Interpretation ID: aiam1215
1099 Wall Street
West
Lyndhurst
NJ 07071;
Dear Mr. Nakajima: This is in reply to your letter of July 24, 1973, concerning th meaning of the phrase 'remain in adjustment' in S5.3.5 of Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 215. You ask whether this criterion, when applied to the alignment of the front wheels, would permit misalignment as a result of the test, so long as the misalignment could be corrected to within the 'inspection limit' under which vehicle operation is considered to be normal.; Our reply is that impact-related misalignment beyond the inspectio limit is considered to be a noncompliance with S5.3.5, even though a mechanic could bring the wheel within the inspection limit without recourse to extraordinary techniques. Some variance in alignment would be permitted, in that tests are begun with the wheels aligned as closely as possible to the manufacturer's nominal adjustment limit which may be tighter than the inspection limit. This variance, however, is considerably less than what you envision in your letter.; Yours truly, Richard B. Dyson, Assistant Chief Counsel