02-5807. Preliminary Theft Data; Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard

AGENCY:

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Department of 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) 2000, including theft rates for existing passenger motor vehicle lines manufactured in model year (MY) 2000. The theft data preliminarily indicate that the vehicle theft rate for CY/MY 2000 vehicles (2.89 thefts per thousand vehicles) did not change from the theft rate for CY/MY 1999 vehicles (2.89 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 May 13, 2002.

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 a.m. to 5 p.m., 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 section 33104(b)(4) mandate, this document reports the preliminary theft data for CY 2000, the most recent calendar year for which data are available.

In calculating the 2000 theft rates, NHTSA followed the same procedures it used in calculating the MY 1999 theft rates. (For 1999 theft data calculations, see 66 FR 39554, July 31, 2001). 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 2000 theft rate for each vehicle line was calculated by dividing the number of reported thefts of MY 2000 vehicles of that line stolen during calendar year 2000, by the total number of vehicles in that line manufactured for MY 2000, as reported by manufacturers to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The preliminary 2000 theft data show no change in the vehicle theft rate when compared to the theft rate experienced in CY/MY 1999. The preliminary theft rate for MY 2000 passenger vehicles stolen in calendar year 2000 of 2.89 thefts per thousand vehicles produced, did not change from the rate of 2.89 thefts per thousand vehicles experienced by MY 1999 vehicles in CY 1999. For MY 2000 vehicles, out of a total of 206 vehicle lines, 51 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 51 vehicle lines with a theft rate higher than 3.5826, 45 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 2000 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 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 for 2000 Model Year Passenger Motor Vehicles Stolen in Calendar Year 2000

