00-2723. Preliminary Theft Data; Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard

AGENCY:

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),Transportation.

ACTION:

Publication of preliminary theft data; request for comments.

SUMMARY:

This document requests comments on data about passenger motor vehicle thefts that occurred in calendar year (CY) 1998, including theft rates for existing passenger motor vehicle lines manufactured in model year (MY) 1998. The theft data preliminarily indicate that the vehicle theft rate for CY/MY 1998 vehicles (2.53 thefts per thousand vehicles) decreased by 17.05 percent from the theft rate for CY/MY 1997 vehicles (3.05 thefts per thousand vehicles).

Publication of these data fulfills NHTSA's statutory obligation to periodically obtain accurate and timely theft data, and publish the information for review and comment.

DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before April 10, 2000.

ADDRESSES:

All comments should refer to the docket number and notice number cited in the heading of this document and be submitted, preferably with two copies to: U.S. Department of Transportation, Dockets, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. Docket hours are from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ms. Rosalind Proctor, Office of Planning and Consumer Programs, NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street, SW, Washington, DC 20590. Ms. Proctor's telephone number is [phone]. Her fax number is [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

NHTSA administers a program for reducing motor vehicle theft. The central feature of this program is the Federal Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard, 49 CFR Part 541. The standard specifies performance requirements for inscribing or affixing vehicle identification numbers (VINs) onto certain major original equipment and replacement parts of high-theft lines of passenger motor vehicles.

The agency is required by 49 U.S.C. 33104(b)(4) to periodically obtain, from the most reliable source, accurate and timely theft data, and publish the data for review and comment. To fulfill the § 33104(b)(4) mandate, this document reports the preliminary theft data for CY 1998, the most recent calendar year for which data are available.

In calculating the 1998 theft rates, NHTSA followed the same procedures it used in calculating the MY 1997 theft rates. (For 1997 theft data calculations, see 64 FR 41183, July 29, 1999). As in all previous reports, NHTSA's data were based on information provided to the agency by the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The NCIC is a governmental system that receives vehicle theft information from nearly 23,000 criminal justice agencies and other law enforcement authorities throughout the United States. The NCIC data also include reported thefts of self-insured and uninsured vehicles, not all of which are reported to other data sources.

The 1998 theft rate for each vehicle line was calculated by dividing the number of reported thefts of MY 1998 vehicles of that line stolen during calendar year 1998, by the total number of vehicles in that line manufactured for MY 1998, as reported by manufacturers to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The preliminary 1998 theft data show a decrease in the vehicle theft rate when compared to the theft rate experienced in CY/MY 1997. The preliminary theft rate for MY 1998 passenger vehicles stolen in calendar year 1998 decreased to 2.53 thefts per thousand vehicles produced, a decrease of 17.05 percent from the rate of 3.05 thefts per thousand vehicles experienced by MY 1997 vehicles in CY 1997. For MY 1998 vehicles, out of a total of 196 vehicle lines, 41 lines had a theft rate higher than 3.5826 per thousand vehicles, the established median theft rate for MYs 1990/1991. (See 59 FR 12400, March 16, 1994). Of the 41 vehicle lines with a theft rate higher than 3.5826, 35 are passenger car lines, six are multipurpose passenger vehicle lines, and none are light-duty truck lines.

In Table I, NHTSA has tentatively ranked each of the MY 1998 vehicle lines in descending order of theft rate. Public comment is sought on the accuracy of the data, including the data for the production volumes of individual vehicle lines.

Comments must not exceed 15 pages in length (49 CFR Part 553.21). Attachments may be appended to these submissions without regard to the 15 page limit. This limitation is intended to encourage commenters to detail their primary arguments in a concise fashion.

If a commenter wishes to submit certain information under a claim of confidentiality, three copies of the complete submission, including purportedly confidential business information, should be submitted to the Chief Counsel, NHTSA, at the street address given above, and two copies from which the purportedly confidential information has been deleted should be submitted to Dockets. A request for confidentiality should be accompanied by a cover letter setting forth the information specified in the agency's confidential business information regulation. 49 CFR Part 512.

All comments received before the close of business on the comment closing date indicated above for this document will be considered, and will be available for examination in the docket at the above address both before and after that date. To the extent possible, comments filed after the closing date will also be considered. Comments on this document will be available for inspection in the docket. NHTSA will continue to file relevant information as it becomes available for inspection in the docket after the closing date, and it is recommended that interested persons continue to examine the docket for new material.

Those persons desiring to be notified upon receipt of their comments in the rules docket should enclose a self-addressed, stamped postcard in the envelope with their comments. Upon receiving the comments, the docket supervisor will return the postcard by mail.

