This part establishes requirements for the retention by manufacturers of motor vehicles and of motor vehicle equipment, of claims, complaints, reports, and other records concerning alleged and proven motor vehicle or motor vehicle equipment defects and malfunctions that may be related to motor vehicle safety.

The purpose of this part is to preserve records that are needed for the proper investigation, and adjudication or other disposition, of possible defects related to motor vehicle safety and instances of nonconformity to the motor vehicle safety standards and associated regulations.

This part applies to all manufacturers of motor vehicles, with respect to all records generated or acquired on or after August 16, 1969, and to all manufacturers of motor vehicle equipment, with respect to all records in their possession, generated or acquired on or after August 9, 2002.

All terms in this part that are defined in 49 U.S.C. 30102 and part 579 of this chapter are used as defined therein.

(a) Each manufacturer of motor vehicles, child restraint systems, and tires shall retain, as specified in § 576.7 of this part, all records described in § 576.6 of this part for a period of 10 calendar years from the date on which they were generated or acquired by the manufacturer.

(b) Each manufacturer of motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment shall retain, as specified in § 576.7 of this part, all the underlying records on which the information reported under part 579 of this chapter is based, for a period of five calendar years from the date on which they were generated or acquired by the manufacturer, except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section.

(c) Manufacturers need not retain copies of documents transmitted to NHTSA pursuant to parts 573, 577, and 579 of this chapter.

Records to be maintained by manufacturers under this part include all documentary materials, films, tapes, and other information-storing media that contain information concerning malfunctions that may be related to motor vehicle safety. Such records include, but are not limited to, reports and other documents, including material generated or communicated by computer, telefax or other electronic means, that are related to work performed under warranties; and any lists, compilations, analyses, or discussions of such malfunctions contained in internal or external correspondence of the manufacturer, including communications transmitted electronically.

Duplicate copies need not be retained. Information may be reproduced or transferred from one storage medium to another (e.g., from paper files to microfilm) as long as no information is lost in the reproduction or transfer, and when so reproduced or transferred the original form may be treated as a duplicate.

For purposes of this part, “malfunctions that may be related to motor vehicle safety” shall include, with respect to a motor vehicle or item of motor vehicle equipment, any failure or malfunction beyond normal deterioration in use, or any failure of performance, or any flaw or unintended deviation from design specifications, that could in any reasonably foreseeable manner be a causative factor in, or aggravate, an accident or an injury to a person.