mazda),\2\ has determined that 
certain Mazda brand motor vehicles manufactured between 2000 and 2012 
for sale or lease in Puerto Rico, do not fully comply with paragraph 
S4.1 of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 225, Child 
Restraint Anchorage Systems. MNAO has filed an appropriate report dated 
June 21, 2012, pursuant to 49 CFR Part 573, Defect and Noncompliance 
Responsibility and Reports.
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    \1\ Mazda North American Operations, is a U.S. company that 
manufacturers and imports motor vehicles.
    \2\ Mazda Motor Corporation, is a Japanese company that 
manufacturers motor vehicles.
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    Pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 30118(d) and 30120(h) (see implementing rule 
at 49 CFR Part 556), MNAO submitted a petition for an exemption from 
the notification and remedy requirements of 49 U.S.C. chapter 301 on 
the basis that this noncompliance is inconsequential to motor vehicle 
safety.
    This notice of receipt of MNAO's petition 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 petition.
    Vehicles Involved: Affected are approximately 60,509 Mazda brand 
motor vehicles manufactured between 2000 and 2012 for sale or lease in 
Puerto Rico.
    NHTSA notes that the statutory provisions (49 U.S.C. 30118(d) and 
30120(h)) that permit manufacturers to file petitions for a 
determination of inconsequentiality allow NHTSA to exempt manufacturers 
only from the duties found in sections 30118 and 30120, respectively, 
to notify owners, purchasers, and dealers of a defect or

[[Page 59704]]

noncompliance and to remedy the defect or noncompliance. Therefore, 
these provisions only apply to the subject 60,509 \3\ vehicles that 
MNAO no longer controlled at the time it determined that the 
noncompliance existed.
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    \3\ MNAO's petition, which was filed under 49 CFR Part 556, 
requests an agency decision to exempt MNAO as a vehicle manufacturer 
from the notification and recall responsibilities of 49 CFR Part 573 
for the 60,509 affected vehicles. However, a decision on this 
petition will not relieve vehicle distributors and dealers of the 
prohibitions on the sale, offer for sale, introduction or delivery 
for introduction into interstate commerce of the noncompliant 
vehicles under their control after MNAO notified them that the 
subject noncompliance existed.
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    Noncompliance: MNAO explains that the noncompliance is that certain 
Mazda brand motor vehicles sold in Puerto Rico were not delivered with 
instructions on the use of child restraint tether anchorages written in 
English. The instructions were only provided in Spanish as part of the 
Spanish language version of the vehicle owner's manual provided with 
the vehicles at first sale. No English version owner's manuals were 
provided.
    Rule Text: Paragraph S4.1 of FMVSS No. 225 requires in pertinent 
part:

    S4.1 Each Tether anchorage and each child restraint anchorage 
system installed, either voluntarily or pursuant to this standard, 
in any new vehicle manufactured on or after September 1, 1999, shall 
comply with the configuration, location, marking and strength 
requirements of this standard. The vehicle shall be delivered with 
written information, in English, on how to appropriately use those 
anchorages and systems.

    Summary of MNAO's Analysis and Arguments: MNAO believes that while 
the noncompliant motor vehicles were delivered to Puerto Rico with 
Owners Manuals written only in the Spanish language and did not include 
a written version in the English language as required by FMVSS No. 225, 
it is inconsequential as it relates to motor vehicle safety for the 
following reason:
    1. All affected owner's manuals contain accurate Spanish 
translations of the information.
    2. In Puerto Rico, Spanish is the universally prevalent language. 
According to a U.S. Census done by the Census Bureau in 2010, 95.7% of 
the Puerto Rico's population speaks Spanish as their primary language.
    3. NHTSA also has a long history of encouraging the dissemination 
of product information in languages that are useful for the vehicle 
owners. (See example http://isearch.nhtsa.gov/files/8047.html)
    4. English Owners manuals for Mazda motor vehicles manufactured on 
or after 2002 can be downloaded from MNAO's Web site or upon request 
through MNAO dealerships and is available for customers in Puerto Rico 
free of charge.
    5. MNAO has not received any complaints or claims in Puerto Rico 
with regards to the language of the Owner's manuals.
    MNAO has additionally informed NHTSA that it has corrected future 
production and that all other motor vehicle owner's manuals are 
correct.
    In summation, MNAO believes that the described noncompliance of its 
motor vehicle owner's manuals is inconsequential to motor vehicle 
safety, and that its petition, to exempt it from providing recall 
notification of noncompliance as required by 49 U.S.C. 30118 and 
remedying the recall noncompliance as required by 49 U.S.C. 30120 
should be granted.
    Comments: Interested persons are invited to submit written data, 
views, and arguments on this petition. Comments must refer to the 
docket and notice number cited at the beginning of this notice and be 
submitted by any of the following methods:
    a. By mail addressed to: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket 
Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590.
    b. By hand delivery to U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket 
Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. The Docket Section is open on 
weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Federal Holidays.
    c. Electronically: by logging onto the Federal Docket Management 
System (FDMS) Web site at http://www.regulations.gov/. Follow the 
online instructions for submitting comments. Comments may also be faxed 
to 1-202-493-2251.
    Comments must be written in the English language, and be no greater 
than 15 pages in length, although there is no limit to the length of 
necessary attachments to the comments. If comments are submitted in 
hard copy form, please ensure that two copies are provided. If you wish 
to receive confirmation that your comments were received, please 
enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard with the comments. Note that 
all comments received will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided.
    Documents submitted to a docket may be viewed by anyone at the 
address and times given above. The documents may also be viewed on the 
Internet at http://www.regulations.gov by following the online 
instructions for accessing the dockets. DOT's complete Privacy Act 
Statement is available for review in the Federal Register published on 
April 11, 2000, (65 FR 19477-78).
    The petition, supporting materials, and all comments received 
before the close of business on the closing date indicated below will 
be filed and will be considered. All comments and supporting materials 
received after the closing date will also be filed and will be 
considered to the extent possible. When the petition is granted or 
denied, notice of the decision will be published in the Federal 
Register pursuant to the authority indicated below.
    Comment Closing Date: October 29, 2012.

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

    Issued on: September 20, 2012.
Claude H. Harris,
Director, Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2012-23834 Filed 9-27-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P