§33104 Designation of High Theft Vehicle Lines and Parts

Summary

The rule says which car lines must follow the vehicle-theft prevention standard. A line is treated as a high-theft line if its new-car theft rate for 1990 and 1991 was above the middle (median) rate for all lines in that period. A new car line first sold after December 31, 1989, can be picked if it is likely to have a theft rate above that median. A line with a lower theft rate can still be covered if its major parts are interchangeable with parts from a high-theft line, unless all the interchangeable cars from that maker make up more than 90 percent of that maker’s annual production for those parts. The manufacturer and the Secretary of Transportation try to agree on which lines and parts are covered. If they do not agree, the Secretary decides after giving notice and a chance to comment. Selections should be made at least 6 months before the first model year they apply to, and a maker cannot be forced to follow the rule for a model year that begins less than 6 months after the selection. A line already under older parts-marking rules on October 25, 1992, stays covered unless it is exempted elsewhere. The theft rate counts U.S. thefts of cars whose model year matches the calendar year. For each line, the rate is the number of those thefts in 1990–1991 divided by the number of 1990 and 1991 cars produced for sale in the U.S. (using production data reported to the EPA). The median is the middle theft rate; if there is an even number of lines, it is the average of the two middle rates. The Secretary, working with the FBI, must get and publish the best theft and recovery data, allow comment, and may update the median no more often than once every 2 years. Manufacturers must give information needed to pick lines and parts. Once a line is made subject to the standard, the Secretary generally cannot remove it except as allowed elsewhere.