§30146 Release of Motor Vehicles and Bonds

Summary

A registered importer may let someone license or register an imported vehicle for use on public roads, or hand over a vehicle the importer altered for that purpose, only after 30 days from the day the importer tells the Secretary of Transportation that the vehicle meets the safety rules that applied in the year it was made. The vehicle cannot be released if the Secretary gives written notice before the end of the 30-day period that the Secretary will inspect it. The Transportation and Treasury Departments must make rules so vehicles and any required bonds are released at the end of the 30 days unless an inspection is ordered, and so they are released quickly after an inspection shows the vehicle meets the rules. Each released vehicle must have a label saying who the importer is and that the vehicle was altered to meet safety standards. The importer can rely on the vehicle maker’s certification for a similar model if the importer says their changes did not affect the vehicle’s safety features and keeps records as the Secretary requires. The Secretary can ask for more proof or inspect the vehicle. If the Secretary inspects, the vehicle may be released only after the inspection shows it complies and the Secretary releases it. The Secretary must inspect a representative number of certified vehicles from time to time. If, not later than 30 days after getting the importer’s certification, the Secretary says in writing that the certification may be false or misleading, the vehicle and bond cannot be released until the Secretary is satisfied. Releasing the bond counts as accepting the certification or finishing the inspection, but it is not the Secretary’s final decision that the vehicle fully complies under other parts of the law.