Unified Agenda
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: 2026 Regulatory Agenda
Every rulemaking the NHTSA has on its regulatory agenda in the 2026 Unified Agenda. Proposed rules, final rules, and long-term actions, each with the agency's own summary and its latest status.
Source: the 2026 Regulatory Plan and Unified Agenda, published by OIRA on July 3, 2026 (reginfo.gov). The NHTSA lists 89 active actions plus 3 completed this cycle. Refreshed as the agenda changes.
What changed since the Spring 2025 agenda
Between editions, the NHTSA added 10 new rules, changed the stage on 26, and dropped 11 from the agenda. The official agenda only shows you today’s snapshot. We keep the history, so you can see what actually moved.
- New this edition. Amending Bumper Standard 49 CFR part 581 (entered the Prerule stage)
- Moved. 49 CFR Part 577 Defect and Noncompliance Notification (Proposed Rule to Final Rule)
- Moved. Alternative Options for Rearview Mirrors (Prerule to Proposed Rule)
and 44 more changes this edition, including 11 rules that dropped off the agenda entirely.
Track the NHTSA agenda freeSignificant, priority, and finalized rules are shown in full below. Routine actions are condensed to a line, with full summaries for every rule on the dashboard.
Slated for a final rule. Several have already published in the Federal Register, which we mark on each; the rest are still pending.
Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards Amendment
This rulemaking would respond to the directive in the Secretary of Transportation's memorandum "Fixing the CAFE Program" to immediately review and reconsider all existing fuel economy standards to comply with Executive Order 14148 and Executive Order 14154. NHTSA will re-assess the program and establish amended standards for several model years.
Status: Proposed rule published on January 14, 2026
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 204; Steering Control Rearward Displacement
This rulemaking would amend Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 204, Steering Control Rearward Displacement- Passenger Cars, so that it no longer applies to vehicles that are certified to the frontal barrier crash protection requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, Occupant Crash Protection.
Status: Final rule published in the Federal Register on June 3, 2026
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 210; Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages
This rulemaking would remove unnecessary regulatory text from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 210, Seat belt assembly anchorages.
Status: Final rule published in the Federal Register on June 10, 2026
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 217; Bus Emergency Exits and Window Retention and Release
This rulemaking would propose to remove obsolete requirements from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 217, Bus emergency exits and window retention and release.
Status: Final rule published in the Federal Register on June 3, 2026
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards No. 205, Glazing Materials; No. 205(a), Glazing Equipment Manufactured Before Sep 1, 2006 and Glazing Materials Used In Vehicles Manufactured Before Nov 1, 2006
This rulemaking would remove the obsolete Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 205(a), Glazing equipment manufactured before September 1, 2006 and glazing materials used in vehicles manufactured before November 1, 2006.
Status: Final rule published in the Federal Register on June 3, 2026
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards No. 206; Door Locks and Door Retention Components
This rulemaking would remove obsolete requirements from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 206, Door locks and door retention components.
Status: Final rule published in the Federal Register on June 3, 2026
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards No. 207; Seating Systems
NHTSA is proposing to remove obsolete requirements from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) No. 207, Seating Systems.
Status: Final rule published in the Federal Register on June 3, 2026
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards No. 214, Side impact protection
This rulemaking would remove obsolete requirements from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 214, Side impact protection.
Status: Final rule published in the Federal Register on June 3, 2026
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards No. 222; School Bus Passenger Seating and Crash Protection
This rulemaking would propose to remove obsolete requirements from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 222, School bus passenger seating and crash protection.
Status: Final rule published in the Federal Register on June 3, 2026
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; No. 216, Roof Crush Resistance; Applicable Unless a Vehicle is Certified to Section 571.216a; and No. 216a, Roof Crush Resistance; Upgraded Standard
This rulemaking would remove an obsolete Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 216, related to roof crush resistance.
Status: Final rule published in the Federal Register on June 3, 2026
Removing Obsolete Directives From Phase-In Reporting Requirements
This rulemaking would remove obsolete directives from the phase-in reporting requirements in Part 585.
