FMVSS 207: Seating systems explained.

What FMVSS 207 says it is for

The eCFR heads this section "Standard No. 207; Seating systems." Under 49 CFR part 571, the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards are the numbered standards that set safety performance requirements for motor vehicles and equipment. The text below is quoted from 571.207 as current through October 29, 2026.

This standard establishes requirements for seats, their attachment assemblies, and their installation to minimize the possibility of their failure by forces acting on them as a result of vehicle impact.

What it applies to

The application section of the standard says:

This standard applies to passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks designed to carry at least one person, and buses.

Applicability is decided by the text of the standard as written, including any exclusions it lists, and by the date-specific rules in it. This page does not decide whether a particular vehicle or item is covered.

How the standard is organized

The eCFR text of 571.207 has these top-level sections:

• S1: Purpose and scope
• S2: Application
• S3: Definitions
• S4: Requirements
• S5: Test procedures

In all, the text has 15 numbered headings. Use the finder above to search them; for example, a search for "test" lists the headings that mention tests.

Key requirements, quoted from the text

These are excerpts from the requirements sections of 571.207, in the order the standard presents them. Long paragraphs are shortened where marked; the eCFR has the complete text, tables and figures, which this page omits.

S4.1 Driver's seat. Each vehicle with manually operated driving controls shall have a driver's designated seating position.

S4.2 General performance requirements. When tested in accordance with S5, each occupant seat shall withstand the following forces, in newtons, except for: a side-facing seat; a passenger seat on a bus other than a school bus; and, a passenger seat on a school bus with a GVWR greater than 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds). (a) In any position to which it can be adjusted—20 times the mass of the seat in kilograms multiplied by 9.8 applied in a forward longitudinal direction; (b) In any position to which it can be adjusted—20 times the mass of the seat in kilograms multiplied by 9.8 applied in a rearward longitudinal direction; (c) For a seat belt assembly attached to the seat—the force specified in paragraph (a), if it is a forward facing seat, or paragraph (b), if it is a rearward facing seat, in each case applied simultaneously with the forces imposed on the seat by the seat belt assembly when it is loaded in accordance with S4.2 of § 571.210; and (d) In its rearmost position—a force that produces a 373 newton meters moment about the seating reference point for each designated seating position that the seat provides, applied to the upper cross-member of the seat back or the upper seat back, in a rearward longitudinal direction for forward-facing seats and in a forward longitudinal direction for rearward-facing seats.

S4.3 Restraining device for hinged or folding seats or seat backs. Except for a passenger seat in a bus or a seat having a back that is adjustable only for the comfort of its occupants, a hinged or folding occupant seat or occupant seat back shall— (a) Be equipped with a self-locking device for restraining the hinged or folding seat or seat back, and (b) If there are any designated seating positions or auxiliary seating accommodations behind the seat, either immediately to the rear or to the sides, be equipped with a control for releasing that restraining device.

S4.4 Labeling. Seats not designated for occupancy while the vehicle is in motion shall be conspicuously labeled to that effect.

Defined terms

The standard defines 2 terms in its definitions section. Definitions are quoted from the eCFR.

• Occupant seat means a seat that provides at least one designated seating position.
• Seat adjuster means the part of the seat that provides forward and rearward positioning of the seat bench and back, and/or rotation around a vertical axis, including any fixed portion, such as a seat track. In the case of a seat equipped with seat adjusters at different levels, the term means the uppermost seat adjuster.

Limits of this page

This page quotes the text of 49 CFR 571.207 as published in the eCFR, current through October 29, 2026. It omits tables, figures, cross-referenced test procedures in other parts, and the preambles and rulemaking history that explain the rule. It does not tell you whether a given vehicle, part or product complies, how to run a test, or what a manufacturer must certify. Compliance questions go to the manufacturer's engineers, qualified counsel or NHTSA. The eCFR is an editorial compilation, not the official legal edition of the Federal Register.

Sources

Sources opened and read November 2, 2026.

• eCFR: 49 CFR 571.207, Standard No. 207; Seating systems. (current through October 29, 2026) (read November 2, 2026)
• eCFR: 49 CFR part 571, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (current through October 29, 2026) (read November 2, 2026)