2010-20316. 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) 2008 including theft rates for existing passenger motor vehicle lines manufactured in model year (MY) 2008. The preliminary theft data indicate that the vehicle theft rate for CY/MY 2008 vehicles (1.69 thefts per thousand vehicles) decreased by 8.65 percent from the theft rate for CY/MY 2007 vehicles (1.85 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 October 18, 2010.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments [identified by Docket No. NHTSA-2010-0098 by any of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail: Docket Management Facility: U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
• Hand Delivery or Courier: West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
• Fax: [phone].

Instructions: For detailed instructions on submitting comments and additional information on the rulemaking process, see the Public Participation heading of the Supplementary Information section of this document. Note that all comments received will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov,, including any personal information provided. Please see the Privacy Act heading below.

Privacy Act: 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 (65 FR 19477-78) or you may visit http://DocketsInfo.dot.gov.

Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov. or the street address listed above. Follow the online instructions for accessing the dockets.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ms. Deborah Mazyck, Office of International Policy, Fuel Economy and Consumer Programs, NHTSA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590. Ms. Mazyck'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 2008 the most recent calendar year for which data are available.

In calculating the 2008 theft rates, NHTSA followed the same procedures it has used since publication of the 1983/1984 theft rate data (50 FR 46669, November 12, 1985). The 2008 theft rate for each vehicle line was calculated by dividing the number of reported thefts of MY 2008 vehicles of that line stolen during calendar year 2008 by the total number of vehicles in that line manufactured for MY 2008, as reported to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As in all previous reports, NHTSA's data were based on information provided to NHTSA by the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The NCIC is a government system that receives vehicle theft information from approximately 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 preliminary 2008 theft data show a decrease in the vehicle theft rate when compared to the theft rate experienced in CY/MY 2007 (for 2007 theft data, see 75 FR 47720, August 9, 2010). The preliminary theft rate for MY 2008 passenger vehicles stolen in calendar year 2008 decreased to 1.69 thefts per thousand vehicles produced, a decrease of 8.65 percent from the rate of 1.85 thefts per thousand vehicles experienced by MY 2007 vehicles in CY 2007. For MY 2008 vehicles, out of a total of 239 vehicle lines, 18 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 18 vehicle lines with a theft rate higher than 3.5826, 14 are passenger car lines, four are multipurpose passenger vehicle lines, and none are light-duty truck lines.

The agency believes that the theft rate reduction is a result of several factors, including vehicle parts marking; the increased use of standard antitheft devices (i.e., as immobilizers); advances in electronic technology and other theft prevention methods (i.e., remote engine disablers, license tag readers; improved door locks); increased and improved prosecution efforts by law enforcement organizations; and, increased public awareness (i.e., precautionary measures for vehicle owners) which may have contributed to the overall reduction in vehicle thefts. The preliminary MY 2008 theft rate reduction is consistent with the general decreasing trend of theft rates over the past 16 years as indicated by Figure 1.

In Table I, NHTSA has tentatively ranked each of the MY 2008 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.

Privacy Act: 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://DocketsInfo.dot.gov.

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

Preliminary Report of Theft Rates for Model Year 2008 Passenger Motor Vehicles Stolen in Calendar Year 2008

