Interpretation ID: aiam1812
Government Representative
The Gates Rubber Company
999 South Broadway
Denver
CO 80217;
Dear Mr. Whitman: This responds to your letter of January 30, 1975, concerning th relationship between the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 106-74, Brake Hoses, and Military Specification MIL-H-3992C.; Part 571.7(c) of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, 49 CF 571.7(c), provides that:; >>>No standard applies to a vehicle or item of equipment manufacture for, and sold directly to, the Armed Forces of the United States in conformity with contractual specifications.<<<; Therefore, brake hose sold to the military in conformity wit MIL-H-3992C is not subject to any of the requirements of Standard No. 106-74. While Part 571.7(c) appears to exclude from the requirements of Standard No. 106-74 only that hose which is sold directly to the Armed Forces, the NHTSA interprets this section as also excluding that hose which is sold to military contractors, under contracts requiring it to conform to military specifications such as MIL-H-3992C, for installation in vehicles which are in turn sold directly to the military. We are considering the issuance of an interpretive amendment of Part 571.7(c) to this effect.; Sincerely, James C. Schultz, Chief Counsel