Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Door Locks and Door Retention Components

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This document proposes to amend Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 206, Door Locks and Door Retention Components, by extending and expanding the standard's existing side door requirements to the back doors of passenger cars and multipurpose passenger vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 4,536 kilograms (kg) (10,000 pounds (lb)) or less, including hatchbacks, station wagons, sport utility vehicles, and passenger vans. The purpose of the standard's requirements, which currently apply only to side doors, is to reduce the likelihood of occupants being ejected from vehicles in real-world crashes. A recent agency study indicates that each year there are nearly 150 fatalities in which an occupant is ejected through rear hatches, tailgates, and other back doors of these vehicles. This proposal seeks to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries resulting from such ejections by extending and expanding Standard No. 206's requirements for door locks and door retention components to back doors. Given the differences between side doors and back doors, the agency is proposing minor modifications in the performance requirements and test procedures to make them ap