. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/USA/507/Add.1 
26 January 2011  
 (11-0428) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION  
 
Addendum
 
  
 The following communication, dated 20 January 2 011, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of the United States
.  
 
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TITLE:  Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard s, Ejection Mitigation;  Phase-In Reporting 
Requirements; Incorporation by Reference  AGENCY:  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) 
 
ACTION:  Final rule  SUMMARY:  This final rule establishes a new Fe deral Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 226, 
"Ejection Mitigation'', to reduce the partial and co mplete ejection of vehicle occupants through side 
windows in crashes, particularly rollover crashes.  Th e standard applies to the side windows next to 
the first three rows of seats, and to a portion of  the cargo area behind the first or second rows, in 
motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 4,536 kilogram (kg) or less (10,000 
pounds (lb) or less).  To assess compliance, the agen cy is adopting a test in which an impactor is 
propelled from inside a test vehicle toward the windows.  The ejection mitigation safety system is required to prevent the impactor from moving more  than a specified distance beyond the plane of a 
window.  To ensure that the systems cover the entire opening of each window for the duration of a 
rollover, each side window will be impacted at up to four locations around its perimeter at two time 
intervals following deployment.   The agency anticipates that manufacturers will me et the standard by modifying existing side 
impact air bag curtains, and possibly supplementing th em with advanced glazing.  The curtains will be 
made larger so that they cover more of the wind ow opening, made more robust to remain inflated 
longer, and made to deploy in both side impacts a nd in rollovers.  In addition, after deployment the 
curtains will be tethered near the base of the vehicle's pillars or otherwise designed to keep the 
impactor within the boundaries established by the pe rformance test.  This final rule adopts a phase-in 
of the new requirements, starting 1 September 2013. 
  This final rule advances NHTSA's initiatives in  rollover safety and also responds to Section 
10301 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU).  That section directs NHTSA to initiate and complete rulemaking to reduce 
complete and partial ejections of vehicle o ccupants from outboard seating positions, considering 
various ejection mitigation systems. 
 G/TBT/N/USA/507/Add.1 
Page 2  
 
  DATES:  Effective date:  The date on which this fi nal rule amends the Code of Federal Regulations 
(CFR) is 1 March 2011.  The incorporation by refere nce of certain publications listed in the standard 
is approved by the Director of the Federal Register as of 1 March 2011. 
  Petitions for reconsideration:  If you wish to petitio n for reconsideration of this rule, your petition 
must be received by 7 March 2011. 
  Compliance dates:  This final rule adopts a phase-in of the new requirements.  The phase-in 
begins on 1 September 2013.  By 1 September 2017, all vehicles must meet the standard, with the 
exception of altered vehicles and vehicles produced in  more than one stage, which are provided more 
time to meet the requirements.  Manufacturers can ea rn credits toward meeting the applicable phase-in 
percentages by producing compliant vehicles ahead of schedule, beginning 1 March 2011 and ending 
at the conclusion of the phase-in.  FULL TEXT URLs:  
 
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2011/2011-547.htm
 
http://edocket.access.gpo. gov/2011/pdf/2011-547.pdf  
 
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