No.	Manufacturer	Make/model (line)	Thefts 2000	Production (Mfr's) 2000	2000 theft rate (per 1,000 vehicles produced)
1	DAIMLERCHRYSLER	PLYMOUTH BREEZE	173	15,723	11.0030
2	MITSUBISHI	MONTERO SPORT/NATIVA 1	509	46,272	11.0002
3	MITSUBISHI	MONTERO	22	2,147	10.2469
4	BMW	X5	12	1,312	9.1463
5	DAIMLERCHRYSLER	CHRYSLER INTREPID 2	4	449	8.9087
6	DAIMLERCHRYSLER	DODGE STRATUS	1,040	118,845	8.7509
7	DAIMLERCHRYSLER	DODGE INTREPID	1,400	162,279	8.6271
8	MITSUBISHI	MIRAGE	502	61,957	8.1024
9	DAIMLERCHRYSLER	PLYMOUTH NEON	626	89,142	7.0225
10	DAIMLERCHRYSLER	DODGE NEON	1,191	170,098	7.0018
11	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET METRO	210	30,521	6.8805
12	DAIMLERCHRYSLER	JEEP CHEROKEE	1,040	153,816	6.7613
13	HONDA	ACURA NSX	2	305	6.5574
14	DAIMLERCHRYSLER	CHRYSLER LHS	139	22,944	6.0582
15	ASTON MARTIN	VANTAGE COUPE	1	175	5.7143
16	DAIMLERCHRYSLER	CHRYSLER CIRRUS	267	46,849	5.6992
17	FORD MOTOR CO	FORD CONTOUR	350	61,603	5.6815
18	DAIMLERCHRYSLER	CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE	287	50,940	5.6341
19	GENERAL MOTORS	OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA	186	33,179	5.6060
20	MITSUBISHI	GALANT	520	94,773	5.4868
21	HONDA	CIVIC	1,807	339,223	5.3269
22	GENERAL MOTORS	PONTIAC GRAND AM	1,194	225,321	5.2991
23	GENERAL MOTORS	OLDSMOBILE ALERO	586	118,421	4.9484
24	DAEWOO	LEGANZA	128	25,960	4.9307
25	HONDA	ACURA INTEGRA	136	28,095	4.8407
26	DAEWOO	LANOS	116	24,049	4.8235
27	KIA MOTORS	SEPHIA/SPECTRA	487	101,027	4.8205
28	GENERAL MOTORS	OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE	352	73,399	4.7957
29	FORD MOTOR CO	MERCURY MYSTIQUE	98	20,839	4.7027
30	DAIMLERCHRYSLER	CHRYSLER CONCORDE	268	59,453	4.5078
31	TOYOTA	COROLLA	839	187,996	4.4629
32	SUZUKI	VITARA/GRAND VITARA	197	46,188	4.2652
33	AUDI	S4	23	5,396	4.2624
34	GENERAL MOTORS	CADILLAC DEVILLE/LIMOUSINE	380	92,619	4.1028
35	FORD MOTOR CO	FORD MUSTANG	832	202,972	4.0991
36	KIA MOTORS	SPORTAGE	271	66,519	4.0740
37	HYUNDAI	ACCENT	232	57,111	4.0623
38	MITSUBISHI	ECLIPSE	185	45,850	4.0349
39	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET CAMARO	177	43,990	4.0236
40	GENERAL MOTORS	PONTIAC SUNFIRE	366	91,198	4.0132
41	SUZUKI	ESTEEM	78	19,520	3.9959
42	ISUZU	TROOPER	75	19,100	3.9267
43	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET CAVALIER	975	256,972	3.7942
44	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET MALIBU	817	215,601	3.7894
45	TOYOTA	LEXUS GS	102	26,952	3.7845
46	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET LUMINA/MONTE CARLO	368	98,556	3.7339
47	GENERAL MOTORS	PONTIAC FIREBIRD/TRANS AM/FORMULA.	115	31,093	3.6986
48	HYUNDAI	SONATA	182	49,340	3.6887
49	FORD MOTOR CO	FORD FOCUS	1,112	304,049	3.6573
50	AUDI	A6	94	26,000	3.6154
51	GENERAL MOTORS	BUICK REGAL	224	62,502	3.5839
52	JAGUAR	S-TYPE	117	32,818	3.5651
53	NISSAN	MAXIMA	604	175,111	3.4492
54	FORD MOTOR CO	LINCOLN TOWN CAR	296	89,164	3.3197
55	NISSAN	ALTIMA	484	147,978	3.2708
56	VOLVO	C70	17	5,293	3.2118
57	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET BLAZER S10/T10	800	249,486	3.2066
58	SUZUKI	SWIFT	9	2,860	3.1469
59	DAIMLERCHRYSLER	CHRYSLER NEON2	4	1,303	3.0698
60	NISSAN	PATHFINDER	88	28,983	3.0363
61	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET PRIZM	116	38,920	2.9805
62	AUDI	TT	21	7,215	2.9106
63	MERCEDES BENZ	220 (S-CLASS)	118	40,612	2.9055
64	HYUNDAI	ELANTRA	354	122,625	2.8869