	Manufacturer	Make/model (line)	Thefts 2008	Production (Mfr's) 2008	2008 Theft rate (per 1,000 vehicles produced)
1	CHRYSLER	DODGE MAGNUM	208	15,319	13.5779
2	GENERAL MOTORS	PONTIAC GRAND PRIX	436	64,268	6.7841
3	CHRYSLER	DODGE CHARGER	728	110,895	6.5648
4	MITSUBISHI	GALANT	77	11,986	6.4242
5	CHRYSLER	300	483	76,295	6.3307
6	HYUNDAI	AZERA	62	11,462	5.4092
7	CHRYSLER	SEBRING	260	51,096	5.0885
8	CHRYSLER	PACIFICA	83	16,384	5.0659
9	CHRYSLER	PT CRUISER CONVERTIBLE	9	1,830	4.9180
10	HYUNDAI	SONATA	429	87,456	4.9053
11	GENERAL MOTORS	CADILLAC STS	82	17,517	4.6812
12	CHRYSLER	DODGE AVENGER	641	137,543	4.6604
13	NISSAN	PATHFINDER	115	25,262	4.5523
14	CHRYSLER	DODGE CALIBER	387	91,288	4.2393
15	MAZDA	6	182	44,114	4.1257
16	CHRYSLER	PT CRUISER	254	65,485	3.8788
17	CHRYSLER	SEBRING CONVERTIBLE	177	45,930	3.8537
18	HONDA	S2000	10	2,606	3.8373
19	GENERAL MOTORS	PONTIAC G6	549	154,317	3.5576
20	LAMBORGHINI	MURCIELAGO	1	288	3.4722
21	NISSAN	INFINITI FX35	52	15,179	3.4258
22	NISSAN	MAXIMA	131	38,602	3.3936
23	ISUZU	I SERIES PICKUP	10	2,977	3.3591
24	MITSUBISHI	ECLIPSE	70	21,046	3.3260
25	NISSAN	350Z	41	12,373	3.3137
26	BMW	M6	5	1,547	3.2321
27	SUZUKI	XL7	78	24,555	3.1765
28	ASTON MARTIN	DB9	1	323	3.0960
29	FORD MOTOR CO.	MUSTANG	287	94,476	3.0378
30	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET COBALT	535	176,456	3.0319
31	KIA	SPECTRA	181	60,253	3.0040
32	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET IMPALA	923	320,116	2.8833
33	SUZUKI	FORENZA	61	21,358	2.8561
34	ISUZU	ASCENDER	3	1,063	2.8222
35	VOLVO	S40	33	11,753	2.8078
36	BMW	7	38	13,599	2.7943
37	CHRYSLER	DODGE NITRO	135	48,377	2.7906
38	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET MALIBU	423	155,433	2.7214
39	KIA	RIO	92	35,014	2.6275
40	AUDI	AUDI S8/S8 QUATTRO	1	385	2.5974
41	GENERAL MOTORS	PONTIAC G5	52	20,185	2.5762
42	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET AVEO	139	56,070	2.4790
43	KIA	OPTIMA	113	47,198	2.3942
44	GENERAL MOTORS	CADILLAC DTS	97	40,809	2.3769
45	VOLVO	S60	32	13,592	2.3543
46	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET HHR	219	99,176	2.2082
47	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER	215	100,805	2.1328
48	TOYOTA	SCION TC	114	54,835	2.0790
49	SUZUKI	RENO	10	4,840	2.0661
50	MERCEDES-BENZ	CL-CLASS	22	10,679	2.0601
51	KIA	RONDO	47	23,441	2.0050
52	CHRYSLER	JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE	123	62,654	1.9632
53	JAGUAR LAND ROVER	XK	3	1,542	1.9455
54	TOYOTA	COROLLA	374	194,251	1.9253
55	NISSAN	SENTRA	230	119,932	1.9178