Status: Final rule published in the Federal Register on June 3, 2026
Removing Obsolete Procedures From the Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act of 2009
This rulemaking would remove obsolete regulations related to the Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act of 2009.
Status: Final rule published in the Federal Register on June 3, 2026
Removing Obsolete Regulatory Text From Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 304, Compressed Natural Gas Fuel Container Integrity
This rulemaking proposed to remove obsolete directives from the phase-in reporting requirements in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 304, Compressed natural gas fuel container integrity.
Status: Final rule published in the Federal Register on June 3, 2026
Removing Obsolete Regulatory Text From Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards No. 301, Fuel System Integrity
This rulemaking proposed to remove obsolete requirements from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 301, Fuel system integrity.
Status: Final rule published in the Federal Register on June 3, 2026
Removing Obsolete Regulatory Text From Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards No. 303, Fuel System Integrity of Compressed Natural gas Vehicles
This rulemaking proposed to remove obsolete directives from the phase-in reporting requirements for Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 303, Fuel system integrity of compressed natural gas vehicles.
Status: Final rule published in the Federal Register on June 3, 2026
Response to Petitions for Reconsideration, Anti-Ejection Glazing for Bus Portals
This rulemaking would respond to a petition for reconsideration of the October 30, 2024, final rule that established Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 217a, titled Anti-Ejection Glazing for Bus Portals; Mandatory Applicability Beginning October 30, 2027. FMVSS No. 217a fulfills a statutory provision of the Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act of 2012 (incorporated and passed as part of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21)) that mandates DOT to consider requiring advanced glazing for each motorcoach portal to prevent partial and complete ejection of motorcoach passengers in the event of a crash. NHTSA received a petition for reconsideration from IC Bus requesting clarification and adjustment to certain aspects of the final rule.
Status: Final rule published in the Federal Register on January 15, 2026
Other actions in this stage
Rules open for, or headed toward, public comment.
Fuel Efficiency Standards for Heavy-Duty Pickup Trucks and Vans
This notice would propose to amend requirements related to fuel efficiency for work vehicles and a small segment of medium vehicles which are all known as heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans.
Agenda status: NPRM (planned)
Heavy Vehicle Automatic Emergency Braking
Pursuant to a statutory mandate in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, this notice would seek comments on a revised proposal to require and/or standardize equipment performance for automatic emergency braking on heavy trucks and motor carrier maintenance requirements for vehicles equipped with such technology. For several years, NHTSA has researched forward collision avoidance and mitigation technology on heavy vehicles, including forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking systems. This rulemaking proposes test procedures for measuring performance of these systems. This is a joint rulemaking of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) (RIN 2127-AM36) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) (RIN 2126-AC49).
Status: Proposed rule published on July 6, 2023
Pedestrian Safety Global Technical Regulation
This rulemaking would propose requirements to protect pedestrian heads impacting vehicle hoods. NHTSA initiated this rulemaking following the establishment of the Global Technical Regulation (GTR) by the UNECE´s World Forum for the Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29).
Status: Proposed rule published on November 20, 2024
Response to Petitions for Reconsideration, Event Data Recorders
This rulemaking would respond to petitions for reconsideration of the December 2024 final rule amending the requirements for Event Data Recorders (EDRs) by extending the recording period for timed data metrics from 5 seconds of pre-crash data at a frequency of 2 Hz to 20 seconds of pre-crash data at a frequency of 10 Hz. The final rule responded to the mandate of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) to establish the appropriate recording period in NHTSA's EDR regulation. NHTSA received three petitions for reconsideration of the December 2024 final rule from the Alliance of Automotive Innovation, EDR Committee of SAE International, and FCA US LLC. The petitioners requested extending the lead time and adopting a phase-in period to allow manufacturers enough time to test and develop EDRs to meet the new requirements.
Status: Final rule published in the Federal Register on May 27, 2026
Response to Petitions for Reconsideration, Seat Belt Warning Systems
This rulemaking would respond to petitions for reconsideration of a 2024 final rule that amended Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, Occupant crash protection, to require a seat belt use warning system for rear seats. The 2024 final rule also updated and enhanced the seat belt warning requirements for the driver's seat and extended those requirements to the front outboard passenger seat. NHTSA received 4 petitions for reconsideration of the final rule from the automobile industry and their associations. Generally, the issues raised by the petitioners are of two types. The petitioners asked for reconsideration of the compliance dates, and they also requested clarifications of, or revisions to, the established performance requirements. This rulemaking grants the petitioners' request to extend the compliance date for both the front and rear seat belt warning system requirements and have a unified compliance date.
