Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Request for Comment; Consolidated Child Restraint System Registration for Defect Notifications and Labeling

Issuing agencies

Abstract

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) summarized below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its expected burden. This document request for comments on a reinstatement and revision of a previously- approved information collection on Child Restraint System Registration for Defect Notifications and Labeling. A Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following information collection was published on December 5, 2023 (88 FR 84514). No comments were received.

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 164 (Wednesday, August 26, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 164 (Wednesday, August 26, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55157-55162]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-17384]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2023-0040]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Request for 
Comment; Consolidated Child Restraint System Registration for Defect 
Notifications and Labeling

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 
Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice and request for comments on a reinstatement and revision 
of a previously-approved information collection.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 
this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) 
summarized below will be submitted to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The ICR describes the nature of 
the information collection and its expected burden. This document 
request for comments on a reinstatement and revision of a previously-
approved information collection on Child Restraint System Registration 
for Defect Notifications and Labeling. A Federal Register Notice with a 
60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following information 
collection was published on December 5, 2023 (88 FR 84514). No comments 
were received.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before September 25, 2026.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection, including suggestions for reducing burden, 
should be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget at 
<a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. To find this particular information 
collection, select ``Currently under Review--Open for Public Comment'' 
or use the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or access 
to background documents, contact Mrs. Cristina Echemendia, Office of 
Crashworthiness Standards, at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#90f3e2f9e3e4f9fef1bef5f3f8f5fdf5fef4f9f1d0f4ffe4bef7ffe6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b8dbcad1cbccd1d6d996dddbd0ddd5ddd6dcd1d9f8dcd7cc96dfd7ce">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>. You can

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reach this official by phone at 202-366-1810. Address: National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 
New Jersey Avenue SE, West Building, Washington, DC 20590. Please 
identify the relevant collection of information by referring to its OMB 
Control Number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), a 
Federal agency must receive approval from the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) before it collects certain information from the public, 
and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information 
by a Federal agency unless the collection displays a valid OMB control 
number. In compliance with those requirements, this notice announces 
that the following information collection request is being submitted to 
OMB.
    Title: ``Consolidated Child Restraint System Registration, Labeling 
and Defect Notifications.''
    OMB Control Number: 2127-0576.
    Form Number: NHTSA 1053 A, NHTSA 1053 B.
    Type of Request: Reinstatement and revision of a previously-
approved information collection.
    Type of Review Requested: Regular.
    Length of Approval Requested: Three years from date of approval.