56	FORD MOTOR CO.	FUSION	259	137,791	1.8797
57	TOYOTA	4RUNNER	110	59,563	1.8468
58	TOYOTA	SCION XB	111	60,553	1.8331
59	GENERAL MOTORS	PONTIAC G8	22	12,035	1.8280
60	VOLKSWAGEN	R32	9	4,999	1.8004
61	MITSUBISHI	ENDEAVOR	17	9,583	1.7740
62	NISSAN	XTERRA	63	36,035	1.7483
63	TOYOTA	AVALON	107	61,851	1.7300
64	FORD MOTOR CO.	CROWN VICTORIA	16	9,299	1.7206
65	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET CORVETTE	56	32,882	1.7031
66	JAGUAR LAND ROVER	S-TYPE	3	1,779	1.6863
67	NISSAN	ALTIMA	506	304,132	1.6638
68	GENERAL MOTORS	PONTIAC TORRENT	47	28,370	1.6567
69	MAZDA	5	27	16,389	1.6474
70	BENTLEY MOTORS	CONTINENTAL	5	3,069	1.6292
71	CHRYSLER	JEEP PATRIOT	99	61,495	1.6099
72	MITSUBISHI	LANCER	70	43,668	1.6030
73	NISSAN	VERSA	122	76,223	1.6006
74	MAZDA	TRIBUTE	38	23,834	1.5944
75	VOLKSWAGEN	JETTA/GLI	138	87,219	1.5822
76	FORD MOTOR CO.	FOCUS	284	180,249	1.5756
77	NISSAN	INFINITI M35/M45	26	16,522	1.5737
78	MAZDA	3	199	129,061	1.5419
79	GENERAL MOTORS	PONTIAC VIBE	31	20,317	1.5258
80	TOYOTA	CAMRY/SOLARA	390	257,638	1.5138
81	FORD MOTOR CO.	MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS	66	44,071	1.4976
82	AUDI	AUDI A3/A3 QUATTRO	8	5,378	1.4875
83	NISSAN	FRONTIER PICKUP	70	47,215	1.4826
84	HYUNDAI	ACCENT	76	51,562	1.4740
85	HYUNDAI	ELANTRA	160	109,498	1.4612
86	AUDI	AUDI A6/A6 QUATTRO/S6/S6 AVANT	24	16,651	1.4414
87	KIA	SPORTAGE	58	40,669	1.4261
88	TOYOTA	LEXUS SC	4	2,807	1.4250
89	GENERAL MOTORS	PONTIAC SOLSTICE	20	14,080	1.4205
90	GENERAL MOTORS	SATURN AURA	85	60,715	1.4000
91	HYUNDAI	SANTA FE	107	76,765	1.3939
92	CHRYSLER	JEEP COMPASS	36	26,147	1.3768
93	GENERAL MOTORS	CADILLAC XLR	2	1,468	1.3624
94	MAZDA	CX-7	45	33,134	1.3581
95	NISSAN	INFINITI G37	39	29,182	1.3364
96	FORD MOTOR CO.	EDGE	170	128,607	1.3219
97	FORD MOTOR CO.	TAURUS	107	81,095	1.3194
98	VOLKSWAGEN	GOLF/RABBIT/GTI	47	35,696	1.3167
99	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET UPLANDER VAN	93	73,084	1.2725
100	GENERAL MOTORS	BUICK LACROSSE/ALLURE	53	41,961	1.2631
101	FORD MOTOR CO.	MERCURY MILAN	41	32,608	1.2574
102	FORD MOTOR CO.	MERCURY SABLE	33	26,392	1.2504
103	MERCEDES-BENZ	S-CLASS	33	26,436	1.2483
104	TOYOTA	YARIS	147	120,841	1.2165
105	SUZUKI	SX4	51	42,522	1.1994
106	TOYOTA	SCION XD	39	32,737	1.1913
107	JAGUAR LAND ROVER	XJ8/XJ8L	3	2,556	1.1737
108	KIA	SEDONA VAN	37	31,800	1.1635
109	GENERAL MOTORS	GMC ENVOY	36	30,956	1.1629
110	GENERAL MOTORS	CADILLAC CTS	73	62,943	1.1598
111	AUDI	AUDI A4/A5//A4/A5 QUATTRO//S4/S4 AVANT	53	46,237	1.1463
