Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 83 / Friday, April 28, 2000 / Notices 25023

hearing is hereby set for 9:00 a.m. on

Wednesday, May 3, 2000, at the Federal

Railroad Administration, 7th floor,

conference room 2, 1120 Vermont Ave.,

NW, Washington, DC 20590. Interested

parties are invited to present oral

statements at the hearing. The hearing

will be an informal one and will be

conducted in accordance with FRA’s

Rules of Practice (49 CFR 211.25) by a

representative designated by FRA. The

hearing will be a non-adversarial

proceeding; therefore, there will be no

cross-examination of persons presenting

statements. The FRA representative will

make an opening statement outlining

the scope of the hearing. After all initial

statements have been completed, those

persons wishing to make a brief rebuttal

will be given the opportunity to do so

in the same order in which initial

statements were made. Additional

procedures, as necessary for the conduct

of the hearing, will be announced at the

hearing.

Written comments should identify

Docket No. FRA–2000–7274 and must

be submitted to the Docket Clerk, DOT

Management Facility, Room PL–401

(Plaza Level), 400 7th Street, SW,

Washington, DC 20590.

Communications received by May 3,

2000, will be considered by FRA before

final action is taken. Comments received

after that date will be considered as far

as practicable. All written

communications concerning this

proceeding are available for

examination during regular business

hours (9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.) at the above

facility. All documents in the public

docket are also available for inspection

and copying on the Internet at the

docket facility’s web site at http://

dms.dot.gov.

FRA makes clear that the hearing

scheduled for May 3, 2000 is not a

hearing on the merits of SDTI’s

grandfathering petition, identified as

Docket No. FRA–2000–7137.

Issued in Washington, DC, on April 25,

2000.

S. Mark Lindsey,

Acting Deputy Administrator, Federal

Railroad Administration.

[FR Doc. 00–10706 Filed 4–27–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket No. FRA–2000–7137]

Petition for Grandfathering of NonCompliant Equipment; San Diego

Trolley, Inc.

In accordance with 49 CFR 238.203(f),

notice is hereby given that San Diego

Trolley, Inc. (SDTI) has petitioned the

Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)

for grandfathering of non-compliant

railroad passenger equipment for use on

SDTI’s light rail transit system.

Section 238.203 of title 49 of the Code

of Federal Regulations addresses static

end strength requirements for passenger

rail equipment. Paragraph (a)(1)

provides that all passenger equipment

(subject to limited exceptions) shall

resist a minimum static end load of

800,000 pounds applied on the line of

draft without permanent deformation of

the body structure. Paragraph (d)(2)

provides that ‘‘[a]ny passenger

equipment placed in service on a rail

line or lines before November 8, 1999

that does not comply with the

requirements of paragraph (a)(1) may

continue to be operated on that

particular line or (those particular lines)

if the operator of the equipment files a

petition seeking grandfathering approval

under paragraph (d)(3) before November

8, 1999. Such usage may continue while

the petition is being processed, but in

no event later than May 8, 2000, unless

the petition is approved.’’

SDTI requests that all conventional

light rail vehicles operating on the Blue

Line and Orange Line be grandfathered

to permit usage pursuant to 49 CFR

238.203(d). The applicant states that the

Blue Line operates in the cities of San

Diego, National City, Chula Vista, and

an unincorporated area of San Diego

County and extends for 25.2 miles. The

Orange Line operates through the City of

San Diego, Lemon Grove, La Mesa, El

Cajon and Santee and extends for 21.6

miles.

Interested parties are invited to

participate in this proceeding by

submitting written views, data or

comments. FRA does not anticipate

scheduling a public hearing in

connection with this proceeding,

however, if any interested party desires

an opportunity for oral comment, they

should notify FRA, in writing, before

the end of the comment period and

specify the basis for their request.