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 33101, 33102 and 33104; delegation of authority at 49 CFR 1.50.

Preliminary Report of Theft Rates of 1998 Model Year Passenger Motor Vehicles Stolen in Calendar Year 1998

Manufacturer	Make/model (line)	Thefts 1998	Production (Mfr's) 1998	1998 theft rate (per 1,000 vehicles produced)
1 Mitsubishi	Diamante	87	6,584	13.2139
2 Lamborghini	DB132/Diablo	1	104	9.6154
3 Saab	9000	12	1,335	8.9888
4 Honda	Acura Integra	314	36,253	8.6614
5 Mitsubishi	Mirage	357	41,904	8.5195
6 Toyota	Tercel	92	11,207	8.2092
7 Chrysler Corp	Dodge Stratus	750	107,276	6.9913
8 Mitsubishi	Montero Sport/Nativa 1	318	45,772	6.9475
9 General Motors	Oldsmobile Achieva	181	26,922	6.7231
10 General Motors	GMC Safari Van	161	24,451	6.5846
11 General Motors	Buick Skylark	122	18,851	6.4718
12 Hyundai	Sonata	101	16,406	6.1563
13 Suzuki	X-90	3	500	6.0000
14 Chrysler Corp	Plymouth Breeze	393	66,612	5.8998
15 Mitsubishi	Galant	172	29,618	5.8073
16 Chrysler Corp	Plymouth Neon	499	87,055	5.7320
17 Chrysler Corp	Dodge Neon	725	130,154	5.5703
18 Mitsubishi	Eclipse	307	56,294	5.4535
19 Nissan	Maxima	682	130,862	5.2116
20 Chrysler Corp	Sebring Convertible	251	50,812	4.9398
21 Ford Motor Co	Mercury Tracer	177	35,850	4.9372
22 Hyundai	Elantra	169	35,792	4.7217
23 Suzuki	Swift	15	3,265	4.5942
24 General Motors	Pontiac Sunfire	409	90,469	4.5209
25 Mitsubishi	Montero	38	8,506	4.4674
26 Suzuki	Esteem	67	15,222	4.4015
27 Chrysler Corp	Jeep Grand Cherokee	1,085	249,097	4.3557
28 BMW	M3	50	11,537	4.3339
29 Toyota	Supra	3	697	4.3042
30 Mazda	Millenia	82	19,908	4.1189
31 Toyota	Lexus GS	124	30,810	4.0247
32 Toyota	4-Runner	489	121,745	4.0166
33 BMW	7	73	18,179	4.0156
34 Ford Motor Co	Contour	866	217,548	3.9807
35 Hyundai	Accent	123	31,692	3.8811
36 General Motors	Pontiac Grand AM	386	101,814	3.7912
37 Mitsubishi	3000GT	18	4,753	3.7871
38 Nissan	Altima	602	159,224	3.7808
39 Chrysler Corp	Eagle Talon	16	4,317	3.7063
40 Audi	Cabriolet	3	829	3.6188
41 Ford Motor Co	Mustang	612	170,587	3.5876
42 Mercedes Benz	140 (CL-Class & SL-Class)	34	9,593	3.5443
43 Suzuki	Sidekick	65	18,396	3.533
44 Nissan	Sentra/200SX	395	111,821	3.5324
45 Mazda	Protege	201	57,165	3.5161
46 General Motors	Chevrolet Blazer S10/T10	759	216,854	3.5001
47 KIA Motors	Sephia	156	45,860	3.4017
48 General Motors	Chevrolet Prizm	153	45,000	3.4000
49 General Motors	Pontiac Firebird/Formula	107	32,228	3.3201
50 General Motors	Chevrolet Camaro	159	48,562	3.2742
51 Ford Motor Co	Mercury Mystique	195	59,826	3.2595
52 Isuzu	Rodeo	223	68,558	3.2527
53 Chrysler Corp	Cirrus	121	37,295	3.2444
54 Porsche	911	8	2,474	3.2336
55 General Motors	Chevrolet Metro	104	32,499	3.2001
56 Chrysler Corp	Dodge Avenger	85	26,634	3.1914
57 General Motors	Chevrolet Cavalier	844	270,401	3.1213
58 Ford Motor Co	Mercury Sable	282	91,297	3.0888
59 Ford Motor Co	Lincoln Town Car	253	82,965	3.0495
60 Toyota	Corolla	690	228,197	3.0237
61 Mercedes Benz	129 (SL-Class)	25	8,315	3.0066
62 Ford Motor Co	Lincoln Mark VIII	43	14,357	2.9951
63 General Motors	Chevrolet Corvette	86	28,732	2.9932