112	FORD MOTOR CO.	LINCOLN TOWN CAR	14	12,300	1.1382
113	MERCEDES-BENZ	CLK-CLASS	22	19,420	1.1329
114	BMW	M5	3	2,666	1.1253
115	CHRYSLER	JEEP LIBERTY	99	90,530	1.0936
116	GENERAL MOTORS	BUICK LUCERNE	72	66,117	1.0890
117	TOYOTA	TACOMA PICKUP	156	146,312	1.0662
118	KIA	SORENTO	42	39,679	1.0585
119	SUZUKI	VITARA/GRAND VITARA	19	17,996	1.0558
120	HONDA	ACCORD	401	384,257	1.0436
121	HONDA	CIVIC	368	355,443	1.0353
122	TOYOTA	HIGHLANDER	139	137,668	1.0097
123	GENERAL MOTORS	SATURN SKY	13	12,979	1.0016
124	NISSAN	QUEST VAN	21	21,348	0.9837
125	CHRYSLER	JEEP WRANGLER	118	120,710	0.9775
126	HYUNDAI	TIBURON	10	10,315	0.9695
127	FORD MOTOR CO.	ESCAPE	239	249,322	0.9586
128	ASTON MARTIN	VANTAGE	1	1,047	0.9551
129	HONDA	ACURA 3.2 TL	54	56,720	0.9520
130	TOYOTA	LEXUS IS	54	57,931	0.9321
131	HONDA	ELEMENT	35	37,980	0.9215
132	TOYOTA	RAV4	150	164,331	0.9128
133	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET EQUINOX	82	90,033	0.9108
134	TOYOTA	LEXUS GS	18	20,030	0.8987
135	HONDA	ACURA RDX	19	21,271	0.8932
136	VOLKSWAGEN	NEW BEETLE	25	28,003	0.8928
137	SUBARU	FORESTER	27	30,406	0.8880
138	FORD MOTOR CO.	TAURUS X	37	42,101	0.8788
139	TOYOTA	LEXUS LS	25	28,875	0.8658
140	HONDA	ACURA TSX	19	21,996	0.8638
141	AUDI	AUDI A8/A8 QUATTRO	2	2,359	0.8478
142	SUBARU	LEGACY	22	26,288	0.8369
143	MASERATI	QUATTROPORTE	1	1,196	0.8361
144	VOLKSWAGEN	PASSAT	29	35,376	0.8198
145	PORSCHE	CAYMAN	4	4,901	0.8162
146	MERCEDES-BENZ	C-CLASS	64	78,747	0.8127
147	TOYOTA	FJ CRUISER	34	41,931	0.8109
148	MERCEDES-BENZ	SL-CLASS	3	3,708	0.8091
149	PORSCHE	911	8	9,941	0.8047
150	JAGUAR LAND ROVER	XKR	1	1,265	0.7905
151	HONDA	ACURA 3.5 RL	4	5,132	0.7794
152	VOLVO	V70	3	3,862	0.7768
153	GENERAL MOTORS	SATURN VUE	84	108,682	0.7729
154	VOLVO	XC90	23	30,004	0.7666
155	TOYOTA	LEXUS RX	88	115,527	0.7617
156	JAGUAR LAND ROVER	LAND ROVER LR2	11	14,659	0.7504
157	BMW	3	91	121,356	0.7499
158	AUDI	AUDI S5/S5 QUATTRO	1	1,340	0.7463
159	FORD MOTOR CO.	RANGER PICKUP	63	85,052	0.7407
160	FORD MOTOR CO.	MERCURY MARINER	39	52,931	0.7368
161	VOLKSWAGEN	EOS	10	13,815	0.7239
162	CHRYSLER	DODGE VIPER	1	1,382	0.7236
163	GENERAL MOTORS	GMC CANYON PICKUP	13	18,049	0.7203
164	HYUNDAI	TUCSON	16	22,488	0.7115
165	NISSAN	INFINITI G35	39	56,155	0.6945
166	VOLVO	C70	5	7,220	0.6925
167	GENERAL MOTORS	CHEVROLET COLORADO PICKUP	46	66,677	0.6899
168	BMW	Z4/M	4	5,880	0.6803
169	NISSAN	ROGUE	52	78,079	0.6660
170	BMW	6	4	6,052	0.6609
171	TOYOTA	SIENNA VAN	85	129,208	0.6579
172	BMW	5	52	79,395	0.6550
173	JAGUAR LAND ROVER	VANDEN PLAS/SUPER V8	1	1,533	0.6523
