Technical Standards Documents

Effective Date: August 22, 2007
Mandatory Compliance Date: September 1, 2010

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

As defined by section 12 of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, a Technical Standards Document (TSD) is a document that reproduces an enactment of a foreign government (e.g. a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard issued by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). According to the Act, the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations may alter or override some provisions contained in a TSD or specify additional requirements; consequently, it is advisable to read a TSD in conjunction with the Act and its counterpart Regulation. As a guide, where the corresponding Regulation contains additional requirements, footnotes indicate the amending subsection number.

TSDs are revised from time to time in order to incorporate amendments made to the reference document, at which time a Notice of Revision is published in the Canada Gazette, Part I. All TSDs are assigned a revision number, with "Revision 0" designating the original version.

In order to facilitate the incorporation of a TSD, certain non-technical changes may be made to the foreign enactment. These may include the deletion of words, phrases, figures, or sections that do not apply under the Act or Regulations, the conversion of imperial to metric units, the deletion of superseded dates, and minor changes of an editorial nature. Additions are underlined, and provisions that do not apply are stroked through. Where an entire section has been deleted, it is replaced by: "[CONTENT DELETED]". Changes are also made where there is a reporting requirement or reference in the foreign enactment that does not apply in Canada. For example, the name and address of the U.S. Department of Transportation are replaced by those of the Department of Transport.

Compliance with the requirements of a TSD that is being introduced for the first time is not mandatory until six months after publication in the Canada Gazette, Part II, of the Regulations that incorporate the TSD. In the case of a revision, compliance becomes mandatory six months after publication of the Notice of revision in the Canada Gazette, Part I, as long as the requirements of the previous version continue to be met. Voluntary compliance is permitted as of the Effective Date of the TSD.

Official Version of Technical Standards Documents

Technical Standards Documents may be consulted electronically in both HTML and Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Department of Transport’s Web site at www.tc.gc.ca/RoadSafety/mvstm_tsd/index_e.htm. The PDF version is a replica of the TSD as published by the Department and is to be used for the purposes of legal interpretation and application. The HTML version is provided for information purposes only.

Technical Standards Document
Number 401, Revision 0

INTERIOR TRUNK RELEASE

The text of this document is based on Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 401, Interior Trunk Release, as published in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 49, Part 571, revised as of October 1, 2006.

S1. Purpose and Scope

S2. Application

[CONTENT DELETED] For applicability, see Schedule III and subsections 401(1) and (2) of Schedule IV to the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations.

S3. Definitions

Back door means a door or door system on the back end of a passenger car through which cargo can be loaded or unloaded. The term includes the hinged back door on a hatchback or a station wagon. (Porte arrière)

Trunk compartment

Trunk lid means a moveable body panel that is not designed or intended as a passenger car entry point for passengers and that provides access from outside a passenger car to a trunk compartment. The term does not include a back door or the lid of a storage compartment located inside the passenger compartment of a passenger car. (Couvercle de coffre)

S4. Requirements

S4.1 Each passenger car with a trunk compartment must have an automatic or manual release mechanism inside the trunk compartment that unlatches the trunk lid. Each trunk release shall conform, at the manufacturer's option, to either S4.2(a) and S4.3, or S4.2(b) and S4.3. The manufacturer shall select the option by the time it certifies the vehicle and may not thereafter select a different option for the vehicle.

S4.2  (a) Each manual release mechanism installed pursuant to S4.1
           of this TSD standard must include a feature, like lighting or
           phosphorescence, that allows the release mechanism to be
           easily seen inside the closed trunk compartment.

          (b) Each automatic release mechanism installed pursuant to
           S4.1 of this TSD section must unlatch the trunk lid within 5
           minutes of when the trunk lid is closed with a person inside the
           trunk compartment.

S4.3  (a) Except as provided in paragraph S4.3(b), actuation of the
           release mechanism required by S4.1 of this TSD standard
           must completely release the trunk lid from all latching
           positions of the trunk lid latch.

               (2) The passenger cars described in paragraph S4.3(b)(1)
               are excluded from the requirements of this standard until
               September 1, 2002.