64 Chrysler Corp	Jeep Cherokee	439	148,207	2.9621
65 Nissan	Infiniti I30	92	31,060	2.9620
66 Ford Motor Co	Escort	995	336,729	2.9549
67 General Motors	Cadillac Deville	305	104,209	2.9268
68 General Motors	Chevrolet Malibu	669	231,143	2.8943
69 General Motors	GMC Jimmy S-15	204	71,583	2.8498
70 Ford Motor Co	Taurus	943	332,243	2.8383
71 Toyota	Tacoma Pickup Truck	484	170,992	2.8305
72 Honda	Prelude	45	15,973	2.8173
73 Jaguar	XJ8	32	11,374	2.8134
74 Mazda	626	246	87,448	2.8131
75 General Motors	Oldsmobile Bravada	77	27,790	2.7708
76 Chrysler Corp	Sebring Coupe	93	35,035	2.6545
77 Hyundai	Tiburon	17	6,444	2.6381
78 Chrysler Corp	Dodge Intrepid	182	70,283	2.5895
79 Nissan	Infiniti QX4	44	17,109	2.5717
80 Honda	Passport	63	25,435	2.4769
81 General Motors	Chevrolet Lumina/Monte Carlo	616	255,423	2.4117
82 General Motors	Chevrolet Tracker	50	20,999	2.3811
83 Nissan	Pathfinder	186	81,428	2.2842
84 Honda	Civic	838	368,876	2.2718
85 General Motors	Pontiac Bonneville	146	65,539	2.2277
86 Volkswagen	Golf/GTI	40	17,971	2.2258
87 Mercedes Benz	208 (CLK-Class)	11	5,103	2.1556
88 Chrysler Corp	Jeep WRangler	185	90,341	2.0478
89 BMW	3	76	38,098	1.9949
90 Volkswagen	Jetta	149	74,701	1.9946
91 Chrysler Corp	Stratus 2	1	505	1.9802
92 BMW	5	70	35,631	1.9646
93 Ford Motor Co	F-150 Pickup Truck	805	409,940	1.9637
94 Jaguar	XJR	3	1,534	1.9557
95 Toyota	Camry	790	404,850	1.9513
96 Ford Motor Co	Windstar Van	646	333,746	1.9356
97 Chrysler Corp	Neon 2	1	518	1.9305
98 Kia Motors	Sportage	51	26,455	1.9278
99 Volvo	S70/V70	167	87,069	1.9180
100 Chrysler Corp	Plymouth Voyager/Grand	299	156,440	1.9113
101 Toyota	Lexus ES	96	50,585	1.8978
102 Chrysler Corp	Dodge Caravan/Grand	538	288,662	1.8638
103 General Motors	Cadillac Eldorado	33	17,950	1.8384
104 General Motors	Oldsmobile Intrigue	180	99,035	1.8175
105 Honda	Acura TL	33	18,337	1.7996
106 Toyota	Lexus SC	5	2,801	1.7851
107 Isuzu	Trooper	33	18,657	1.7688
108 Isuzu	Oasis Van	3	1,702	1.7626
109 Ford Motor Co	Mercury Grand Marquis	154	87,762	1.7547
110 Ford Motor Co	Explorer	773	446,467	1.7314
111 General Motors	Cadillac Seville	47	27,650	1.6998
112 Chrysler Corp	Dodge Dakota Pickup Truck	245	144,215	1.6989
113 Mercedes Benz	210 (E-Class)	72	42,466	1.6955
114 Volvo	C70	4	2,394	1.6708
115 Toyota	T100 Pickup Truck	18	10,783	1.6693
116 General Motors	Cadillac Catera	46	27,571	1.6684
117 Mazda	MPV	25	15,037	1.6626
118 General Motors	Oldsmobile Cutlass	86	52,679	1.6325
119 General Motors	Oldsmobile Aurora	39	23,955	1.6281
120 Isuzu	Hombre Pickup Truck	32	20,289	1.5772
121 General Motors	Buick Century	198	128,899	1.5361
122 Ford Motor Co	Ranger Pickup Truck	451	297,551	1.5157
123 Ford Motor Co	Mercury Mountaineer	77	51,022	1.5092
124 General Motors	Pontiac Grand Prix	188	127,838	1.4706
125 Mazda	B Series Pickup Truck	70	48,270	1.4502
126 Toyota	RAV4	93	64,298	1.4464
127 General Motors	Buick Regal	101	70,556	1.4315
128 Honda	Acura CL	36	25,471	1.4134
129 General Motors	Chevrolet S-10 Pickup Truck	348	248,330	1.4014
130 Isuzu	Amigo	13	9,374	1.3868
131 Jaguar	XK8	8	5,792	1.3812
132 Porsche	Boxster Convertible	10	7,253	1.3787
