CEO’S MESSAGE
You Gotta Stand for Something By Danny Langfield NMEDA CEO
N
o, this article is not directed
is in compliance with all applicable
and accountability for the entire auto
at our U.S. Congressmen
standards at the time of manufacture.
mobility industry.
NMEDA came to a realization well
Back on the dealer side of the
over a decade ago: NHTSA’s system
equation, the Quality Assurance
of self-certification is not sufficient
Program, under Rule 5.T., prohibits the
in the real world for verifying
sale of new, personal-use conversions
Instead, I am speaking to all NMEDA
crashworthiness. In other words, folks,
without verified evidence of
members, and specifically to the notion
registering as an alterer and slapping
compliance to certain of these federal
of QAP and what it means.
a sticker on the B-pillar isn’t enough.
motor vehicle safety standards.
As the vast majority of you are well
So, the association created the
That means that a QAP-accredited
aware, NMEDA is the association that
Compliance Review Program (CRP).
location must be in possession of
administers the Quality Assurance
Under the unofficial motto, “Trust,
valid crash test data or engineering
Program accreditation, affectionately (!)
but verify,” CRP set out to provide a
analysis data (the data itself, not a
referred to by its friends and adherents
mechanism for validating converters’
report summarizing the data) that
as QAP.
claims of compliance. NMEDA’s
demonstrates compliance to said
QAP has many requirements, from
Manufacturer Quality Assurance
requirements for every new, personal-
Program (MQAP) accreditation
use conversion it sells.
and women, although one can certainly be forgiven if
that was the first thought that came to mind upon reading the title.
properly trained technicians to annual mandatory audits, all aimed at the overarching goal of consumer safety. Are we the only ones interested in safety? Certainly not. From a regulatory standpoint, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) oversees and enforces the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). But here’s the thing: NHTSA allows for vehicle alterers to be selfcertifying: in other words, while the law requires that conversions be compliant, it does NOT require the submission of any evidence of compliance. Conversion companies must register with NHTSA and are required to place a label on all altered vehicles that states the vehicle
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NMEDA Circuit Breaker
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Thirty states and the province of Quebec currently either require or strongly recommend QAP for all vehicle mods they approve. These entities and countless others have placed their full faith in the Quality Assurance Program, and for good reason.”
requires all manufacturer members to submit crash test data to CRP for all personal-use conversions they manufacture. This has been a powerful tool in raising the standard for safety
Such data is complex and extremely difficult to interpret without significant automotive engineering expertise, expertise typically not found (or expected) at an auto