174	SUBARU	IMPREZA	38	59,340	0.6404
175	BMW	M3	5	7,854	0.6366
176	MERCEDES-BENZ	E-CLASS	27	42,951	0.6286
177	HONDA	PILOT	55	88,713	0.6200
178	CHRYSLER	CROSSFIRE	1	1,648	0.6068
179	HONDA	FIT	45	74,486	0.6041
180	HYUNDAI	VERACRUZ	8	13,264	0.6031
181	FORD MOTOR CO.	LINCOLN MKX	22	36,884	0.5965
182	FORD MOTOR CO.	LINCOLN MKZ	19	32,457	0.5854
183	MAZDA	CX-9	20	36,033	0.5550
184	VOLVO	V50	1	1,875	0.5333
185	VOLVO	C30	3	5,865	0.5115
186	AUDI	AUDI TT	4	7,924	0.5048
187	TOYOTA	PRIUS	84	171,762	0.4890
188	HYUNDAI	ENTOURAGE VAN	4	8,217	0.4868
189	SUBARU	B9 TRIBECA	9	18,805	0.4786
190	BMW	X3	10	21,033	0.4754
191	MAZDA	RX-8	1	2,106	0.4748
192	MERCEDES-BENZ	SLK-CLASS	2	4,379	0.4567
193	HONDA	ACURA MDX	26	57,380	0.4531
194	SUBARU	OUTBACK	28	63,741	0.4393
195	VOLVO	S80	5	11,433	0.4373
196	SAAB	9-3	8	18,364	0.4356
197	MITSUBISHI	OUTLANDER	6	14,445	0.4154
198	HONDA	CR-V	82	228,315	0.3592
199	TOYOTA	LEXUS ES	27	79,585	0.3393
200	KIA	AMANTI	1	3,398	0.2943
201	BMW	MINI COOPER	11	40,950	0.2686
202	NISSAN	INFINITI EX35	4	15,202	0.2631
203	MAZDA	MX-5 MIATA	4	16,044	0.2493
204	VOLVO	XC70	3	12,793	0.2345
205	HONDA	ODYSSEY VAN	28	135,622	0.2065
206	MERCEDES-BENZ	SMART FORTWO	4	21,627	0.1850
207	GENERAL MOTORS	SATURN ASTRA	3	17,912	0.1675
208	CHRYSLER	DODGE CHALLENGER	1	6,411	0.1560
209	BMW	1	1	11,887	0.0841
210	ALFA ROMEO	8C	0	84	0.0000
211	AUDI	AUDI R8	0	572	0.0000
212	AUDI	AUDI RS4	0	1,172	0.0000
213	BENTLEY MOTORS	ARNAGE	0	63	0.0000
214	BENTLEY MOTORS	AZURE	0	127	0.0000
215	BMW	B7	0	232	0.0000
216	BUGATTI	VEYRON	0	18	0.0000
217	FERRARI	141	0	324	0.0000
218	FERRARI	430	0	1,032	0.0000
219	FERRARI	612 SCAGLIETTI	0	94	0.0000
220	FORD MOTOR CO.	SHELBY GT	0	3,244	0.0000
221	GENERAL MOTORS	CADILLAC FUNERAL COACH/HEARSE	0	967	0.0000
222	GENERAL MOTORS	CADILLAC LIMOUSINE	0	664	0.0000
223	JAGUAR LAND ROVER	XJR	0	114	0.0000
224	JAGUAR LAND ROVER	X-TYPE	0	807	0.0000
225	LAMBORGHINI	GALLARDO	0	792	0.0000
226	LOTUS	ELISE	0	129	0.0000
227	LOTUS	EXIGE	0	123	0.0000
228	MASERATI	GRANTURISMO	0	1,465	0.0000
229	MAZDA	B SERIES PICKUP	0	1,884	0.0000
230	MERCEDES-BENZ	MAYBACH 57	0	76	0.0000
231	MERCEDES-BENZ	MAYBACH 62	0	67	0.0000
232	MERCEDES-BENZ	SLR-CLASS	0	105	0.0000
233	NISSAN	INFINITI FX45	0	395	0.0000
234	PORSCHE	BOXSTER	0	4,067	0.0000
235	ROLLS ROYCE	PHANTOM	0	378	0.0000
236	ROUSH PERFORMANCE	RPP MUSTANG	0	1,491	0.0000
237	SAAB	9-5	0	3,336	0.0000
238	SALEEN	S281/H302	0	370	0.0000
239	SPYKER	C8	0	6	0.0000

Issued on: August 12, 2010.

Joseph S. Carra,

Acting Associate Administrator for Rulemaking.