Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 202A - Head Restraints sets forth the criteria pertaining to the dimensional and safety requirements for outboard head restraints in passenger vehicles, light multipurpose vehicles, trucks, and buses. On December 7, 2004, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) officially published the Final Rule for FMVSS 202A[1]. The new requirements, with compliance to either a static option or a dynamic option, become effective on September 1, 2008 for front seat outboard occupants. For rear seat outboard occupants, the effective date is September 1, 2010, through an amendment published on March 9, 2006.
This paper will discuss the dynamic test option and the changes to the test procedure and method used to conduct the test. An accelerator-type sled system, along with a 50th percentile male Hybrid III test dummy specified in 49 CFR Part 572 Subpart E and other peripheral items, are used in this testing. Test set-up photographs, data plots, and video images from actual testing will be presented in detail to explain the new test requirements and how the criteria are determined. Readers of this paper will gain a broader understanding of the FMVSS 202A dynamic test option as defined by the final rule, as well as a detailed explanation of the required test equipment.