Summary of the Collection of Information

    This information collection requires that manufacturers of child 
restraint systems (CRSs): (1) produce registration cards, labels and 
printed instructions (brochures), (2) collect CRS owner registration 
information, (3) design registration cards, labels and manuals, and (4) 
create and keep registration records so that, in the event of a safety 
recall, manufacturers can provide direct notification to owners. Child 
restraint manufacturers are required to provide an owner's registration 
card for purchasers of child safety seats in accordance with Title 49 
of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 571--Section 213, 
``Child restraint systems'' or--section 213b, ``Child restraint 
systems.'' The registration card consists of two-parts (Figures 1 and 2 
in FMVSS No. 213 and Figures 4 and 5 in FMVSS No. 213b). The FMVSS No. 
213 information card contains a message and suitable instructions to be 
retained by the purchaser. The registration form part is to be returned 
to the manufacturer by the purchaser. The registration part includes 
prepaid return postage, the pre-printed name and address of the 
manufacturer, the pre-printed model and date of manufacture, and spaces 
for purchasers to fill in their name and address. The size, font, 
color, and layout of the top part are currently prescribed (see Figures 
1 and 2) as is the attachment method (fold/perforation) of the 
information card to the lower part of the form (the mail-in card). The 
top part of the registration card sets forth: (a) prescribed wording 
advising the consumer of the importance of registering; (b) prescribed 
instructions on how to register; and (c) prescribed statements that the 
mail-in card is pre-addressed and that postage is already paid.
    The bottom part (the mail-in card) is to be returned to the 
manufacturer by the purchaser. The bottom part includes prepaid return 
postage, the pre-printed name andaddress of the manufacturer, the pre-
printed model and date of manufacture, and spaces for the purchaser to 
fill in his/her name and address. Optionally, child restraint 
manufacturers are permitted to add to the registration form: (a) 
Specified statements informing CRS owners that they may register 
online; (b) the internet address for registering with the company; (c) 
revisions to statements reflecting use of the internet to register; and 
(d) a space for the consumer's email address. For those CRS owners with 
access to the internet, online registration may be a preferred method 
of registering a CRS.
    Child restraint manufacturers are also required to provide printed 
instructions with new CRSs, with step-by-step information on how the 
restraint is to be used, and a permanently attached label that gives 
``quick look'' information on matters such as usage instructions and 
information on registering the CRS.
    The December 5, 2023 final rule updating child restraint systems 
requirements established the standard FMVSS No. 213b. The final rule 
amended the requirements in FMVSS No. 213 and FMVSS No. 213b so that 
the wording advising the consumer about the importance of registering 
their CRS and instructing how to register is not prescribed. Instead, 
CRS manufacturers are given leeway to use their own words to convey the 
importance of registering the CRS and to instruct how registration is 
achieved. Updated requirements allow statements instructing consumers 
to use electronic (or any other means) of registering, as long as 
instructions are provided on using the paper card for registering 
(including that the mail-in card is pre-addressed and that the postage 
is prepaid). Updated requirements allow other means of electronic 
registration other than a web address, such as a QR code, tiny URL, or 
similar.
    In the final rule, the agency also removed restrictions on the use 
of size, font, color, layout, and attachment method of the information 
card portion, allowing manufacturers greater flexibility in its design. 
NHTSA is continuing a current provision that prohibits any other 
information unrelated to the registration of the CRS, such as 
advertising or warranty information. With the changes to the 
information card (Figure 1 and Figure 2 of this notice) adopted in the 
December 5, 2023 final rule, NHTSA anticipates a change to the hour 
burden or costs associated with the revised information card, labels 
and printed instructions, which will be discussed in later sections of 
this notice.
    In addition to the manufacturer-supplied registration card, NHTSA 
implemented a CRS registration system to assist owners who either lost 
the original registration card or purchased a previously owned CRS.\1\ 
Upon an owner's request, NHTSA provides a substitute registration form 
that can be obtained either by mail or from the internet \2\ (see 
Figure 3). When the completed registration is returned to the agency, 
the information is forwarded to the CRS manufacturer. In the absence of 
a substitute registration system, many CRS owners, especially any 
second-hand owners, might not be notified of safety defects and non-
compliances. These owners would be less likely to have any defects and 
non-compliances remedied without notification.
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    \1\ While NHTSA no longer provides this form in its website, the 
agency continues to process any forms it receives from consumers.
    \2\ <a href="https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-seats-and-booster-seats#car-seat-registration">https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-seats-and-booster-seats#car-seat-registration</a>.
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    Child seat owner registration information is retained in the event 
that owners need to be contacted for defect recalls or replacement 
campaigns. Chapter 301 of Title 49 of the United States Code specifies 
that if either NHTSA or a manufacturer determines that motor vehicles 
or items of motor vehicle equipment contain a defect that relates to 
motor vehicle safety or fails to comply with an applicable Federal 
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard, the manufacturer must notify owners and 
purchasers of the defect or noncompliance and the manufacturer must 
provide a remedy without charge. In title 49 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR), part 577, defect and noncompliance notification for 
equipment items, including child restraint systems, must be sent by 
first class mail to the most recent purchaser known to the 
manufacturer.

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    Child restraint manufacturers also must provide printed 
instructions in a brochure containing step-by-step information on how 
the restraint is to be used. Without proper CRS usage, the 
effectiveness of these systems is greatly diminished. Each CRS must 
also have a permanent label. A permanently attached label gives ``quick 
look'' information on whether the restraint meets the safety 
requirements, recommended installation and use, and warnings against 
misuse. CRSs equipped with internal harnesses and components to attach 
to a vehicle's child restraint anchorage system are also required to be 
labeled with a child limit.

Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use of the 
Information

    CRS manufacturers are required to label each CRS and provide 
brochures containing safety information and instructions on proper 
restraint usage. Such information mitigates the risk of misuse and 
consequently reduces injuries to and fatalities of children in crashes. 
This collection supports the Department of Transportation's (DOT) 
strategic goal for safety, by working towards the elimination of 
transportation related deaths and injuries involving children.
    FMVSS No. 213 and FMVSS No. 213b each require that every new CRS 
has an owner registration form attached. The standards permit 
information regarding online product registration to be included on the 
owner registration form required under the standard. This enhances the 
opportunity for owners to register their CRSs online, which may 
increase registration rates and the effectiveness of recall campaigns. 
Manufacturers are also permitted to supplement (but not replace) recall 
notification via first-class mail with email notification, which 
increases the likelihood that owners learn of a recall. Manufacturers 
are also required to include a U.S. telephone number on a CRS label for 
the purpose of enabling consumers to register their products by 
telephone.
    Increasing CRS registrations is an important part to protecting 
young children and infants. By registering CRSs, product manufacturers 
will to able to directly contact owners in the event of any safety 
recalls.

60-Day Notice

    A Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting 
public comments on the following information collection was published 
on December 5th, 2023 (88 FR 84514). The closing date for comments was 
February 3, 2024. No comments were received on the information 
collection.
    Affected Public: Businesses, Individuals and Households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 38 Manufacturers, 2,835,200 
Consumers.\3\
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    \3\ This is the number of registrations filled by consumers and 
the information collection by the CRS manufacturers of those 
received registrations.
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    Frequency: On occasion.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 2,835,200.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 119,439 hours.
    The total burden hours for this collection consist of: (1) the 
hours spent by consumers filling out the registration form, (2) the 
hours spent collecting registration information, (3) the hours spent 
designing registration cards, labels and manuals, and, (4) the hours 
spent determining the maximum allowable child weight for lower anchor 
use and adding the information to the existing label and instruction 
manual.
    (1) Annual Burden for filling out registration card. NHTSA 
estimates that 16,000,000 CRSs are currently sold each year by 38 CRS 
manufacturers. Of the CRSs sold each year, NHTSA estimates that 
2,369,660 are registered using registration cards and 465,540 are 
registered online. A consumer spends approximately 60 seconds (one 
minute) filling out the registration form. The estimated annual number 
of burden hours for consumers to fill out the registration form is 
47,253 hours (rounded) (2,835,200 x (60 seconds/3,600 seconds/hour)).
    (2) Annual Burden for Reporting (collecting registration 
information). Manufacturers must spend about 90 seconds (1.5 min) to 
enter the information from each returned registration card; while 
online registrations are considered to have no burden for the 
manufacturer, as the information is entered by the purchaser. 
Therefore, the estimated annual number of burden hours for CRS 
registration information collection is 59,242 hours (rounded) 
(2,369,660 x (90 seconds/3,600 seconds/hour)).
    (3) NHTSA assumes for purposes of this burden analysis that each 
manufacturer would design the registration information on the 
information card five times per year, whether it is to use different 
registration cards designs in different CRS models or to adapt the 
design to improve registrations. The agency estimates 50 hours of 
additional burden per child restraint manufacturer for the designing of 
the registration card (information card portion) that no longer have 
prescribed text (50 hours x 5 designs/year x 38 CRS manufacturers = 
9,500 hours annually).
    (4) Annual Burden for Reporting (determining maximum allowable 
child weight). About 12,400,000 of the CRSs sold each year are equipped 
with internal harnesses. About half of the CRSs equipped with internal 
harnesses sold annually (6,200,000 = 12,400,000 x 0.5) would require a 
label with the maximum allowable child weight for using the lower 
anchors. Manufacturers must spend about two seconds to determine the 
maximum allowable child weight for lower anchor use and to add the 
information to the existing label and instruction manual. Therefore, 
the total annual burden hours for the information on the maximum 
allowable child weight in the existing label and instruction manual is 
3,444 hours (rounded) (= 6,200,000 x (2 seconds/3,600 seconds/hour)).
    The estimated total annual number of burden hours is 119,439 (= 
47,253 + 59,242 + 9,500 + 3,444) hours. The total estimated hour burden 
increased from 109,939 hours to 119,439 hours (a 9,500-burden hour 
increase). The increase in burden is due to new requirements in FMVSS 
No. 213b that result in additional cost for designing the registration 
card, labels, and manuals.\4\ The adopted changes include allowing 
manufacturers to use their own words, instead of using prescribed 
statements, to convey the importance of registering and providing 
instructions on how to register. NHTSA also removed restrictions on 
size, font, color, layout, and attachment method for the information 
card portion of the registration card.
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    \4\ On December 5, 2023 NHTSA published a final rule (88 FR 
84514) adopting changes to the CRS registration card. These changes 
require manufacturers to use their own language to convey the 
importance of registration and provide instructions on how to 
complete it, replacing the previously mandated NHTSA-prescribed 
statements. NHTSA also removed restrictions on size, font, color, 
layout and attachment method of the information card portion of the 
registration card. On October 9, 2024, a petitions for 
reconsideration response final rule (89 FR 81836) was published that 
delayed the compliance date of these new requirements from December 
5, 2024 to June 30, 2025, when the requirements will be mandatory.
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Estimated Total Annual Burden Cost: $10,565,493 (Rounded)

