Products Liability Law Daily Wrap Up, NHTSA NEWS—COMMENT CALENDAR—NHTSA actions open for public comment, (Jul 17, 2026)

By WK Editorial Staff

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration actions, with links to source documents, are open for public comment until the dates indicated.

As detailed in previous Products Liability Law Daily stories, the following National Highway Traffic Safety Administration actions are open for public comment until the dates indicated below. Comments may be submitted to the docket number identified in the heading of this document by any of the following methods: Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. Mail: Docket Management Facility: U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001. Hand Delivery or Courier: 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Fax: 202-493-2251.

July 20, 2026. NHTSA has issued a final rule amending FMVSS No. 204, Steering Control Rearward Displacement, to exclude vehicles that meet the frontal barrier crash protection requirements of FMVSS No. 208, Occupant Crash Protection. The final rule takes effect on July 6, 2026. Petitions for reconsideration must be received by July 20, 2026 (NHTSA Final rule, 91 Fed. Reg. 33116 (June 3, 2026)).

July 20, 2026. NHTSA has issued final rules to remove obsolete provisions from several FMVSS and other regulations. The rules take effect on July 6, 2026. Petitions for reconsideration must be received by July 20, 2026 (NHTSA Final rules, 91 Fed. Reg. 33087; 91 Fed. Reg. 33081; 91 Fed. Reg. 33098; 91 Fed. Reg. 33091; 91 Fed. Reg. 33111; 91 Fed. Reg. 33078; 91 Fed. Reg. 33084; 91 Fed. Reg. 33101; 91 Fed. Reg. 33108; 91 Fed. Reg. 33094; 91 Fed. Reg. 33105; 91 Fed. Reg. 33119; 91 Fed. Reg. 33123 (June 3, 2026)).

July 27, 2026. NHTSA has issued a request for comment on a proposal to update its New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) by incorporating rear automatic braking (RAB) systems with pedestrian avoidance capability into the program’s advanced driver assistance technologies (NHTSA Request for comments, 91 Fed. Reg. 31834 (May 28, 2026)).

July 27, 2026. NHTSA has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to remove the requirement for manual brake pedals in vehicles designed to be operated exclusively by automated driving systems (NHTSA Notice of proposed rulemaking, 91 Fed. Reg. 38593 (June 26, 2026)).

July 27, 2026. NHTSA has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking responding to a petition for reconsideration of a 2024 final rule amending FMVSS No. 210, which governs seat belt assembly anchorages. The agency proposes to extend the compliance date for certain heavier vehicles while maintaining the existing timeline for lighter vehicles (NHTSA Notice of proposed rulemaking; response to petition for reconsideration, 91 Fed. Reg. 38612 (June 26, 2026)).

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