All communications concerning this

proceeding should be identified with

Docket Number FRA–2000–7137 and

must be submitted to the Docket Clerk,

DOT Central Docket Management

Facility, Room PL–401, 400 Seventh

Street, SW, Washington, DC 20590–

0001. Communications received within

30 days of publication of this notice will

be considered by FRA before final

action is taken. Comments received after

that date will be considered to the

extent possible. SDTI’s petition and all

written communications concerning this

proceeding are available for

examination during regular business

hours (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) at the

DOT Central Docket Management

Facility, Room PL–401 (Plaza Level),

400 Seventh, SW, Washington, DC

20590–0001. All documents in the

public docket are also available for

inspection and copying on the Internet

at the docket facility’s Web site at

http://dms.dot.gov.

Elsewhere in today’s Federal Register,

FRA is publishing notice of the receipt

of a petition from SDTI for a waiver of

compliance from the May 8, 2000 date

specified in 49 CFR 238.203(d)(2) for

cessation of the temporary usage of noncompliant railroad passenger equipment

that is the subject of a grandfathering

petition filed with FRA, absent FRA

approval of the petition by that date.

SDTI’s petition also seeks a waiver of

compliance from the date by which a

grandfathering petition is required to be

filed with FRA. This waiver petition

proceeding is identified as Docket No.

FRA–2000–7274. FRA will hold a

public hearing on Docket No. FRA–

2000–7274 on May 3, 2000, as detailed

in the separate Federal Register notice.

Issued in Washington, DC on April 25,

2000.

S. Mark Lindsey,

Acting Deputy Administrator, Federal

Railroad Administration.

[FR Doc. 00–10705 Filed 4–27–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–06–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration

Denial of Motor Vehicle Defect Petition,

DP00–002

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration (NHTSA),

Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Denial of petition for a defect

investigation.

SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the

reasons for the denial of a petition

submitted to NHTSA under 49 U.S.C.

30162, requesting that the agency

commence a proceeding to determine

the existence of a defect related to motor

25024 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 83 / Friday, April 28, 2000 / Notices

vehicle safety. The petition is

hereinafter identified as DP00–002.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

George Chiang, Office of Defects

Investigation (ODI), NHTSA, 400

Seventh Street, SW, Washington, DC

20590. Telephone: (202) 366–5206.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Mr.

Edward C. Kerr of Martens & Associates,

Ltd. in Buffalo Grove, IL, submitted a

petition to NHTSA by letter dated

January 18, 2000, requesting that a new

investigation be initiated or Engineering

Analysis EA99–027 be extended in its

scope to determine whether to issue an

order concerning the notification and

remedy of a defect in model year 1991

and later DamlerChrysler corporation

(former Chrysler Corporation) vehicles

equipped with an ignition switch

assembly characterized by having a

lighted plastic ring around the key

cylinder assembly (subject vehicles).

The petitioner alleges that the subject

vehicles’ ignition switch assembly

allows particles/debris to fall inside,

which could interfere with the switch

contact operation. This may cause

electrical anomalies resulting in

overheating and fire. The fires, the

petitioner alleges, can occur without

warning in both moving and parked

vehicles.

ODI requested and obtained from

DaimlerChrysler Corporation a listing of

the subject vehicle models and

populations. ODI also conducted a

search of consumer complaints reported

to NHTSA alleging that a thermal event

(fire, smoke, melt, burn, overheat, etc.)

occurred in the steering column and/or

ignition switch areas of the subject

vehicles. Further, ODI calculated the

exposure complaint rate, i.e., the

number of complaints per 100,000

vehicles per year, for each model and

model year of the subject vehicles, and

found that: (1) For a given subject

vehicle model year, the exposure

complaint rates vary significantly across

all the subject vehicle models, (2) for a

given subject vehicle model, the

exposure complaint rates vary

significantly across the subject vehicle

model years, and (3) the exposure

complaint rate was zero (no complaint

reported) for many model/model year

subject vehicles. Therefore, contrary to

the petitioner’s claim, the subject

vehicles do not appear to have a

common ignition switch related

problem which would cause a fire. (See

Attachments 1 through 3).

