Products Liability Law Daily Wrap Up, NHTSA NEWS—COMMENT CALENDAR—NHTSA actions open for public comment, (Aug 24, 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.

August 26, 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. The comment period was originally scheduled to end on July 27, 2026, but was extended by 30 days to August 26, 2026 (NHTSA Notice of proposed rulemaking, 91 Fed. Reg. 38593 (June 26, 2026); Extension of comment period, 91 Fed. Reg. 47193 (July 28, 2026)).

August 26, 2026. NHTSA has issued a request for comment on a proposal to update its New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) by incorporating rear automatic braking systems with pedestrian avoidance capability into the program’s advanced driver assistance technologies. The comment period was originally scheduled to end on July 27, 2026, but was extended by 30 days to August 26, 2026 (NHTSA Request for comments, 91 Fed. Reg. 31834 (May 28, 2026); Extension of comment period, 91 Fed. Reg. 46527 (July 23, 2026)).

August 31, 2026. NHTSA has issued an interim final rule amending its regulations governing temporary exemptions from FMVSS and bumper standards. The rule revises 49 C.F.R. Part 555 to remove language limiting exemptions to vehicles manufactured on or after the effective date of an exemption. The interim final rule is effective on July 31, 2026, but NHTSA is accepting public comments and plans to issue a final rule after reviewing them (NHTSA Interim final rule; request for comments, 91 Fed. Reg. 48307 (July 31, 2026)).

August 31, 2026. NHTSA has requested comments on interim guidance for commercial deployment exemptions for automated vehicles (NHTSA Notice of updates; request for comments, 91 Fed. Reg. 48485 (July 31, 2026)).

September 3, 2026. NHTSA has issued a proposed rule responding to petitions for reconsideration of its January 7, 2025 final rule updating FMVSS No. 225, which governs child restraint anchorage systems. The proposal would extend certain compliance deadlines, modify phase-in requirements, make technical corrections, and clarify testing procedures (NHTSA Notice of proposed rulemaking; response to petitions for reconsideration, technical corrections, 91 Fed. Reg. 49385 (Aug. 4, 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)).

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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