WASHINGTON (March 8)—Coupled Products Inc., a Huntington County, Ind.-based manufacturer of coupled automotive hose assemblies, is appealing the denial of a petition of inconsequential noncompliance to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
NHTSA said Coupled Products did not prove its case that the failure of more than 24,000 brake hose assemblies to meet federal tensile strength standards was not a significant vehicle safety problem. A spokesman from Dana Corp., Coupled Products' parent firm, said Coupled Products feels the agency did not address the salient parts of their petition. "They feel there needs to be some clarification," he said.
A NHTSA spokeswoman said it is very rare for any company to appeal a denial of a petition for inconsequential noncompliance.