In Attachment 3, it is noted that the

model year 1995 Dodge spirit has the

highest exposure complaint rate.

However, the rate represents only three

complaints received over a span of three

years. Also, there have been no

complaints received in nearly 2 years.

Further, no similar complaints have

been received on the model year 1995

Plymouth Acclaim which is built on the

same body platform as the model year

1995 Dodge Spirit. Due to the small

number of complaints and lack of recent

complaints, no investigation has been

opened on these vehicles concerning

thermal events in the steering column

and/or ignition switch areas.

It is also noted that the model year

1994 and 1995 Dodge Ram Pickups have

a higher number of complaints

(compared with other DaimlerChrysler

vehicles shown in Attachment 2) and

have the second and third highest

exposure complaint rates. These

vehicles currently are the subject of an

ODI investigation, EA99–027. At this

time, that investigation is focused on

allegations that the ignition switch

wiring harness overheats when

operating the blower motor, resulting in

smoke, melting of the surrounding

plastic, or fire. A copy of this petition

has been included in that investigation

file.

In view of the foregoing, it is unlikely

that NHTSA would issue an order for

the notification and remedy of the

alleged safety-related defect as defined

by the petition in the subject vehicles at

the conclusion of the investigation

requested in the petition. Therefore, in

view of the need to allocate and

prioritize NHTSA’s limited resources to

best accomplish the agency’s safety

mission, the petition is denied.

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30162(d); delegations

of authority at CFR 1.50 and 501.8.

Kenneth N. Weinstein,

Associate Administrator for Safety

Assurance.

ATTACHMENT 1.—POPULATIONS OF MODEL YEAR 1991 AND LATER MODEL CHRYSLER PRODUCT LINE VEHICLES

EQUIPPED WITH AN IGNITION SWITCH ASSEMBLY CHARACTERIZED BY HAVING A LIGHTED PLASTIC RING AROUND THE

KEY CYLINDER ASSEMBLY

Vehicle

make Vehicle line MY 91 MY 92 MY 93 MY 94 MY 95 MY 96 MY 97 MY 98 MY 99 MY 2000

Chrysler ...... Acclaim ....... 95,314 99,420 70,914 71,590 23,768 .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Dodge ......... Spirit ........... 114,905 66,905 76,509 68,382 24,566 .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Chrysler ...... Lebaron ...... 57,596 54,486 59,282 63,122 35,859 .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Dodge ......... Dynasty ....... 112,460 85,239 58,404 .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Chrysler ...... New Yorker 14,354 17,237 20,855 .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Chrysler ...... Imperial ....... 51,185 41,486 33,587 .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Dodge ......... Daytona ...... 17,523 10,941 9,070 .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Plymouth .... Sundance ... 57,298 65,554 74,612 65,477 .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Dodge ......... Shadow ....... 82,633 79,409 102,428 89,460 .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Dodge ......... Viper ........... .................. 238 915 2,409 1,430 1,815 1,556 1,072 1,048 484

Plymouth .... Prowler ....... .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. 404.00 n/a 3,690 1,374

Plymouth .... Neon ........... .................. .................. .................. .................. n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Dodge ......... Neon ........... .................. .................. .................. .................. n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Plymouth .... Breeze ........ .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. 46,725 70,710 n/a n/a n/a

Dodge ......... Stratus ........ .................. .................. .................. .................. 47,978 100,010 97,745 n/a n/a n/a

Chrysler ...... Cirrus .......... .................. .................. .................. .................. 62,014 43,743 28,112 n/a n/a n/a

Chrysler ...... Sebring

Convertible.

.................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. 56,030 50,869 46,772 29,466

Dodge ......... Intrepid ........ .................. .................. 70,160 130,603 152,579 146,826 152,314 n/a n/a n/a

Eagle .......... Vision .......... .................. .................. 28,749 22,119 25,157 12,849 5,897 n/a n/a n/a

Chrysler ...... Concorde,

LHS, NY,

300M.

