[Code of Federal Regulations]

[Title 49, Volume 6]

[Revised as of October 1, 2005]

From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access

[CITE: 49CFR571.103]



[Page 229-230]

 

                        TITLE 49--TRANSPORTATION

 

                            OF TRANSPORTATION

 

PART 571_FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS--Table of Contents

 

            Subpart B_Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards

 

Sec. 571.103  Standard No. 103; Windshield defrosting and defogging 

systems.



    S1. Scope. This standard specifies requirements for windshield 

defrosting and defogging systems.

    S2. Application. This standard applies to passenger cars, 

multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, and buses.

    S3. Definitions. Road load means the power output required to move a 

given motor vehicle at curb weight plus 180 kilograms on level, clean, 

dry, smooth portland cement concrete pavement (or other surface with 

equivalent coefficient of surface friction) at a specified speed through 

still air at 20 degrees Celsius, and standard barometric pressure (101.3 

kilopascals) and includes driveline friction, rolling friction, and air 

resistance.

    S4. Requirements. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this 

section, each passenger car shall meet the requirements specified in 

S4.1, S4.2, and S4.3, and each multipurpose passenger vehicle, truck, 

and bus shall meet the requirements specified in Sec. 4.1.

    (b) Each passenger car, multipurpose passenger vehicle, truck, and 

bus manufactured for sale in the noncontinental United States may, at 

the option of the manufacturer, have a windshield defogging system which 

operates either by applying heat to the windshield or by dehumidifying 

the air inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle, in lieu of 

meeting the requirements specified by paragraph (a) of this section.

    S4.1 Each vehicle shall have a windshield defrosting and defogging 

system.



[[Page 230]]



    S4.2 Each passenger car windshield defrosting and defogging system 

shall meet the requirements of section 3 of SAE Recommended Practice 

J902, ``Passenger Car Windshield Defrosting Systems,'' August 1964, when 

tested in accordance with S4.3, except that ``the critical area'' 

specified in paragraph 3.1 of SAE Recommended Practice J902 shall be 

that established as Area C in accordance with Motor Vehicle Safety 

Standard No. 104, ``Windshield Wiping and Washing Systems,'' and ``the 

entire windshield'' specified in paragraph 3.3 of SAE Recommended 

Practice J902 shall be that established as Area A in accordance with 

Sec. 571.104.

    S4.3 Demonstration procedure. The passenger car windshield 

defrosting and defogging system shall be tested in accordance with the 

portions of paragraphs 4.1 through 4.4.7 of SAE Recommended Practice 

J902, August 1964, or SAE Recommended Practice J902a, March 1967, 

applicable to that system, except that--

    (a) During the first 5 minutes of the test:

    (1) For a passenger car equipped with a heating system other than a 

heat exchanger type that uses the engine's coolant as a means to supply 

the heat to the heat exchanger, the warm-up procedure is that specified 

by the vehicle's manufacturer for cold weather starting, except that 

connection to a power or heat source external to the vehicle is not 

permitted.

    (2) For all other passenger cars, the warm-up procedure may be that 

recommended by the vehicle's manufacturer for cold weather starting.

    (b) During the last 35 minutes of the test period (or the entire 

test period if the 5-minute warm-up procedure specified in paragraph (a) 

of this section is not used),

    (1) For a passenger car equipped with a heating system other than a 

heat exchanger type that uses the engine's coolant as a means to supply 

the heat to the heat exchanger, the procedure shall be that specified by 

the vehicle's manufacturer for cold weather starting, except that 

connection to a power or heat source external to the vehicle is not 

permitted.

    (2) For all other passenger cars, either--

    (i) The engine speed shall not exceed 1,500 r.p.m. in neutral gear; 

or

    (ii) The engine speed and load shall not exceed the speed and load 

at 40 kilometers per hour in the manufacturer's recommended gear with 

road load;

    (c) A room air change of 90 times per hour is not required;

    (d) The windshield wipers may be used during the test if they are 

operated without manual assist;

    (e) One or two windows may be open a total of 25 millimeters;

    (f) The defroster blower may be turned on at any time; and

    (g) The wind velocity is at any level from 0 to 3 kilometers per 

hour.

    (h) The test chamber temperature and the wind velocity shall be 

measured, after the engine has been started, at the forwardmost point of 

the vehicle or a point 914 millimeters from the base of the windshield, 

whichever is farther forward, at a level halfway between the top and 

bottom of the windshield on the vehicle centerline.



[36 FR 22902, Dec. 2, 1971, as amended at 40 FR 12992, Mar. 24, 1975; 40 

FR 32336, Aug. 1, 1975; 50 FR 48775, Nov. 27, 1985; 59 FR 11006, Mar. 9, 

1994; 60 FR 13642, Mar. 14, 1995]