Part 563, Event Data Recorders

449 CFR Part 563, Event Data Recorders, specifies uniform, national requirements for vehicles equipped with event data recorders (EDRs) concerning the collection, storage, and retrievability of onboard motor vehicle crash event data. Part 563 requires manufacturers that voluntarily install EDRs in vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 3,855 kilograms (8,500 pounds) or less to ensure that the EDRs: • Record 15 essential data elements; • Record up to 30 additional data elements if the vehicle is equipped to record these elements; • Record these data elements in a standardized format, with specifications for range, accuracy, resolution, sampling rate, recording duration, and filter class; • Function after full-scale vehicle crash tests specified in FMVSS Nos. 208 and 214; and • Have the capacity to record two events in a multi-event crash. In addition, part 563 requires vehicle manufacturers to make a retrieval tool for the EDR information commercially available, and include a standardized statement in the owner’s manual indicating that the vehicle is equipped with an EDR and describing its purpose. Part 563 helps ensure that EDRs record, in a readily usable manner, data valuable for effective crash investigations and for analysis of safety equipment performance (e.g., advanced restraint systems). Crash investigators and researchers use EDR data to better understand the severity of a crash, the operation of vehicle air bags, and the air bag deployment decision strategies used during the event, which may result in the development of safer vehicle designs. Additionally, the agency’s experience in handling unintended acceleration and pedal entrapment allegations has demonstrated that, if a vehicle is equipped with an EDR, the data from that EDR can improve the ability of both the agency and the vehicle’s manufacturer to identify and address safety concerns associated with possible defects in the design or performance of the vehicle.

The latest form for Part 563, Event Data Recorders expires 2029-06-30 and can be found here.