    The total burden cost for this collection consists of printing and 
material costs of labels and registration cards and the mailed-in 
registration cards postage costs.

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Printing and Material Costs of Labels and Registration Cards, and 
Postage Costs

    The total annual printing and material cost to the respondents is 
estimated to be $9,120,000. NHTSA estimates that the printing and 
material cost of $0.23 per CRS labels and $0.34 per CRS registration 
card. The total annual printing and material cost to respondents is 
calculated by multiplying the printing and material cost ($0.57 = $0.23 
+ $0.34) by the estimated 16,000,000 responses (CRSs produced) per year 
($0.57 x 16,000,000). The total estimated annual printing and material 
costs are detailed in the table below:

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  Number of CRS  produced   Printing and material cost    Printing and material cost      Annual printing and
         annually                 per CRS--labels        per CRS-- registration card         material cost
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            16,000,000                       $0.23                          $0.34                  $9,120,000
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    The total annual postage cost for the mailed in registration cards 
is estimated to be $1,445,493.00. Approximately 16,000,000 CRSs are 
sold each year with an estimated registration rate of 17.72% 
(2,835,200). Of the total registrations received, 83.58% (2,369,660) 
are mailed in registration cards. The remainder are from online 
registrations. CRS manufacturers are required to provide printed mail-
in registration cards with pre-paid postage. The total annual postage 
cost is calculated by multiplying the number of mailed in registration 
cards (2,369,660) by the postage cost ($0.61).\5\ The total estimated 
postage cost is detailed in the table below:
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    \5\ United States Postal Service Rates: <a href="https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm#_c096">https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm#_c096</a>.

                                              Annual Postage Costs
                                         [Mailed-in registration cards]
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                          Annual number of  returned     Registrations
 Number of CRS produced       CRS registrations          received from     Registration card     Annual postage
       each year            (registration rate of     registration cards      postage cost            cost
                                   17.72%)                (83.58%) *
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           16,000,000                    2,835,200           2,369,660                $0.61      $1,445,492.70
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    The estimated total annual cost burden is $10,565,493. The total 
annual cost burden is calculated by adding the annual printing and 
material costs ($9,120,000) and the mailed-in registration card postage 
cost ($1,445,492.70).
    The total estimated burden cost increased from $8,781,987.85 to 
$10,565,492.70 (a $1,783,505 (rounded) increase). The increase in 
burden is due to the increase in postage, material, and printing costs.
    Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspects of 
this information collection, including: (a) whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the agency, including whether the information will 
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of 
the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance 
the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; 
and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
respondents, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of 
responses.
    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 
35, as amended; 49 CFR 1.49; and DOT Order 1351.29A.

Jane Doherty,
Acting Associate Administrator for Rulemaking.
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P

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[FR Doc. 2026-17384 Filed 8-25-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-C


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