NHTSA Grants Nissan Petition on Replacement Windshield Glazing Noncompliance

The U.S. Department of Transportation granted Nissan North America's petition in late 2023, finding that certain replacement windshield glass that fell short of FMVSS 205 glazing requirements presented no meaningful safety consequence — a decision that illuminates how glazing standards are enforced in the replacement market.

Robert

Founder & Publisher

A November 2, 2023, Federal Register notice documented the resolution of an unusual automotive-glass compliance case: NHTSA granted Nissan North America's petition arguing that certain replacement windshield glass — manufactured by Central Glass Co. and outsourced to Japan Tempered and Laminated Glass Co. — did not fully comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 205 on Glazing Materials, but that the noncompliance was inconsequential to vehicle safety.

Nissan filed the original noncompliance report with NHTSA in June 2020, and the petition for an inconsequential-noncompliance determination followed in July 2020. The agency's review took more than three years before the Federal Register recorded the grant in November 2023.

FMVSS 205 establishes minimum performance requirements for automotive glazing materials used in motor vehicles — covering light transmittance, impact resistance, and other properties. The standard applies to both original equipment glass and replacement glazing. Replacement glass that does not meet FMVSS 205 requirements technically cannot be legally sold for use in covered vehicle applications.

NHTSA's inconsequential-noncompliance determination is a formal process by which a manufacturer can avoid a recall when a technical deficiency exists but does not present a meaningful safety risk. The grant of Nissan's petition indicated that the agency assessed the specific deviation from FMVSS 205 in the affected Nissan replacement glass as not affecting the ability of the windshield to perform its safety functions.

For auto-glass shops and distributors, the case is a reminder that FMVSS 205 compliance is a legal baseline for replacement glass sold in the U.S. market. The standard is enforced through manufacturer certification rather than retail-level testing, but shops that source glass from unfamiliar suppliers should understand that all glass sold as automotive replacement glazing must meet the standard — and that compliance responsibility flows from the manufacturer to the distributor.

The Nissan case also illustrated the length of time NHTSA's compliance and petition processes can take — a practical consideration for manufacturers and suppliers navigating similar issues.

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