65	ISUZU	RODEO	155	54,169	2.8614
66	GENERAL MOTORS	GMC JIMMY S-15	251	87,839	2.8575
67	HONDA	PRELUDE	29	10,165	2.8529
68	GENERAL MOTORS	CADILLAC SEVILLE	89	31,414	2.8331
69	MAZDA	MILLENIA	49	17,334	2.8268
70	DAEWOO	NUBIRA	67	23,985	2.7934
71	GENERAL MOTORS	PONTIAC GRAND PRIX	431	156,496	2.7541
72	FORD MOTOR CO	FORD TAURUS	945	350,145	2.6989
73	FORD MOTOR CO	MERCURY MOUNTAINEER	134	50,023	2.6788
74	DAIMLERCHRYSLER	DODGE AVENGER	17	6,376	2.6662
75	MERCEDES BENZ	208 (CLK-CLASS)	47	17,796	2.6410
76	FORD MOTOR CO	FORD EXPLORER	1,001	383,386	2.6109
77	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET IMPALA	519	199,319	2.6039
78	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	81	31,189	2.5971
79	DAIMLERCHRYSLER	CHRYSLER 300 M	138	53,353	2.5865
80	FORD MOTOR CO	MERCURY SABLE	239	93,301	2.5616
81	TOYOTA	CELICA	154	60,368	2.5510
82	MAZDA	626	192	76,444	2.5116
83	ISUZU	VEHICROSS	2	808	2.4752
84	NISSAN	INFINITI Q45	10	4,045	2.4722
85	DAIMLERCHRYSLER	JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE	741	299,988	2.4701
86	BMW	Z3	24	9,857	2.4348
87	TOYOTA	CAMRY/CAMRY SOLARA	1,097	451,343	2.4305
88	FORD MOTOR CO	LINCOLN LS	164	68,527	2.3932
89	JAGUAR	XK8/XK8 CONVERTIBLE	11	4,698	2.3414
90	TOYOTA	RAV4	103	44,645	2.3071
91	TOYOTA	4-RUNNER	302	132,248	2.2836
92	DAIMLERCHRYSLER	DODGE CARAVAN/GRAND	727	333,712	2.1785
93	FORD MOTOR CO	FORD RANGER PICKUP TRUCK	747	346,291	2.1571
94	FORD MOTOR CO	FORD F-150 PICKUP TRUCK	318	151,791	2.0950
95	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET S-10 PICKUP TRUCK	514	246,662	2.0838
96	DAIMLERCHRYSLER	PLYMOUTH VOYAGER/GRAND	258	123,906	2.0822
97	FORD MOTOR CO	FORD ESCORT	200	96,287	2.0771
98	MAZDA	PROTÈGÈ	166	80,346	2.0661
99	GENERAL MOTORS	SATURN SC	33	16,009	2.0613
100	BMW	7	35	17,141	2.0419
101	TOYOTA	ECHO	114	56,699	2.0106
102	HYUNDAI	TIBURON	32	15,958	2.0053
103	MITSUBISHI	DIAMANTE	17	8,629	1.9701
104	GENERAL MOTORS	SATURN SL	255	130,551	1.9533
105	FORD MOTOR CO	MERCURY COUGAR	87	44,911	1.9372
106	DAIMLERCHRYSLER	CHRYSLER SEBRING COUPE	21	10,910	1.9248
107	DAIMLERCHRYSLER	JEEP WRANGLER	178	92,672	1.9208
108	GENERAL MOTORS	BUICK CENTURY	272	144,495	1.8824
109	NISSAN	XTERRA	200	108,434	1.8444
110	GENERAL MOTORS	GMC SAFARI VAN	54	30,093	1.7944
111	DAIMLERCHRYSLER	DODGE DAKOTA PICKUP TRUCK	322	181,011	1.7789
112	VOLVO	S40/V40	63	35,817	1.7589
113	NISSAN	SENTRA	120	68,587	1.7496
114	BMW	5	80	45,769	1.7479
115	BMW	3	155	89,026	1.7411
116	FORD MOTOR CO	LINCOLN CONTINENTAL	42	24,210	1.7348
117	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET ASTRO VAN	155	89,660	1.7288
118	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET TRACKER	77	45,063	1.7087
119	HONDA	PASSPORT	35	20,493	1.7079
120	VOLVO	S70/V70	69	40,581	1.7003
121	NISSAN	INFINITI G20	23	13,635	1.6868
122	MAZDA	B SERIES PICKUP TRUCK	53	31,627	1.6758
123	MERCEDES BENZ	203 (C-CLASS)	44	26,439	1.6642
124	VOLVO	XC	24	14,489	1.6564
125	TOYOTA	TACOMA PICKUP TRUCK	236	142,518	1.6559
126	VOLKSWAGEN	JETTA	224	137,940	1.6239
127	GENERAL MOTORS	CADILLAC ELDORADO	22	13,845	1.5890
128	GENERAL MOTORS	PONTIAC BONNEVILLE	94	59,334	1.5843
129	ISUZU	HOMBRE PICKUP TRUCK	7	4,449	1.5734
130	JAGUAR	XJR	2	1,290	1.5504
131	NISSAN	FRONTIER PICKUP TRUCK	217	143,358	1.5137
132	MERCEDES BENZ	215 (CL-CLASS)	2	1,338	1.4948
133	FORD MOTOR CO	MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS	200	135,282	1.4784
