§ 30102. Definitions

• (a) In this chapter—
  • (1) “covered rental vehicle” means a motor vehicle that—
    • (A) has a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less;
    • (B) is rented without a driver for an initial term of less than 4 months; and
    • (C) is part of a motor vehicle fleet of 35 or more motor vehicles that are used for rental purposes by a rental company.
  • (2) “dealer” means a person selling and distributing new motor vehicles or motor vehicle equipment primarily to purchasers that in good faith purchase the vehicles or equipment other than for resale.
  • (3) “defect” includes any defect in performance, construction, a component, or material of a motor vehicle or motor vehicle equipment.
  • (4) “distributor” means a person primarily selling and distributing motor vehicles or motor vehicle equipment for resale.
  • (5) “interstate commerce” means commerce between a place in a State and a place in another State or between places in the same State through another State.
  • (6) “manufacturer” means a person—
    • (A) manufacturing or assembling motor vehicles or motor vehicle equipment; or
    • (B) importing motor vehicles or motor vehicle equipment for resale.
  • (7) “motor vehicle” means a vehicle driven or drawn by mechanical power and manufactured primarily for use on public streets, roads, and highways, but does not include a vehicle operated only on a rail line.
  • (8) “motor vehicle equipment” means—
    • (A) any system, part, or component of a motor vehicle as originally manufactured;
    • (B) any similar part or component manufactured or sold for replacement or improvement of a system, part, or component, or as an accessory or addition to a motor vehicle; or
    • (C) any device or an article or apparel, including a motorcycle helmet and excluding medicine or eyeglasses prescribed by a licensed practitioner, that—
      • (i) is not a system, part, or component of a motor vehicle; and
      • (ii) is manufactured, sold, delivered, or offered to be sold for use on public streets, roads, and highways with the apparent purpose of safeguarding users of motor vehicles against risk of accident, injury, or death.
  • (9) “motor vehicle safety” means the performance of a motor vehicle or motor vehicle equipment in a way that protects the public against unreasonable risk of accidents occurring because of the design, construction, or performance of a motor vehicle, and against unreasonable risk of death or injury in an accident, and includes nonoperational safety of a motor vehicle.
  • (10) “motor vehicle safety standard” means a minimum standard for motor vehicle or motor vehicle equipment performance.
  • (11) “rental company” means a person who—
    • (A) is engaged in the business of renting covered rental vehicles; and
    • (B) uses for rental purposes a motor vehicle fleet of 35 or more covered rental vehicles, on average, during the calendar year.
  • (12) “State” means a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands.
  • (13) “United States district court” means a district court of the United States, a United States court for Guam, the Virgin Islands, and American Samoa, and the district court for the Northern Mariana Islands.
• (b)
  • (1) In sections 30117(b), 30118–30121, and 30166(f) of this title—
    • (A) “adequate repair” does not include repair resulting in substantially impaired operation of a motor vehicle or motor vehicle equipment;
    • (B) “first purchaser” means the first purchaser of a motor vehicle or motor vehicle equipment other than for resale;
    • (C) “original equipment” means motor vehicle equipment (including a tire) installed in or on a motor vehicle at the time of delivery to the first purchaser;
    • (D) “replacement equipment” means motor vehicle equipment (including a tire) that is not original equipment;
    • (E) a brand name owner of a tire marketed under a brand name not owned by the manufacturer of the tire is deemed to be the manufacturer of the tire;
    • (F) a defect in original equipment, or noncompliance of original equipment with a motor vehicle safety standard prescribed under this chapter, is deemed to be a defect or noncompliance of the motor vehicle in or on which the equipment was installed at the time of delivery to the first purchaser;
    • (G) a manufacturer of a motor vehicle in or on which original equipment was installed when delivered to the first purchaser is deemed to be the manufacturer of the equipment; and
    • (H) a retreader of a tire is deemed to be the manufacturer of the tire.
  • (2) The Secretary of Transportation may prescribe regulations changing paragraph (1)(C), (D), (F), or (G) of this subsection.