Status: Final rule published in the Federal Register on April 6, 2026
Uniform Procedures for State Highway Safety Grant Programs
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) created a requirement that State highway safety programs provide for a comprehensive, data-driven traffic safety program that results from meaningful public participation and engagement from affected communities, particularly those most significantly impacted by traffic crashes resulting in injuries and fatalities. (23 USC 402(b)(1)(B)) NHTSA implemented the public participation and engagement (PP&E) requirement in a Final Rule published in February 2023 and States implemented those requirements beginning in FY 2024. NHTSA's experience administering those requirements and feedback from State grant recipients suggest the need to reconsider how this statutory requirement is implemented in the grant program. This regulatory action would seek comment on a proposal to reduce the administrative burden associated with State grant program submissions related to PP&E.
Status: Final rule published in the Federal Register on June 11, 2026
Other actions in this stage
Early-stage actions: reviews and advance notices that come before a formal proposal.
Advanced Impaired Driving Technology
Pursuant to a statutory mandate in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, this rulemaking would prescribe a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard to require passenger motor vehicles manufactured after the effective date of that standard to be equipped with advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology. The January 2024 ANPRM sought public comment on how NHTSA could propose to set minimum performance requirements and specify a test procedure(s) under which compliance with any such requirements could be measured.
Status: Proposed rule published on January 5, 2024
Rear Designated Seating Position Alert
This notice would seek comment on approaches to amending the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to require a system to detect rear seat occupants.
Agenda status: ANPRM (planned)
Retroreflective Tape and Underride Guards for Single Unit Trucks
This July 2015 ANPRM requested comment on NHTSA's analysis of the costs and benefits of amending the FMVSS to single unit trucks (SUTs) either to be equipped with improved rear underride guards or with retroreflective tape to improve visibility to other drivers. NHTSA is withdrawing this rulemaking.
Status: Proposed rule published on October 6, 2015
Side Underride Guards on Trailers and Semitrailers
This rulemaking would consider requirements for side underride guards on trailers and semitrailers to mitigate underride crashes into the side of these vehicles and the agency sought public comment in an April 2023 ANPRM. This rulemaking would respond, in part, to a September 12, 2013 petition for rulemaking from Ms. Karth and the Truck Safety Coalition to start studies and rulemakings on side guards and front override guards on trucks. This rulemaking would also respond to a provision in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to conduct research on side underride guards to assess their effectiveness, feasibility, costs and benefits, and report the findings of the research in a Federal Register notice to seek public comment.
Status: Proposed rule published on June 9, 2023
Other actions in this stage
On the agenda, but not expected to move within the next 12 months.
Actions the agency reports as completed this cycle. The official agenda rule list files these separately from the active pipeline.
Rear Seat Belt Reminder System
This notice proposes to amend FMVSS No. 208, "Occupant crash protection," to require automobile manufacturers to install a seat belt reminder system for certain designated seating positions in passenger vehicles. This notice also responds in part to a petition for rulemaking submitted by Public Citizen and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, as well as MAP-21 requirements.
Status: Final rule published in the Federal Register on February 14, 2025
Respond to Petitions for Rulemaking and Update Test Procedures for Evaluating Child Restraints
This rulemaking would respond to petitions for rulemaking regarding school bus child restraint systems and compliance dates, proposes an update to the test procedure for securing certain type of child restraints to the standard seat assembly, and proposes a modification to the dummy selection criteria in FMVSS No. 213a.
Status: Final rule published in the Federal Register on July 2, 2025
Other actions in this stage
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Create a free accountCompiled from the 2026 Regulatory Plan and Unified Agenda (reginfo.gov), cross-referenced against Federal Register publications. Regulation Roundup tracks all 92 NHTSA actions and refreshes as the agenda changes.