NHTSA won't appeal court order reversing tire monitoring rule

WASHINGTON (Sept. 11)—The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will not appeal a New York federal appeals court's order reversing and remanding the agency's final rule mandating onboard tire pressure monitoring systems on vehicles, according to an agency source. In its Aug. 6 decision, the court agreed with Public Citizen and the Center for Auto Safety that the NHTSA rule on tire pressure monitoring was "arbitrary and capricious" and was insufficient to protect motorists from severe tire underinflation. The original NHTSA proposal favored the direct monitoring systems the consumer groups advocate, but the Office of Management and Budget refused to sign off on the standard unless NHTSA rewrote it to promote the use of indirect monitoring systems used in tandem with anti-lock brakes.