Spartan Fire, LLC, Receipt of Petition for Decision of Inconsequential Noncompliance
Spartan Fire, LLC (Spartan) has determined that certain model year (MY) 2015-2023 Spartan Fire Gladiator and Spartan Fire Metro Star emergency vehicles do not fully comply with ...
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION:
Receipt of petition.
SUMMARY:
Spartan Fire, LLC (Spartan) has determined that certain model year (MY) 2015-2023 Spartan Fire Gladiator and Spartan Fire Metro Star emergency vehicles do not fully comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108,
Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment.
Spartan filed a noncompliance report dated January 28, 2025, and subsequently petitioned NHTSA (the “Agency”) on February 18, 2025, for a decision that the subject noncompliance is inconsequential as it relates to motor vehicle safety. This document announces receipt of Spartan's petition.
DATES:
Send comments on or before September 28, 2026.
ADDRESSES:
Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and arguments on this petition. Comments must refer to the docket and notice number cited in the title of this notice and may be submitted by any of the following methods:
Mail:
Send comments by mail addressed to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.
Hand Delivery:
Deliver comments by hand to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. The Docket Section is open on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. except for Federal Holidays.
Electronically:
Submit comments electronically by logging onto the Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) website at
www.regulations.gov/.
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
Comments may also be faxed to (202) 493-2251.
Comments must be written in the English language, and be no greater than 15 pages in length, although there is no limit to the length of necessary attachments to the comments. If comments are submitted in hard copy form, please ensure that two copies are provided. If you wish to receive confirmation that comments you have submitted by mail were received, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard with the comments. Note that all comments received will be posted without change to
www.regulations.gov,
including any personal information provided.
All comments and supporting materials received before the close of business on the closing date indicated above will be filed in the docket and will be considered. All comments and supporting materials received after the closing date will also be filed and will be considered to the fullest extent possible.
When the petition is granted or denied, notice of the decision will also be published in the
Federal Register
pursuant to the authority indicated at the end of this notice.
All comments, background documentation, and supporting materials submitted to the docket may be viewed by anyone at the address and times given above. The documents may also be viewed on the internet at
www.regulations.gov
by following the online instructions for accessing the dockets. The docket ID number for this petition is shown in the heading of this notice.
DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement is available for review in a
Federal Register
notice published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78).
I. Overview:
Spartan determined that certain MY 2015-2023 Spartan Fire Gladiator and Spartan Fire Metro Star do not fully comply with paragraph S7.6.13 and Table XII of FMVSS No. 108, Lamps, Reflective Devices, And Associated Equipment (49 CFR 571.108) and filed a noncompliance report on January 28, 2025, pursuant to 49 CFR part 573,
Defect and Noncompliance Responsibility and Reports.
Spartan petitioned NHTSA on February 18, 2025, for an exemption from the notification and remedy requirements of 49 U.S.C. Chapter 301 on the basis that this noncompliance is inconsequential as it relates to motor vehicle safety, pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 30118(d) and 30120(h) and 49 CFR part 556,
Exemption for Inconsequential Defect or Noncompliance.
This notice of receipt of Spartan's petition is published under 49 U.S.C. 30118 and 30120 and does not represent any agency decision or another exercise of judgment concerning the merits of the petition.
II. Vehicles Involved:
Approximately 35 MY 2015-2023 Spartan Fire Gladiator and Spartan Fire Metro Star emergency vehicles, manufactured between April 25, 2016, and February 29, 2024, were reported by the manufacturer.
III. Rule Requirements:
Paragraph S7.6.13 of FMVSS No. 108 includes the requirements relevant to this petition. Paragraph S7.6.13 requires each backup lamp to conform to the photometry requirements of Table XII. Table XII limits each backup lamp to 300 candela (cd), in a multiple lamp system, and to 600 cd in a single lamp system.
IV. Noncompliance:
Spartan states that the subject vehicles are equipped with “scene lights” installed as backup lamps which are not designed as backup lamps and may be too bright, exceeding the maximum photometric intensity allowed for backup lamps by Table XII of FMVSS 108.
V. Summary of Spartan's Petition:
The following views and arguments presented in this section, “V. Summary of Spartan's Petition,” are the views and arguments provided by Spartan. They have not been evaluated by the Agency and do not reflect the views of the Agency. Spartan describes the subject noncompliance and contends that the noncompliance is inconsequential as it relates to motor vehicle safety.
Spartan gives two reasons why this noncompliance is inconsequential to motor vehicle safety:
1. Spartan states that emergency vehicles are frequently operated in environments with limited visibility due to inclement weather or smoke. Spartan states that compliant backup lamps do not provide enough light in such conditions for the vehicle operator to have enough visibility when backing up. In support of these claims, Spartan states that its customers and/or dealers specified the subject “scene lights” be installed “for backup lamps.”
2. Spartan states that emergency vehicles benefit from “maximum conspicuity” during emergency situations. Spartan asserts that the subject “backup lamps,” which exceed the maximum allowed photometric intensity, serve to provide additional conspicuity for bystanders and passing vehicles at the scene when the subject vehicles are backing up.
NHTSA notes that the statutory provisions (49 U.S.C. 30118(d) and 30120(h)) that permit manufacturers to
( printed page 55432)
file petitions for a determination of inconsequentiality allow NHTSA to exempt manufacturers only from the duties found in sections 30118 and 30120, respectively, to notify owners, purchasers, and dealers of a defect or noncompliance and to remedy the defect or noncompliance. Therefore, any decision on this petition only applies to the subject vehicles that Spartan no longer controlled at the time it determined that the noncompliance existed. However, any decision on this petition does not relieve vehicle distributors and dealers of the prohibitions on the sale, offer for sale, or introduction or delivery for introduction into interstate commerce of the noncompliant vehicles under their control after Spartan notified them that the subject noncompliance existed.
www.regulations.gov/
49 CFR 571.108
49 U.S.C. Chapter 301