134	HONDA	ACCORD	627	430,595	1.4561
135	PORSCHE	911	11	7,578	1.4516
136	GENERAL MOTORS	GMC SONOMA PICKUP TRUCK	86	60,124	1.4304
137	JAGUAR	XJ8	10	7,086	1.4112
138	VOLKSWAGEN	GOLF/GTI	37	26,862	1.3774
139	AUDI	A8	3	2,189	1.3705
140	MERCEDES BENZ	210 (E-CLASS)	64	46,709	1.3702
141	TOYOTA	LEXUS LS	15	11,179	1.3418
142	DAIMLERCHRYSLER	DODGE VIPER	2	1,559	1.2829
143	GENERAL MOTORS	SATURN LS	105	82,956	1.2657
144	TOYOTA	LEXUS RX	113	89,410	1.2638
145	GENERAL MOTORS	BUICK LESABRE	240	190,269	1.2614
146	FORD MOTOR CO	FORD WINDSTAR VAN	291	232,403	1.2521
147	AUDI	A4	24	19,304	1.2433
148	VOLVO	S80	44	35,864	1.2269
149	SUBARU	IMPREZA	21	17,353	1.2102
150	GENERAL MOTORS	PONTIAC MONTANA VAN	75	62,640	1.1973
151	MERCEDES BENZ	170 (SLK-CLASS)	7	5,891	1.1883
152	TOYOTA	LEXUS ES	54	45,885	1.1769
153	DAIMLERCHRYSLER	PLYMOUTH PROWLER	3	2,576	1.1646
154	GENERAL MOTORS	BUICK PARK AVENUE	59	51,365	1.1486
155	VOLKSWAGEN	CABRIO	10	8,836	1.1317
156	NISSAN	INFINITI I30	45	39,815	1.1302
157	JAGUAR	VANDEN PLAS	4	3,596	1.1123
158	NISSAN	QUEST	52	46,834	1.1103
159	HONDA	ACURA TL	74	67,287	1.0998
160	GENERAL MOTORS	CADILLAC CATERA	17	15,629	1.0877
161	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET VENTURE VAN	107	100,041	1.0696
162	HONDA	CR-V	121	114,387	1.0578
163	TOYOTA	TUNDRA PICKUP TRUCK	11	10,527	1.0449
164	HONDA	ACURA RL	17	16,470	1.0322
165	MERCEDES BENZ	129 (SL-CLASS)	5	4,845	1.0320
166	SUBARU	FORESTER	29	28,950	1.0017
167	DAIMLERCHRYSLER	CHRYSLER TOWN & COUNTRY	93	96,298	0.9658
168	ISUZU	AMIGO	3	3,199	0.9378
169	MAZDA	MPV	47	50,565	0.9295
170	FORD MOTOR CO	MERCURY VILLAGER MPV	29	31,495	0.9208
171	GENERAL MOTORS	CADILLAC FUNERAL COACH	1	1,100	0.9091
172	TOYOTA	AVALON	98	108,025	0.9072
173	VOLKSWAGEN	NEW BEETLE	81	89,819	0.9018
174	NISSAN	INFINITI QX4	25	28,258	0.8847
175	VOLKSWAGEN	PASSAT	59	67,216	0.8778
176	GENERAL MOTORS	OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE VAN	34	41,705	0.8152
177	SAAB	9-3	14	17,929	0.7809
178	GENERAL MOTORS	SATURN LW	11	14,418	0.7629
179	SAAB	9-5	13	17,162	0.7575
180	TOYOTA	SIENNA VAN	96	131,405	0.7306
181	TOYOTA	MR2	4	5,597	0.7147
182	SUBARU	LEGACY	65	97,215	0.6686
183	JAGUAR	XKR	1	1,508	0.6631
184	GENERAL MOTORS	SATURN SW	6	9,113	0.6584
185	PORSCHE	BOXSTER/BOXSTER S	8	13,563	0.5898
186	HONDA	S2000	5	9,206	0.5431
187	MAZDA	MX-5 MIATA	8	16,107	0.4967
188	FORD MOTOR CO	FORD CROWN VICTORIA	50	103,784	0.4818
189	HONDA	INSIGHT	2	5,603	0.3570
190	HONDA	ODYSSEY	33	122,131	0.2702
191	ASTON MARTIN	VANTAGE VOLANTE	0	573	0.0000
192	BMW	Z8	0	2,936	0.0000
193	DAIMLERCHRYSLER	CHRYSLER STRATUS 2	0	131	0.0000
194	FIAT	FERRARI 360	0	452	0.0000
195	FIAT	FERRARI 456	0	82	0.0000
196	FIAT	FERRARI 550	0	256	0.0000
197	LOTUS	ESPRIT	0	200	0.0000
198	ROLLS-ROYCE	BENTLEY ARNAGE	0	422	0.0000
199	ROLLS-ROYCE	BENTLEY AZURE	0	93	0.0000
200	ROLLS-ROYCE	BENTLEY CONTINENTAL R	0	23	0.0000
201	ROLLS-ROYCE	BENTLEY CONTINENTAL SC	0	3	0.0000
202	ROLLS-ROYCE	BENTLEY CONTINENTAL T	0	2	0.0000
203	ROLLS-ROYCE	BENTLEY CORNICHE	0	97	0.0000
204	ROLLS-ROYCE	SILVER SERAPH	0	154	0.0000
205	TOYOTA	LEXUS SC	0	823	0.0000
206	VOLKSWAGEN	EUROVAN	0	2,791	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 in the U.S. territories under the Chrysler nameplate.

Issued on: March 4, 2002.

Stephen R. Kratzke,

Associate Administrator for Safety Performance Standards.