On November 27, 1996, the agency published in the Federal Register (61 FR 60206) a final rule amending Standards No. 208 and No. 213 to require improved labeling on new vehicles and child restraints to better ensure that drivers and other occupants are aware of the dangers posed by passenger air bags to children, particularly to children in rear-facing infant restraints in vehicles with operational passenger air bags. The improved labels were required on new vehicles beginning February 25, 1997, and were required on child restraints beginning May 27, 1997.
On January 6, 1997, the agency published in the Federal Register (62 FR 798) a final rule extending until September 1, 2000, an existing provision in Standard No. 208 permitting vehicle manufacturers to offer manual on-off switches for the passenger air bag for new vehicles without rear seats or with rear seats that are too small to accommodate rear-facing infant restraints.
On March 19, 1997, NHTSA published in the Federal Register (62 FR 12960) a final rule temporarily amending Standard No. 208 to facilitate efforts of vehicle manufacturers to depower their air bags quickly so that they inflate less aggressively. This change, coupled with the broad flexibility already provided by the standard's existing performance requirements, provided the vehicle manufacturers maximum flexibility to quickly reduce the adverse effects of current air bags. Vehicle manufacturers provided air bags that were depowered or otherwise redesigned for a large number of model year 1998 vehicles.