.................. .................. 49,530 171,090 102,707 89,730 88,132 n/a n/a n/a

Plymouth .... Voyager ...... 145,684 189,013 211,156 224,558 166,401 183,899 150,163 156,508 150,194 72,364

Dodge ......... Caravan ...... 184,878 235,958 272,489 283,956 217,736 348,978 292,046 296,787 309,492 183,958

Chrysler ...... Town and

Country.

2,244 13,205 26,059 37,884 12,897 107,400 79,444 76,694 68,330 61,399

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 83 / Friday, April 28, 2000 / Notices 25025

ATTACHMENT 1.—POPULATIONS OF MODEL YEAR 1991 AND LATER MODEL CHRYSLER PRODUCT LINE VEHICLES

EQUIPPED WITH AN IGNITION SWITCH ASSEMBLY CHARACTERIZED BY HAVING A LIGHTED PLASTIC RING AROUND THE

KEY CYLINDER ASSEMBLY—Continued

Vehicle

make Vehicle line MY 91 MY 92 MY 93 MY 94 MY 95 MY 96 MY 97 MY 98 MY 99 MY 2000

Dodge ......... Ram Wagon 56,901 69,239 31,736 129,230 75,108 85,887 98,829 n/a n/a n/a

Dodge ......... Dakota ........ 73,162 125,714 131,611 102,750 117,991 98,200 128,785 152,496 134,192 n/a

Dodge ......... Ram Pickup 88,769 74,944 76,241 188,097 267,241 362,880 375,061 410,815 406,057 n/a

Dodge ......... Durango ...... .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. 123,099 204,194 n/a

Jeep ........... Commanche n/a n/a .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Jeep ........... Wrangler ..... n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 127,295 91,392 85,794 54,246

Jeep ........... Cherokee .... n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 187,345 n/a n/a n/a n/a

Jeep ........... Grand Cherokee................... .................. 224,359 227,602 265,848 284,641 262,133 251,758 288,757 173,042

Total ............ 1,154,906 1,228,988 1,628,666 1,878,329 1,599,280 2,100,928 2,014,654 1,611,490 1,698,520 576,333

Grand total .. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. 15,492,094

‘n/a’—model/model year vehicle not equipped with an ignition switch characterized by having a lighted plastic ring around the key cylinder assembly.

Empty cell block—model/model year vehicle not produced.

ATTACHMENT 2.—NUMBER OF CONSUMER COMPLAINTS RECEIVED BY NHTSA AS OF MARCH 2, 2000, ALLEGING A

THERMAL EVENT OCCURRED IN THE STEERING COLUMN AND/OR IGNITION SWITCH AREAS

Vehicle

make Vehicle line MY 91 MY 92 MY 93 MY 94 MY 95 MY 96 MY 97 MY 98 MY 99 MY 2000

Plymouth .... Acclaim ....... 3 4 1 0 0 .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Dodge ......... Spirit ........... 3 3 5 1 3 .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Chrysler ...... Lebaron ...... 0 3 0 1 0 .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Dodge ......... Dynasty ....... 1 0 0 .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Chrysler ...... New Yorker 0 0 0 .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Chrysler ...... Imperial ....... 0 0 0 .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Dodge ......... Daytona ...... 0 0 0 .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Plymouth .... Sundance ... 0 2 1 0 .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Dodge ......... Shadow ....... 0 0 0 0 .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Dodge ......... Viper ........... .................. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Plymouth .... Prowler ....... .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. 0 n/a 0 0

Plymouth .... Neon ........... .................. .................. .................. .................. n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Dodge ......... Neon ........... .................. .................. .................. .................. n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Plymouth .... Breeze ........ .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. 0 0 n/a n/a n/a

Dodge ......... Stratus ........ .................. .................. .................. .................. 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a

Chrysler ...... Cirrus .......... .................. .................. .................. .................. 2 0 0 n/a n/a n/a

Chrysler ...... Sebring

Convertible.

