Products Liability Law Daily Wrap Up, NHTSA NEWS—COMMENT CALENDAR—NHTSA actions open for public comment, (Sep 18, 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.

September 30, 2026. NHTSA has issued an interim final rule removing language limiting exemptions to vehicles manufactured on or after the exemption’s effective date. The rule became effective on July 31, 2026, but NHTSA is accepting public comments and plans to issue a final rule after reviewing them. The comment period was originally scheduled to end on August 31, 2026, but was extended by 30 days to September 30, 2026 (NHTSA Interim final rule; request for comments, 91 Fed. Reg. 48307 (July 31, 2026); Extension of comment period, 91 Fed. Reg. 55793 (Aug. 31, 2026)).

September 30, 2026. NHTSA has requested comments on interim guidance for commercial deployment exemptions for automated vehicles. The comment period was originally scheduled to end on August 31, 2026, but was extended by 30 days to September 30, 2026 (NHTSA Notice of updates; request for comments, 91 Fed. Reg. 48485 (July 31, 2026); Extension of comment period, 91 Fed. Reg. 55975 (Aug. 31, 2026)).

October 16, 2026. NHTSA is proposing to remove two longstanding tests from NCAP: the Dynamic Rollover Resistance Test (the Fishhook maneuver) and Side Air Bag Out-of-Position (SAB-OOP) testing. The agency also proposes to update NCAP's 10-year roadmap to reflect current research priorities, technological developments, and resource considerations (NHTSA Request for comments, 91 Fed. Reg. 53339 (Aug. 17, 2026)).

October 26, 2026. NHTSA has issued a final rule that exempts school bus child restraint systems from side-impact protection requirements and certain anchorage attachment requirements; delays implementation of side-impact testing requirements until December 5, 2026; and removes the use of the CRABI-12MO test dummy when evaluating forward-facing child restraints in side-impact tests. Petitions for reconsideration are due by October 26, 2026 (NHTSA Final rule, 91 Fed. Reg. 57265 (Sept. 9, 2026)).

July 31, 2027. NHTSA plans to develop updated guidance for the safe development and deployment of automated driving systems, replacing the agency’s last major guidance document, Automated Driving Systems 2.0: A Vision for Safety, issued in 2017 (Notice of public availability and request for public comment, 91 Fed. Reg. 48491 (July 31, 2026)).

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