05-8004. Notice of Receipt of Petition for Decision That Nonconforming 2002-2003 Hobby Wohnwagenwerk Exclusive 650 KMFE Trailers Are Eligible for Importation

AGENCY:

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, DOT.

ACTION:

Notice of receipt of petition for decision that nonconforming 2002-2003 Hobby Wohnwagenwerk Exclusive 650 KMFE trailers are eligible for importation.

SUMMARY:

This document announces receipt by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of a petition for a decision that 2002-2003 Hobby Wohnwagenwerk Exclusive 650 KMFE trailers that were not originally manufactured to comply with all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards are eligible for importation into the United States because they have safety features that comply with, or are capable of being altered to comply with, all such standards.

DATES:

The closing date for comments on the petition is May 23, 2005.

ADDRESSES:

Comments should refer to the docket number and notice number, and be submitted to: Docket Management, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh St., SW., Washington, DC 20590. [Docket hours are from 9 am to 5 pm]. Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477-78) or you may visit http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Coleman Sachs, Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance, NHTSA (202-366-3151).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Under 49 U.S.C. 30141(a)(1)(B), a motor vehicle that was not originally manufactured to conform to all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards, and has no substantially similar U.S.-certified counterpart, shall be refused admission into the United States unless NHTSA has decided that the motor vehicle has safety features that comply with, or are capable of being altered to comply with, all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards based on destructive test data or such other evidence as NHTSA decides to be adequate.

Petitions for eligibility decisions may be submitted by either manufacturers or importers who have registered with NHTSA pursuant to 49 CFR Part 592. As specified in 49 CFR 593.7, NHTSA publishes notice in the Federal Register of each petition that it receives, and affords interested persons an opportunity to comment on the petition. At the close of the comment period, NHTSA decides, on the basis of the petition and any comments that it has received, whether the vehicle is eligible for importation. The agency then publishes this decision in the Federal Register.

Registered Importer Corporation of Oxnard, California (“RIC”) (Registered Importer 01-290) has petitioned NHTSA to decide whether 2002-2003 Hobby Wohnwagenwerk Exclusive 650 KMFE trailers that were not originally manufactured to conform to all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards are eligible for importation into the United States. RIC contends that these vehicles are eligible for importation under 49 U.S.C. 30141(a)(1)(B) because they have safety features that comply with, or are capable of being altered to comply with, all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards. RIC submitted information with its petition intended to demonstrate that 2002-2003 Hobby Wohnwagenwerk Exclusive 650 KMFE trailers, as originally manufactured, comply with one applicable FMVSS and are capable of being modified to comply with all other applicable standards to which they were not originally manufactured to conform.

Specifically, the petitioner claims that 2002-2003 Hobby Wohnwagenwerk Exclusive 650 KMFE trailers have safety features that comply with Standard No. 119 New Pneumatic Tires for Vehicles Other than Passenger Cars.

Petitioner also contends that the vehicles are capable of being altered to meet the following standards, in the manner indicated:

Standard No. 108 Lamps, Reflective Devices and Associated Equipment: installation of rear mounted identification lamps and front side mounted amber clearance lamps.

Standard No. 120 Tire Selection and Rims for Motor Vehicles Other than Passenger Cars: installation of a tire information placard.

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on the petition described above. Comments should refer to the docket number and be submitted to: Docket Management, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh St., SW., Washington, DC 20590. [Docket hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.]. It is requested but not required that 10 copies be submitted.

All comments received before the close of business on the closing date indicated above 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. Notice of final action on the petition will be published in the Federal Register pursuant to the authority indicated below.

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30141(a)(1)(A) and (b)(1); 49 CFR 593.8; delegations of authority at 49 CFR 1.50 and 501.8.

Claude H. Harris,

Director, Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance.