Preliminary Theft Data; Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-99-6586; Notice 01]

RIN 2127-AH76

Preliminary Theft Data; Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard

AGENCY:

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),Transportation.

ACTION:

Publication of preliminary theft data; request for comments.

SUMMARY:

This document requests comments on data about passenger motor vehicle thefts that occurred in calendar year (CY) 1998, including theft rates for existing passenger motor vehicle lines manufactured in model year (MY) 1998. The theft data preliminarily indicate that the vehicle theft rate for CY/MY 1998 vehicles (2.53 thefts per thousand vehicles) decreased by 17.05 percent from the theft rate for CY/MY 1997 vehicles (3.05 thefts per thousand vehicles).

Publication of these data fulfills NHTSA's statutory obligation to periodically obtain accurate and timely theft data, and publish the information for review and comment.

DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before April 10, 2000.

ADDRESSES:

All comments should refer to the docket number and notice number cited in the heading of this document and be submitted, preferably with two copies to: U.S. Department of Transportation, Dockets, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. Docket hours are from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ms. Rosalind Proctor, Office of Planning and Consumer Programs, NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street, SW, Washington, DC 20590. Ms. Proctor's telephone number is (202) 366-0846. Her fax number is (202) 493-2290.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

NHTSA administers a program for reducing motor vehicle theft. The central feature of this program is the Federal Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard, 49 CFR Part 541. The standard specifies performance requirements for inscribing or affixing vehicle identification numbers (VINs) onto certain major original equipment and replacement parts of high-theft lines of passenger motor vehicles.

The agency is required by 49 U.S.C. 33104(b)(4) to periodically obtain, from the most reliable source, accurate and timely theft data, and publish the data for review and comment. To fulfill the § 33104(b)(4) mandate, this document reports the preliminary theft data for CY 1998, the most recent calendar year for which data are available.

In calculating the 1998 theft rates, NHTSA followed the same procedures it used in calculating the MY 1997 theft rates. (For 1997 theft data calculations, see 64 FR 41183, July 29, 1999). As in all previous reports, NHTSA's data were based on information provided to the agency by the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The NCIC is a governmental system that receives vehicle theft information from nearly 23,000 criminal justice agencies and other law enforcement authorities throughout the United States. The NCIC data also include reported thefts of self-insured and uninsured vehicles, not all of which are reported to other data sources.

The 1998 theft rate for each vehicle line was calculated by dividing the number of reported thefts of MY 1998 vehicles of that line stolen during calendar year 1998, by the total number of vehicles in that line manufactured for MY 1998, as reported by manufacturers to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The preliminary 1998 theft data show a decrease in the vehicle theft rate when compared to the theft rate experienced in CY/MY 1997. The preliminary theft rate for MY 1998 passenger vehicles stolen in calendar year 1998 decreased to 2.53 thefts per thousand vehicles produced, a decrease of 17.05 percent from the rate of 3.05 thefts per thousand vehicles experienced by MY 1997 vehicles in CY 1997. For MY 1998 vehicles, out of a total of 196 vehicle lines, 41 lines had a theft rate higher than 3.5826 per thousand vehicles, the

established median theft rate for MYs 1990/1991. (See 59 FR 12400, March 16, 1994). Of the 41 vehicle lines with a theft rate higher than 3.5826, 35 are passenger car lines, six are multipurpose passenger vehicle lines, and none are light-duty truck lines.

In Table I, NHTSA has tentatively ranked each of the MY 1998 vehicle lines in descending order of theft rate. Public comment is sought on the accuracy of the data, including the data for the production volumes of individual vehicle lines.

Comments must not exceed 15 pages in length (49 CFR Part 553.21). Attachments may be appended to these submissions without regard to the 15 page limit. This limitation is intended to encourage commenters to detail their primary arguments in a concise fashion.

If a commenter wishes to submit certain information under a claim of confidentiality, three copies of the complete submission, including purportedly confidential business information, should be submitted to the Chief Counsel, NHTSA, at the street address given above, and two copies from which the purportedly confidential information has been deleted should be submitted to Dockets. A request for confidentiality should be accompanied by a cover letter setting forth the information specified in the agency's confidential business information regulation. 49 CFR Part 512.

All comments received before the close of business on the comment closing date indicated above for this document will be considered, and will be available for examination in the docket at the above address both before and after that date. To the extent possible, comments filed after the closing date will also be considered. Comments on this document will be available for inspection in the docket. NHTSA will continue to file relevant information as it becomes available for inspection in the docket after the closing date, and it is recommended that interested persons continue to examine the docket for new material.

Those persons desiring to be notified upon receipt of their comments in the rules docket should enclose a self-addressed, stamped postcard in the envelope with their comments. Upon receiving the comments, the docket supervisor will return the postcard by mail.

Authority:

49 U.S.C. 33101, 33102 and 33104; delegation of authority at 49 CFR 1.50.

Preliminary Report of Theft Rates of 1998 Model Year Passenger Motor Vehicles Stolen in Calendar Year 1998

Manufacturer

Make/model (line)

Thefts 1998

Production (Mfr's) 1998

1998 theft rate (per 1,000 vehicles produced)

1 Mitsubishi

Diamante

87

6,584

13.2139

2 Lamborghini

DB132/Diablo

1

104

9.6154

3 Saab

9000

12

1,335

8.9888

4 Honda

Acura Integra

314

36,253

8.6614

5 Mitsubishi

Mirage

357

41,904

8.5195

6 Toyota

Tercel

92

11,207

8.2092

7 Chrysler Corp

Dodge Stratus

750

107,276

6.9913

8 Mitsubishi

Montero Sport/Nativa

1

318

45,772

6.9475

9 General Motors

Oldsmobile Achieva

181

26,922

6.7231

10 General Motors

GMC Safari Van

161

24,451

6.5846

11 General Motors

Buick Skylark

122

18,851

6.4718

12 Hyundai

Sonata

101

16,406

6.1563

13 Suzuki

X-90

3

500

6.0000

14 Chrysler Corp

Plymouth Breeze

393

66,612

5.8998

15 Mitsubishi

Galant

172

29,618

5.8073

16 Chrysler Corp

Plymouth Neon

499

87,055

5.7320

17 Chrysler Corp

Dodge Neon

725

130,154

5.5703

18 Mitsubishi

Eclipse

307

56,294

5.4535

19 Nissan

Maxima

682

130,862

5.2116

20 Chrysler Corp

Sebring Convertible

251

50,812

4.9398

21 Ford Motor Co

Mercury Tracer

177

35,850

4.9372

22 Hyundai

Elantra

169

35,792

4.7217

23 Suzuki

Swift

15

3,265

4.5942

24 General Motors

Pontiac Sunfire

409

90,469

4.5209

25 Mitsubishi

Montero

38

8,506

4.4674

26 Suzuki

Esteem

67

15,222

4.4015

27 Chrysler Corp

Jeep Grand Cherokee

1,085

249,097

4.3557

28 BMW

M3

50

11,537

4.3339

29 Toyota

Supra

3

697

4.3042

30 Mazda

Millenia

82

19,908

4.1189

31 Toyota

Lexus GS

124

30,810

4.0247

32 Toyota

4-Runner

489

121,745

4.0166

33 BMW

7

73

18,179

4.0156

34 Ford Motor Co

Contour

866

217,548

3.9807

35 Hyundai

Accent

123

31,692

3.8811

36 General Motors

Pontiac Grand AM

386

101,814

3.7912

37 Mitsubishi

3000GT

18

4,753

3.7871

38 Nissan

Altima

602

159,224

3.7808

39 Chrysler Corp

Eagle Talon

16

4,317

3.7063

40 Audi

Cabriolet

3

829

3.6188

41 Ford Motor Co

Mustang

612

170,587

3.5876

42 Mercedes Benz

140 (CL-Class & SL-Class)

34

9,593

3.5443

43 Suzuki

Sidekick

65

18,396

3.533

44 Nissan

Sentra/200SX

395

111,821

3.5324

45 Mazda

Prote

ge

201

57,165

3.5161

46 General Motors

Chevrolet Blazer S10/T10

759

216,854

3.5001

47 KIA Motors

Sephia

156

45,860

3.4017

48 General Motors

Chevrolet Prizm

153

45,000

3.4000

49 General Motors

Pontiac Firebird/Formula

107

32,228

3.3201

50 General Motors

Chevrolet Camaro

159

48,562

3.2742

51 Ford Motor Co

Mercury Mystique

195

59,826

3.2595

52 Isuzu

Rodeo

223

68,558

3.2527

53 Chrysler Corp

Cirrus

121

37,295

3.2444

54 Porsche

911

8

2,474

3.2336

55 General Motors

Chevrolet Metro

104

32,499

3.2001

56 Chrysler Corp

Dodge Avenger

85

26,634

3.1914

57 General Motors

Chevrolet Cavalier

844

270,401

3.1213

58 Ford Motor Co

Mercury Sable

282

91,297

3.0888

59 Ford Motor Co

Lincoln Town Car

253

82,965

3.0495

60 Toyota

Corolla

690

228,197

3.0237

61 Mercedes Benz

129 (SL-Class)

25

8,315

3.0066

62 Ford Motor Co

Lincoln Mark VIII

43

14,357

2.9951

63 General Motors

Chevrolet Corvette

86

28,732

2.9932

64 Chrysler Corp

Jeep Cherokee

439

148,207

2.9621

65 Nissan

Infiniti I30

92

31,060

2.9620

66 Ford Motor Co

Escort

995

336,729

2.9549

67 General Motors

Cadillac Deville

305

104,209

2.9268

68 General Motors

Chevrolet Malibu

669

231,143

2.8943

69 General Motors

GMC Jimmy S-15

204

71,583

2.8498

70 Ford Motor Co

Taurus

943

332,243

2.8383

71 Toyota

Tacoma Pickup Truck

484

170,992

2.8305

72 Honda

Prelude

45

15,973

2.8173

73 Jaguar

XJ8

32

11,374

2.8134

74 Mazda

626

246

87,448

2.8131

75 General Motors

Oldsmobile Bravada

77

27,790

2.7708

76 Chrysler Corp

Sebring Coupe

93

35,035

2.6545

77 Hyundai

Tiburon

17

6,444

2.6381

78 Chrysler Corp

Dodge Intrepid

182

70,283

2.5895

79 Nissan

Infiniti QX4

44

17,109

2.5717

80 Honda

Passport

63

25,435

2.4769

81 General Motors

Chevrolet Lumina/Monte Carlo

616

255,423

2.4117

82 General Motors

Chevrolet Tracker

50

20,999

2.3811

83 Nissan

Pathfinder

186

81,428

2.2842

84 Honda

Civic

838

368,876

2.2718

85 General Motors

Pontiac Bonneville

146

65,539

2.2277

86 Volkswagen

Golf/GTI

40

17,971

2.2258

87 Mercedes Benz

208 (CLK-Class)

11

5,103

2.1556

88 Chrysler Corp

Jeep WRangler

185

90,341

2.0478

89 BMW

3

76

38,098

1.9949

90 Volkswagen

Jetta

149

74,701

1.9946

91 Chrysler Corp

Stratus

2

1

505

1.9802

92 BMW

5

70

35,631

1.9646

93 Ford Motor Co

F-150 Pickup Truck

805

409,940

1.9637

94 Jaguar

XJR

3

1,534

1.9557

95 Toyota

Camry

790

404,850

1.9513

96 Ford Motor Co

Windstar Van

646

333,746

1.9356

97 Chrysler Corp

Neon

2

1

518

1.9305

98 Kia Motors

Sportage

51

26,455

1.9278

99 Volvo

S70/V70

167

87,069

1.9180

100 Chrysler Corp

Plymouth Voyager/Grand

299

156,440

1.9113

101 Toyota

Lexus ES

96

50,585

1.8978

102 Chrysler Corp

Dodge Caravan/Grand

538

288,662

1.8638

103 General Motors

Cadillac Eldorado

33

17,950

1.8384

104 General Motors

Oldsmobile Intrigue

180

99,035

1.8175

105 Honda

Acura TL

33

18,337

1.7996

106 Toyota

Lexus SC

5

2,801

1.7851

107 Isuzu

Trooper

33

18,657

1.7688

108 Isuzu

Oasis Van

3

1,702

1.7626

109 Ford Motor Co

Mercury Grand Marquis

154

87,762

1.7547

110 Ford Motor Co

Explorer

773

446,467

1.7314

111 General Motors

Cadillac Seville

47

27,650

1.6998

112 Chrysler Corp

Dodge Dakota Pickup Truck

245

144,215

1.6989

113 Mercedes Benz

210 (E-Class)

72

42,466

1.6955

114 Volvo

C70

4

2,394

1.6708

115 Toyota

T100 Pickup Truck

18

10,783

1.6693

116 General Motors

Cadillac Catera

46

27,571

1.6684

117 Mazda

MPV

25

15,037

1.6626

118 General Motors

Oldsmobile Cutlass

86

52,679

1.6325

119 General Motors

Oldsmobile Aurora

39

23,955

1.6281

120 Isuzu

Hombre Pickup Truck

32

20,289

1.5772

121 General Motors

Buick Century

198

128,899

1.5361

122 Ford Motor Co

Ranger Pickup Truck

451

297,551

1.5157

123 Ford Motor Co

Mercury Mountaineer

77

51,022

1.5092

124 General Motors

Pontiac Grand Prix

188

127,838

1.4706

125 Mazda

B Series Pickup Truck

70

48,270

1.4502

126 Toyota

RAV4

93

64,298

1.4464

127 General Motors

Buick Regal

101

70,556

1.4315

128 Honda

Acura CL

36

25,471

1.4134

129 General Motors

Chevrolet S-10 Pickup Truck

348

248,330

1.4014

130 Isuzu

Amigo

13

9,374

1.3868

131 Jaguar

XK8

8

5,792

1.3812

132 Porsche

Boxster Convertible

10

7,253

1.3787

133 Mercedes Benz

202 (C-Class)

45

34,100

1.3196

134 General Motors

GMC Sonoma Pickup Truck

77

59,359

1.2972

135 General Motors

Buick Park Avenue

80

62,015

1.2900

136 General Motors

Pontiac Trans Sport Van

70

54,839

1.2765

137 Nissan

Frontier Pickup Truck

111

89,266

1.2435

138 General Motors

Saturn SC

42

34,035

1.2340

139 General Motors

Buick Riviera

13

10,601

1.2263

140 Volkswagen

Cabrio

15

12,252

1.2243

141 Honda

Accord

490

403,085

1.2156

142 BMW

Z3

20

16,482

1.2134

143 Toyota

Lexus LS

27

22,840

1.1821

144 Subaru

Impreza

23

19,550

1.1765

145 Chrysler Corp

Concorde

52

46,543

1.1172

146 Mercedes Benz

163 (ML-Class)

44

39,493

1.1141

147 Honda

Acura SLX

2

1,800

1.1111

148 Mercedes Benz

170 (SLK-Class)

14

12,658

1.1060

149 General Motors

Oldsmobile 88/Regency

69

64,116

1.0762

150 Toyota

Avalon

80

76,189

1.0500

151 Subaru

Legacy

95

90,721

1.0472

152 General Motors

Chevrolet Venture Van

93

93,027

0.9997

153 General Motors

Saturn SL

146

147,604

0.9891

154 Honda

Acura RL

14

14,182

0.9872

155 Nissan

Quest

26

26,388

0.9853

156 Ford Motor Co

Lincoln Continental

38

38,671

0.9826

157 Chrysler Corp

Dodge Viper

1

1,067

0.9372

158 Volvo

S90/V90

12

12,825

0.9357

159 Volkswagen

Passat

24

25,869

0.9278

160 Nissan

240SX

2

2,178

0.9183

161 Nissan

Infiniti Q45

7

7,795

0.8980

162 Toyota

Celica

3

3,343

0.8974

163 Audi

A4

21

24,225

0.8669

164 Chrysler Corp

Town and Country MPV

52

62,976

0.8257

165 General Motors

Buick Lesabre

111

143,354

0.7743

166 Honda

CR-V

74

96,828

0.7642

167 Jaguar

Vanden Plas

4

5,284

0.7570

168 Ford Motor Co

Mercury Villager MPV

28

37,471

0.7472

169 Toyota

Sienna Van

48

73,777

0.6506

170 Subaru

Forester

28

43,490

0.6438

171 Audi

A6

10

16,938

0.5904

172 Volkswagen

New Beetle

22

38,999

0.5641

173 Honda

Odyssey Van

8

14,633

0.5467

174 Ford Motor Co

Crown Victoria

43

85,305

0.5041

175 General Motors

Oldsmobile Silhouette Van

17

35,827

0.4745

176 General Motors

Saturn SW

8

18,322

0.4366

177 Saab

900

5

12,003

0.4166

178 General Motors

Chevrolet Astro Van

34

83,317

0.4081

179 Aston Martin

DB7

0

213

0.0000

180 Audi

A8

0

1,978

0.0000

181 Chrysler Corp

Intrepid

2

0

171

0.0000

182 Fiat

Ferrari

456

25

0.0000

183 Fiat

Ferrari 550

0

149

0.0000

184 Fiat

Ferrari F355

0

511

0.0000

185 General Motors

Buick Funeral Coach

0

1,061

0.0000

186 General Motors

Cadillac Limousine

0

1,134

0.0000

187 Honda

Acura NSX

0

254

0.0000

188 Lotus

Esprit

0

54

0.0000

189 Rolls-Royce

Bentley Azure

0

99

0.0000

190 Rolls-Royce

Bentley Brooklands

0

39

0.0000

191 Rolls-Royce

Bentley Continental R

0

24

0.0000

192 Rolls-Royce

Bentley Continental T

0

20

0.0000

193 Rolls-Royce

Bentley Turbo R/RT

0

25

0.0000

194 Rolls-Royce

Silver Spur Park Ward

0

12

0.0000

195 Rolls-Royce

Silver Spur

0

30

0.0000

196 Vector Auto

Avtech SC/M12

0

5

0.0000

1

Nativa is the name applied to Montero Sport vehicles that are manufactured for sale only in Puerto Rico.

2

These vehicles were manufactured for sale only in U.S. territories under the Chrysler name plate.

Issued on: February 2, 2000.

Stephen R. Kratzke,

Acting Associate Administrator for Safety Performance Standards.

[FR Doc. 00-2723 Filed 2-7-00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910-59-P