Double Latches on Van Doors Can Wait

WASHINGTON (CN) – Car makers will have another year to modify van doors to have double latches, which are meant to keep the doors shut in an accident, thanks to petitions by Ford Motor Company, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, and others.     The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has delayed the compliance date of the federal motor vehicle safety standard sliding door provisions to Sept. 1, 2010, to analyze the issues in four petitions, and “to accommodate manufacturers’ design and production cycles.”     This issue applies primarily to large vans and older mini-vans, which often have been manufactured with single latches.     Click on the document icon for this and other federal regulations.