Interpretation ID: aiam0107
L'Administratore Delegato
Viale Ciro Menotti
322
41100 Modena (Italia);
>>>Your Ref: Direz. O.O. gb<<< Gentlemen: This is in response to your letter of August 8 with reference t compliance of the Maserati automobile with Federal motor vehicle safety standards.; You have asked first of all whether, as a manufacturer of 620 vehicle in 1967, Maserati may be excused from compliance with some of the Federal standards. The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966, under which Federal standards are issued, was recently amended to authorize a procedure whereby manufacturers of limited production vehicles might petition for exemption from the Federal standards. But this procedure is not available to a manufacturer of more than 500 vehicles a year, no matter how few vehicles of that manufacturer are exported to the United States. Consequently Maserati cannot be exempted from any of the Federal standards.; You have also mentioned the difficulties that a small manufacturer fac in crash-testing vehicles, and have asked whether the photographs you submitted showing several Maserati automobiles which have been involved in front end collisions are acceptable as proof of compliance with Federal standard No. 204 (Steering Control Rear-ward Displacement - Passenger Cars). I hope the following explanation will be of assistance to you. The Federal standards do not require crash-testing of vehicles, nor the submission of any data to the Federal Highway Administration for 'approval'. What is required is that a manufacturer attach a certification plate to his vehicle stating that the vehicle conforms to all applicable Federal standards on the date of the vehicle's manufacture. How the manufacturer satisfies himself that the vehicle conforms in his own affair, he may have non-crash data or other information which indicates conformance. The Federal Highway Administration, however, may request this data if through its own investigation it appears that a certification is false or misleading, and that a vehicle does not actually conform to a standard.; I enclose a copy of the latest Federal standards for your guidance. Sincerely, Robert M. O'Mahoney, Assistant Chief Counsel for Regulations