133 Mercedes Benz	202 (C-Class)	45	34,100	1.3196
134 General Motors	GMC Sonoma Pickup Truck	77	59,359	1.2972
135 General Motors	Buick Park Avenue	80	62,015	1.2900
136 General Motors	Pontiac Trans Sport Van	70	54,839	1.2765
137 Nissan	Frontier Pickup Truck	111	89,266	1.2435
138 General Motors	Saturn SC	42	34,035	1.2340
139 General Motors	Buick Riviera	13	10,601	1.2263
140 Volkswagen	Cabrio	15	12,252	1.2243
141 Honda	Accord	490	403,085	1.2156
142 BMW	Z3	20	16,482	1.2134
143 Toyota	Lexus LS	27	22,840	1.1821
144 Subaru	Impreza	23	19,550	1.1765
145 Chrysler Corp	Concorde	52	46,543	1.1172
146 Mercedes Benz	163 (ML-Class)	44	39,493	1.1141
147 Honda	Acura SLX	2	1,800	1.1111
148 Mercedes Benz	170 (SLK-Class)	14	12,658	1.1060
149 General Motors	Oldsmobile 88/Regency	69	64,116	1.0762
150 Toyota	Avalon	80	76,189	1.0500
151 Subaru	Legacy	95	90,721	1.0472
152 General Motors	Chevrolet Venture Van	93	93,027	0.9997
153 General Motors	Saturn SL	146	147,604	0.9891
154 Honda	Acura RL	14	14,182	0.9872
155 Nissan	Quest	26	26,388	0.9853
156 Ford Motor Co	Lincoln Continental	38	38,671	0.9826
157 Chrysler Corp	Dodge Viper	1	1,067	0.9372
158 Volvo	S90/V90	12	12,825	0.9357
159 Volkswagen	Passat	24	25,869	0.9278
160 Nissan	240SX	2	2,178	0.9183
161 Nissan	Infiniti Q45	7	7,795	0.8980
162 Toyota	Celica	3	3,343	0.8974
163 Audi	A4	21	24,225	0.8669
164 Chrysler Corp	Town and Country MPV	52	62,976	0.8257
165 General Motors	Buick Lesabre	111	143,354	0.7743
166 Honda	CR-V	74	96,828	0.7642
167 Jaguar	Vanden Plas	4	5,284	0.7570
168 Ford Motor Co	Mercury Villager MPV	28	37,471	0.7472
169 Toyota	Sienna Van	48	73,777	0.6506
170 Subaru	Forester	28	43,490	0.6438
171 Audi	A6	10	16,938	0.5904
172 Volkswagen	New Beetle	22	38,999	0.5641
173 Honda	Odyssey Van	8	14,633	0.5467
174 Ford Motor Co	Crown Victoria	43	85,305	0.5041
175 General Motors	Oldsmobile Silhouette Van	17	35,827	0.4745
176 General Motors	Saturn SW	8	18,322	0.4366
177 Saab	900	5	12,003	0.4166
178 General Motors	Chevrolet Astro Van	34	83,317	0.4081
179 Aston Martin	DB7	0	213	0.0000
180 Audi	A8	0	1,978	0.0000
181 Chrysler Corp	Intrepid 2	0	171	0.0000
182 Fiat	Ferrari	456	25	0.0000
183 Fiat	Ferrari 550	0	149	0.0000
184 Fiat	Ferrari F355	0	511	0.0000
185 General Motors	Buick Funeral Coach	0	1,061	0.0000
186 General Motors	Cadillac Limousine	0	1,134	0.0000
187 Honda	Acura NSX	0	254	0.0000
188 Lotus	Esprit	0	54	0.0000
189 Rolls-Royce	Bentley Azure	0	99	0.0000
190 Rolls-Royce	Bentley Brooklands	0	39	0.0000
191 Rolls-Royce	Bentley Continental R	0	24	0.0000
192 Rolls-Royce	Bentley Continental T	0	20	0.0000
193 Rolls-Royce	Bentley Turbo R/RT	0	25	0.0000
194 Rolls-Royce	Silver Spur Park Ward	0	12	0.0000
195 Rolls-Royce	Silver Spur	0	30	0.0000
196 Vector Auto	Avtech SC/M12	0	5	0.0000
1 Nativa is the name applied to Montero Sport vehicles that are manufactured for sale only in Puerto Rico.
2 These vehicles were manufactured for sale only in U.S. territories under the Chrysler name plate.

Issued on: February 2, 2000.

Stephen R. Kratzke,

Acting Associate Administrator for Safety Performance Standards.