.................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. 0 0 0 0

Dodge ......... Intrepid ........ .................. .................. 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a

Eagle .......... Vision .......... .................. .................. 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a

Chrysler ...... Concorde,

LHS, NY,

300M.

0 0 1 2 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a

Plymouth .... Voyager ...... 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

Dodge ......... Caravan ...... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Chrysler ...... Town and

Country.

000000000 0

Dodge ......... Ram Wagon 3 3 0 0 0 1 0 n/a n/a n/a

Dodge ......... Dakota ........ 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 n/a

Dodge ......... Ram Pickup 1 2 0 20 18 1 0 0 0 n/a

Dodge ......... Durango ...... .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. 0 0 n/a

Jeep ........... Commanche n/a n/a .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Jeep ........... Wrangler ..... n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0 0 0 0

Jeep ........... Cherokee .... n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 2 n/a n/a n/a n/a

Jeep ........... Grand Cherokee................... .................. 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

‘n/a’—model/model year vehicle not equipped with an ignition switch characterized by having a lighted plastic ring around the key cylinder assembly.

Empty cell block—model/model year vehicle not produced.

ATTACHMENT 3.—EXPOSURE COMPLIANT RATE (THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS PER 100K VEHICLES PER YEAR) OF AN

ALLEGED THERMAL EVENT OCCURRED IN THE STEERING COLUMN AND/OR IGNITION SWITCH AREAS

Vehicle

make Vehicle line MY 91 MY 92 MY 93 MY 94 MY 95 MY 96 MY 97 MY 98 MY 99 MY2000

Plymouth .... Acclaim ....... .034 .048 .019 0.00 0.00 .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Dodge ......... Spirit ........... 0.28 0.54 0.89 0.23 2.29 .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Chrysler ...... Lebaron ...... 0.00 0.66 0.00 0.25 0.00 .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Dodge ......... Dynasty ....... 0.09 0.00 0.00 .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Chrysler ...... New Yorker 0.00 0.00 0.00 .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Chrysler ...... Imperial ....... 0.00 0.00 0.00 .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Dodge ......... Daytona ...... 0.00 0.00 0.00 .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

25026 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 83 / Friday, April 28, 2000 / Notices

1Chapman v. Fett et al., Civ-97–144, C.C. of

Baxter County, Arkansas. No trial date has been set

yet.

ATTACHMENT 3.—EXPOSURE COMPLIANT RATE (THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS PER 100K VEHICLES PER YEAR) OF AN

ALLEGED THERMAL EVENT OCCURRED IN THE STEERING COLUMN AND/OR IGNITION SWITCH AREAS—Continued

Vehicle

make Vehicle line MY 91 MY 92 MY 93 MY 94 MY 95 MY 96 MY 97 MY 98 MY 99 MY2000

Plymouth .... Sundance ... 0.00 0.37 0.18 0.00 .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Dodge ......... Shadow ....... 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Dodge ......... Viper ........... .................. 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Plymouth .... Prowler ....... .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. 0.00 n/a 0.00 0.00

Plymouth .... Neon ........... .................. .................. .................. .................. n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Dodge ......... Neon ........... .................. .................. .................. .................. n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Plymouth .... Breeze ........ .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. 0.00 0.00 n/a n/a n/a

Dodge ......... Stratus ........ .................. .................. .................. .................. 0.00 0.00 0.00 n/a n/a n/a

Chrysler ...... Cirrus .......... .................. .................. .................. .................. 0.60 0.00 0.00 n/a n/a n/a

Chrysler ...... Sebring

Convertible.

.................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Dodge ......... Intrepid ........ .................. .................. 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 n/a n/a n/a

Eagle .......... Vision .......... .................. .................. 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 n/a n/a n/a

Chrysler ...... Concorde,

LHS, NY,

300M.

0.00 0.00 0.28 0.18 0.00 0.00 0.00 n/a n/a n/a

Plymouth .... Voyager ...... 0.07 0.06 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.12 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Dodge ......... Caravan ...... 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Chrysler ...... Town and

Country.

