Title 49
SECTION 578.6
578.6 Civil penalties for violations of specified provisions of Title 49 of the United States Code.
§ 578.6 Civil penalties for violations of specified provisions of Title 49 of the United States Code.(a) Motor vehicle safety - (1) In general. A person who violates any of sections 30112, 30115, 30117 through 30122, 30123(a), 30125(c), 30127, or 30141 through 30147 of Title 49 of the United States Code or a regulation in this chapter prescribed under any of those sections is liable to the United States Government for a civil penalty of not more than $22,723 for each violation. A separate violation occurs for each motor vehicle or item of motor vehicle equipment and for each failure or refusal to allow or perform an act required by any of those sections. The maximum civil penalty under this paragraph (a)(1) for a related series of violations is $113,611,635.
(2) School buses. (i) Notwithstanding paragraph (a)(1) of this section, a person who:
(A) Violates section 30112(a)(1) of Title 49 United States Code by the manufacture, sale, offer for sale, introduction or delivery for introduction into interstate commerce, or importation of a school bus or school bus equipment (as those terms are defined in 49 U.S.C. 30125(a)); or
(B) Violates section 30112(a)(2) of Title 49 United States Code, shall be subject to a civil penalty of not more than $12,919 for each violation. A separate violation occurs for each motor vehicle or item of motor vehicle equipment and for each failure or refusal to allow or perform an act required by this section. The maximum penalty under this paragraph (a)(2)(i)(B) for a related series of violations is $19,378,412.
(3) Section 30166. A person who violates Section 30166 of Title 49 of the United States Code or a regulation in this chapter prescribed under that section is liable to the United States Government for a civil penalty for failing or refusing to allow or perform an act required under that section or regulation. The maximum penalty under this paragraph (a)(3) is $22,723 per violation per day. The maximum penalty under this paragraph (a)(3) for a related series of daily violations is $113,611,635.
(4) False and misleading reports. A person who knowingly and willfully submits materially false or misleading information to the Secretary, after certifying the same information as accurate under the certification process established pursuant to Section 30166(o) of Title 49 of the United States Code, shall be subject to a civil penalty of not more than $5,562 per day. The maximum penalty under this paragraph (a)(4) for a related series of daily violations is $1,112,518.
(b) National Automobile Title Information System. An individual or entity violating 49 U.S.C. Chapter 305 is liable to the United States Government for a civil penalty of not more than $1,814 for each violation.
(c) Bumper standards. (1) A person that violates 49 U.S.C. 32506(a) is liable to the United States Government for a civil penalty of not more than $2,976 for each violation. A separate violation occurs for each passenger motor vehicle or item of passenger motor vehicle equipment involved in a violation of 49 U.S.C. 32506(a)(1) or (4) -
(i) That does not comply with a standard prescribed under 49 U.S.C. 32502; or
(ii) For which a certificate is not provided, or for which a false or misleading certificate is provided, under 49 U.S.C. 32504.
(2) The maximum civil penalty under this paragraph (c) for a related series of violations is $3,313,763.
(d) Consumer information - (1) Crash-worthiness and damage susceptibility. A person who violates 49 U.S.C. 32308(a), regarding crashworthiness and damage susceptibility, is liable to the United States Government for a civil penalty of not more than $2,976 for each violation. Each failure to provide information or comply with a regulation in violation of 49 U.S.C. 32308(a) is a separate violation. The maximum penalty under this paragraph (d)(1) for a related series of violations is $1,623,024.
(2) Consumer tire information. Any person who fails to comply with the national tire fuel efficiency program under 49 U.S.C. 32304A is liable to the United States Government for a civil penalty of not more than $61,586 for each violation.
(e) Country of origin content labeling. A manufacturer of a passenger motor vehicle distributed in commerce for sale in the United States that willfully fails to attach the label required under 49 U.S.C. 32304 to a new passenger motor vehicle that the manufacturer manufactures or imports, or a dealer that fails to maintain that label as required under 49 U.S.C. 32304, is liable to the United States Government for a civil penalty of not more than $1,814 for each violation. Each failure to attach or maintain that label for each vehicle is a separate violation.
(f) Odometer tampering and disclosure. (1) A person that violates 49 U.S.C. Chapter 327 or a regulation in this chapter prescribed or order issued thereunder is liable to the United States Government for a civil penalty of not more than $11,125 for each violation. A separate violation occurs for each motor vehicle or device involved in the violation. The maximum civil penalty under this paragraph (f)(1) for a related series of violations is $1,112,518.
(2) A person that violates 49 U.S.C. Chapter 327 or a regulation in this chapter prescribed or order issued thereunder, with intent to defraud, is liable for three times the actual damages or $11,125, whichever is greater.
(g) Vehicle theft protection. (1) A person that violates 49 U.S.C. 33114(a)(1)-(4) is liable to the United States Government for a civil penalty of not more than $2,444 for each violation. The failure of more than one part of a single motor vehicle to conform to an applicable standard under 49 U.S.C. 33102 or 33103 is only a single violation. The maximum penalty under this paragraph (g)(1) for a related series of violations is $610,979.
(2) A person that violates 49 U.S.C. 33114(a)(5) is liable to the United States Government for a civil penalty of not more than $181,484 a day for each violation.
(h) Automobile fuel economy. (1) A person that violates 49 U.S.C. 32911(a) is liable to the United States Government for a civil penalty of not more than $43,280 for each violation. A separate violation occurs for each day the violation continues.
(2) Except as provided in 49 U.S.C. 32912(c), beginning with model year 2022, a manufacturer that violates a standard prescribed for a model year under 49 U.S.C. 32902 is liable to the United States Government for a civil penalty of $14, plus any adjustments for inflation that occurred or may occur (for model years before model year 2022), multiplied by each .1 of a mile a gallon by which the applicable average fuel economy standard under that section exceeds the average fuel economy -
(i) Calculated under 49 U.S.C. 32904(a)(1)(A) or (B) for automobiles to which the standard applies manufactured by the manufacturer during the model year;
(ii) Multiplied by the number of those automobiles; and
(iii) Reduced by the credits available to the manufacturer under 49 U.S.C. 32903 for the model year.
Note 1 to paragraph (h)(2): If the August 31, 2020 decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Case No. 19-2395 is vacated, 49 CFR 578.6(h)(2), revised October 1, 2019, would apply to all model years, instead of paragraph (h)(2) of this section. In such instance, NHTSA would amend this section in accordance with such vacatur.
(i) Medium- and heavy-duty vehicle fuel efficiency. The maximum civil penalty for a violation of the fuel consumption standards of 49 CFR part 535 is not more than $42,621 per vehicle or engine. The maximum civil penalty for a related series of violations shall be determined by multiplying $42,621 times the vehicle or engine production volume for the model year in question within the regulatory averaging set.
[81 FR 43528, July 5, 2016, as amended at 83 FR 60753, Nov. 27, 2018; 84 FR 36034, July 26, 2019; 84 FR 37078, July 31, 2019; 86 FR 1763, Jan. 11, 2021; 86 FR 3026, Jan. 14, 2021]