85.2102—Definitions.

(a) As used in §§ 85.2101 through 85.2111 all terms not defined herein shall have the meaning given them in the Act:

(1) Act means Part A of Title II of the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7421 et seq. (formerly 42 U.S.C. 1857 et seq.), as amended.

(2) Office Director means the Director for the Office of Mobile Sources—Office of Air and Radiation of the Environmental Protection Agency or other authorized representative of the Office Director.

(3) Certified part means a part certified in accordance with the aftermarket part certification regulations contained in this subpart.

(4) Emission performance warranty means that warranty given pursuant to this subpart and section 207(b) of the Act.

(5) Office Director-approved emission test or Emission Short Test means any test prescribed under 40 CFR 85.2201 et seq., and meeting all of the requirements thereunder.

(6) Model year means the manufacturer's annual production period (as determined by the Office Director) which includes January 1 of such calendar year; however, if the manufacturer has no annual production period, the term “model year” shall mean the calendar year.

(7) Original equipment part means a part present in or on a vehicle at the time the vehicle is sold to the ultimate purchaser, except for components installed by a dealer which are not manufactured by the vehicle manufacturer or are not installed at the direction of the vehicle manufacturer.

(8) Owner means the original purchaser or any subsequent purchaser of a vehicle.

(9) Owner's manual means the instruction booklet normally provided to the purchaser of a vehicle.

(10) Useful life means that period established pursuant to section 202(d) of the Act and regulations promulgated thereunder.

(11) Vehicle means a light duty vehicle or a light duty truck.

(12) Warranty booklet means a booklet, separate from the owner's manual, containing all warranties provided with the vehicle.

(13) Written instructions for proper maintenance and use means those maintenance and operation instructions specified in the owner's manual as being necessary to assure compliance of a vehicle with applicable emission standards for the useful life of the vehicle that are:

(i) In accordance with the instructions specified for performance on the manufacturer's prototype vehicle used in certification (including those specified for vehicles used under special circumstances), and

(ii) In compliance with the requirements of 40 CFR 86.094-38 or 86.1808-01 (as appropriate for the applicable model year vehicle/engine classification); and

(iii) In compliance with any other regulations promulgated by the Office Director governing maintenance and use instructions.

(14) Emission related parts means those parts installed for the specific purpose of controlling emissions or those components, systems, or elements of design which must function properly to assure continued vehicle emission compliance.

(15) Objective evidence of an emission related repair means all diagnostic information and data, the actual parts replaced during repair, and any other information directly used to support a warranty claim, or to support denial of such a claim.

(16) Valid emission performance warranty claim means a claim in which there is no evidence that the vehicle had not been properly maintained and operated in accordance with manufacturer instructions, the vehicle failed to conform to applicable emission standards as measured by an Office Director-approved type of emission warranty test during its useful life and the owner is subject to sanction as a result of the test failure.

(17) Reasonable expense means any expense incurred due to repair of a warranty failure caused by a non-original equipment certified part, including, but not limited to, all charges in any expense categories that would be considered payable by the involved vehicle manufacturer to its authorized dealer under a similar warranty situation where an original equipment part was the cause of the failure. Included in “reasonable expense” are any additional costs incurred specifically due to the processing of a claim involving a certified aftermarket part or parts as covered in these regulations. The direct parts and labor expenses of carrying out repairs is immediately chargeable to the part manufacturer. All charges beyond the actual parts and labor repair expenses must be amortized over the number of claims and/or over a number of years in a manner that would be considered consistent with generally accepted accounting principles. These expense categories shall include but are not limited to the cost of labor, materials, record keeping, special handling, and billing as a result of replacement of a certified aftermarket part.

(18) MOD Director means Director of Manufacturers Operations Division, Office of Mobile Sources—Office of Air and Radiation of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Code of Federal Regulations

[45 FR 34839, May 22, 1980, as amended at 54 FR 32587, Aug. 8, 1989; 64 FR 23919, May 4, 1999]