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Dodge ......... Ram Wagon 0.56 0.52 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.27 0.00 n/a n/a n/a

Dodge ......... Dakota ........ 0.00 0.19 0.00 0.15 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 n/a

Dodge ......... Ram Pickup 0.12 0.32 0.00 1.68 1.26 0.06 0.00 0.00 0.00 n/a

Dodge ......... Durango ...... .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. 0.00 0.00 n/a

Jeep ........... Commanche n/a n/a .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. .................. ....................

Jeep ........... Wrangler ..... n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Jeep ........... Cherokee .... n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0.25 n/a n/a n/a n/a

Jeep ........... Grand Cherokee................... .................. 0.06 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

‘n/a’—model/model year vehicle not equipped with an ignition switch characterized by having a lighted plastic ring around the key cylinder assembly.

Empty cell block—model/model year vehicle not produced.

[FR Doc. 00–10630 Filed 4–27–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–59–M

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration

Denial of Motor Vehicle Defect Petition,

DP99–004

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration (NHTSA); DOT.

ACTION: Denial of petition for a defect

investigation.

SUMMARY: This notice describes the

reasons for denying a petition (DP99–

004) submitted to NHTSA under 49

U.S.C. 30162, requesting that the agency

‘‘institute a new investigation into the

cause or causes of sudden acceleration.’’

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob

Young, Office of Defects Investigation

(ODI), NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street, SW,

Washington, DC 20590. Telephone:

202–366–4806.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On July

19, 1999, attorney Sandy S. McMath,

711 West Third Street; Little Rock, AK

72201; petitioned the NHTSA

requesting that it ‘‘reopen its

investigation into the phenomenon

known as ‘‘sudden acceleration.’’’

The petitioner contends the agency’s

comprehensive study to identify and

evaluate factors which could potentially

cause or contribute to the occurrence of

Sudden Acceleration Incidents (SAI),

conducted from October, 1987 through

December, 1988, should be reopened

because:

(1) To date, NHTSA has neglected to

consider the mechanisms that can cause

sudden acceleration by bypassing the

control logic of the cruise control

system and thus can induce sudden

acceleration in a stationary vehicle;

(2) NHTSA has apparently failed to

consider the data collected by Ford

Motor Company in its investigation of

2,800 incidents of sudden acceleration

during 1989–1992; and

(3) NHTSA has not addressed the fact

that there is no true failsafe mechanism

to overcome sudden acceleration.

NHTSA has reviewed the petitioner’s

information as it relates to the

referenced study. The results of this

review and our analysis of the petition’s

merit is set forth in the DP99–004

Petition Analysis Report, published in

its entirety as an appendix to this

notice.

For the reasons presented in the

petition analysis report, there is no

reasonable possibility that an order

concerning the notification and remedy

of a safety-related defect would be

issued as a result of reopening the

study. Therefore, in view of the need to

allocate and prioritize NHTSA’s limited

resources to best accomplish the

agency’s safety mission, the petition is

denied.

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30162(d); delegations

of authority at CFR 1.50 and 501.8.

Kenneth N. Weinstein,

Associate Administrator for Safety

Assurance.

Appendix

Petition ANALYSIS—DP99–004

1.0 Introduction

On July 19, 1999 Mr. Sandy S. McMath

(petitioner) petitioned the National Highway

Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

requesting that it ‘‘reopen its investigation

[i.e., Study] into the phenomenon known as

‘sudden acceleration [SA].’’’ Mr. McMath is

a Little Rock, Arkansas lawyer representing

the parents of two boys injured (one fatally)

in an alleged sudden acceleration incident

(SAI) occurring in Mountain Home, Arkansas

on June 7, 1995. This incident is currently

the subject of civil litigation. 1

The petitioner contends the agency’s

comprehensive study, conducted to identify

and evaluate factors which could potentially

cause or contribute to the occurrence of

SAI’s, should be reopened because: