Notice of Receipt of Petition for Decision That Nonconforming Model Year 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Multipurpose Passenger Vehicles Are Eligible for Importation

Notice of Receipt of Petition for Decision That Nonconforming Model Year 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Multipurpose Passenger Vehicles Are Eligible for Importation

Topics: Jeep Grand Cherokee

Notice of Receipt of Petition for Decision That Nonconforming Model Year 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Multipurpose Passenger Vehicles Are Eligible for Importation

Michael A. Cole
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
30 November 2018

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 231 (Friday, November 30, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61715-61717]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-26057]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2018-0069; Notice 1]

Notice of Receipt of Petition for Decision That Nonconforming
Model Year 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Multipurpose Passenger Vehicles Are
Eligible for Importation

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Receipt of petition.

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SUMMARY: This document announces receipt by the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of a petition for a decision that
certain model year (MY) 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee multipurpose passenger
vehicles (MPVs) that were not originally manufactured to comply with
all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS), are
eligible for importation into the United States because they are
substantially similar to vehicles that were originally manufactured for
sale in the United States and that were certified by their manufacturer
as complying with the safety standards (the U.S.-certified 2008 Jeep
Grand Cherokee MPV) and are capable of being readily altered to conform
to the standards.

[[Page 61716]]

DATES: The closing date for comments on the petition is December 31,
2018.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written data,
views, and arguments on this petition. Comments must refer to the
docket number cited in the title of this notice and must be submitted
by any of the following methods:
Mail: Send comments by mail addressed to the U.S.
Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building
Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC
20590.
Hand Delivery: Deliver comments by hand to the U.S.
Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building
Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC
20590. The Docket Section is open on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
except Federal Holidays.
Electronically: Submit comments electronically by logging
onto the Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) website at https://www.regulations.gov/. Follow the online instructions for submitting
comments.
Comments may also be faxed to (202) 493-2251.
Comments must be written in the English language, and be no greater
than 15 pages in length, although there is no limit to the length of
necessary attachments to the comments. If comments are submitted in
hard copy form, please ensure that two copies are provided. If you wish
to receive confirmation that comments you have submitted by mail were
received, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard with the
comments. Note that all comments received will be posted without change
to https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information
provided.
All comments, background documentation, and supporting materials
submitted to the docket may be viewed by anyone at the address and
times given above. The documents may also be viewed on the internet at
https://www.regulations.gov by following the online instructions for
accessing the dockets. The docket ID number for this petition is shown
in the heading of this notice.
DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement is available for review in a
Federal Register notice published on April 11, 2000, (65 FR 19477-78).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Neil Thurgood, Office of Vehicle
Safety Compliance, NHTSA (202-366-0712).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. History: Under 49 U.S.C. 30141(a)(1)(A), a motor vehicle that
was not originally manufactured to conform to all applicable FMVSS
shall be refused admission into the United States unless NHTSA has
decided that the motor vehicle is substantially similar to a motor
vehicle originally manufactured for importation and sale in the United
States, certified under 49 U.S.C. 30115, and of the same model year as
the model of the motor vehicle to be compared, and is capable of being
readily altered to conform to all applicable FMVSS.
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 notices
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.
II. Summary of Petition: Wallace Environmental Testing Laboratories
(WETL), of Houston, Texas (Registered Importer R-90-005) has petitioned
NHTSA to decide whether nonconforming MY 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee MPVs
are eligible for importation into the United States. The vehicles which
WETL believes are substantially similar are MY 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee
MPVs sold in the United States and certified by their manufacturer as
conforming to all applicable FMVSS.
The petitioner claims that it compared non-U.S.-certified MY 2008
Jeep Grand Cherokee MPVs to their U.S.-certified counterparts, and
found the vehicles to be substantially similar with respect to
compliance with most FMVSS.
The petitioner submitted information with its petition intended to
demonstrate that the subject non-U.S.-certified vehicles as originally
manufactured, conform to many applicable FMVSS in the same manner as
their U.S.-certified counterparts, or are capable of being readily
altered to conform to those standards.
Specifically, the petitioner claims that the non-U.S.-certified MY
2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee MPVs, as originally manufactured, conforms to:
Standard Nos. 102 Transmission Shift position Sequence, Starter
interlock, and transmission braking effect, 103 Windshield Defrosting
and Defogging Systems, 104 Windshield Wiping and Washing Systems, 106
Brake Hoses, 110 Tire Selection and Rims and Motor Home/Recreation
Vehicle Trailer Load Carrying Capacity Information for Motor Vehicles
with a GVWR of 4,536 Kilograms (10,000 pounds) or Less, 111 Rearview
Mirrors, 113 Hood Latch System, 116 Motor Vehicle Brake Fluids, 118
Power-Operated Window, Partition, and Roof Panel Systems, 124
Accelerator Control Systems, 126 Electronic Stability Control Systems,
135 Light Vehicle Brake Systems, 138 Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems,
201 Occupant Protection in Interior Impact, 202a Head Restraints;
Mandatory Applicability begins on September 1, 2008, 204 Steering
Control Rearward Displacement, 205 Glazing Materials, 206 Door Locks
and Door Retention Components, 207 Seating Systems, 209 Seat Belt
Assemblies, 210 Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages, 212 Windshield Mounting,
214 Side Impact Protection, 216 Roof Crush Resistance, 219 Windshield
Zone Intrusion, 225 Child Restraint Anchorage Systems, 301 Fuel System
Integrity, and 302 Flammability of Interior Materials.
The petitioner also contends that the subject non-U.S.-certified
MPVs are capable of being readily altered to meet the following
standards, in the manner indicated:
Standard No. 101 Controls and Displays: The brake warning telltale
must be modified to show the word ``BRAKE'' when activated.
Standard No. 108 Lamps Reflective Devices and Associated Equipment:
Installation of the front and rear side mounted reflex reflectors with
U.S.-conforming components.
Standard No. 114 Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention:
Installation of a supplemental key warning buzzer, or activation of the
U.S.-version software to meet the requirements of this standard.
Standard No. 208 Occupant Crash Protection: Inspection to ascertain
if the software and firmware installed in the vehicle are the same as
the most up-to-date versions installed in the U.S.-conforming version
of the vehicle. Replacement of any software or firmware found not to be
the most recent versions. Replacement of sun visors with U.S.-model
components to meet the labeling requirements of FMVSS No. 208.
The petitioner further states that labels will be affixed to
conform the vehicle to the requirements of 49 CFR parts 565 and 567,
VIN Content and Certification, respectively.
III. Comments: All comments and supporting materials received
before the close of business on the closing date indicated above will
be filed in the docket and considered. Comments filed

[[Page 61717]]

after the closing date will also be considered to the fullest extent
possible and available for examination in the docket at the above
addresses.
Once the petition is granted or denied, notice of the decision will
be published in the Federal Register pursuant to the authority
indicated at the end of this notice.
This notice of receipt of the subject petition does not represent
any agency decision or other exercise of judgment concerning the merits
of the petition. 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), (a)(1)(B), and (b)(1); 49
CFR 593.7; delegation of authority at 49 CFR 1.95 and 501.8.

Michael A. Cole,
Acting Director, Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2018-26057 Filed 11-29-18; 8:45 am]
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