Interpretation ID: nht69-2.22

DATE: 10/03/69

FROM: AUTHOR UNAVAILABLE; C. A. Baker; NHTSA

TO: Donald J. Norris

TITLE: FMVSS INTERPRETATION

TEXT: This reply is in reference to your letter to Mrs. Knauer concerning Federal tire codes and tire tests, and a minimum service guarantee on tires.

The list of tire manufacturer's approved code marks is periodically updated wherever new number are requereted or other chop as are necessary. The latest revision, a copy of which is enclosed, was printed on July 2, 1969. in the Federal Register. The tire code mumber, you realise, is placed on the tire to enable the consumer to identify the actual manufacturer of a tire. With respect to the minimum performance standards for passenger care times it is our intent to revise there standard and up-grade as necessary to protect the motoring public.

It has been the policy of the National Highway Safety Bureau to retest tires when individual failures are found and to request the manufacturer of these tires to provide information concerning their basis of certifying compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 109. When upon retesting a significant number of tires of a certain brand and line of tires are found to be defective, indicating that failures are not of the "isolated-instance type", this information has been released to the public and recall campains have been initiated. The Bureau has taken the position that an isolated instance of failure is not necessarily representative of the tires being manufactured and further verification is needed by retesting. We feel that the release of information on isolated failures would be confusing and serve no useful purpose to the consumer.

The National Highway Safety Bureau has the responsibility of establishing safety standards for motor vehicles to reduce accidents.(Illegible Words) injuries in(Illegible Word) accidents.(Illegible Words) into relationships between the consumer and the caller of tires in cases involving(Illegible Word) service(Illegible Word).