FMVSS 210: Seat belt assembly anchorages explained.

What FMVSS 210 says it is for

The eCFR heads this section "Standard No. 210; Seat belt assembly anchorages." 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 571.210 as current through October 29, 2026.

This standard establishes requirements for seat belt assembly anchorages to insure their proper location for effective occupant restraint and to reduce the likelihood of their failure.

What it applies to

The application section of the standard says:

This standard applies to passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, buses, and school 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 571.210 has these top-level sections:

• S1: Purpose and scope
• S2: Application
• S3: Definitions
• S4: Requirements
• S5: Test procedures
• S6: Owner's Manual Information

In all, the text has 22 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 571.210, 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.

S4.2.1 Seats with Type 1 or certain Type 2 seat belt assemblies. (a) For vehicles manufactured on or after September 17, 2024, and before September 1, 2027, except as provided in S4.2.5, the anchorages, attachment hardware, and attachment bolts for any of the following seat belt assemblies shall withstand a 22,241 N (5,000 pound) force when tested in accordance with, at the choice of the manufacturer, S5.1(a), (b), or (c): (1) Type 1 seat belt assembly; and (2) Lap belt portion of either a Type 2 or automatic seat belt assembly, if such seat belt assembly is equipped with a detachable upper torso belt. [excerpt continues in the eCFR]

S4.3 Location. As used in this section, “forward” means the direction in which the seat faces, and other directional references are to be interpreted accordingly. Anchorages for seat belt assemblies that meet the frontal crash protection requirements of S5.1 of Standard No. 208 (49 CFR 571.208) are exempt from the location requirements of this section.

S5 Test procedures. (a) General provisions. Where a range of values is specified, the vehicle shall be able to meet the requirements at all points within the range. The anchorage shall be connected to material whose breaking strength is equal to or greater than the breaking strength of the webbing for the seat belt assembly installed as original equipment at that seating position. The geometry of the attachment duplicates the geometry, at the initiation of the test, of the attachment of the originally installed seat belt assembly. (b) Seat adjustment. If adjustable, the seat shall be adjusted in the following way. [excerpt continues in the eCFR]

S5.1 Seats with Type 1 or certain Type 2 seat belt assemblies. (a) Apply a force of 22,241 N (5,000 pounds) in the direction in which the seat faces to a pelvic body block as described in figure 2A to this standard, in a plane parallel to the seat reference plane with an initial force application angle of not less than 5 degrees or more than 15 degrees above the horizontal. Apply the force at the onset rate of not more than 222,411 N (50,000 pounds) per second. Attain the 22,241 N (5,000 pound) force in not more than 30 seconds and maintain it for 10 seconds. [excerpt continues in the eCFR]

S5.2 Seats with certain Type 2 or automatic seat belt assemblies. (a) Apply forces of 13,345 N (3,000 pounds) in the direction in which the seat faces simultaneously to a pelvic body block (as described in figure 2A to this standard) and an upper torso body block (as described in figure 3 to this standard) in a plane parallel to the seat reference plane with an initial force application angle of not less than 5 degrees or more than 15 degrees above the horizontal. Apply the forces at the onset rate of not more than 133,447 N (30,000 pounds) per second. Attain the 13,345 N (3,000 pound) force in not more than 30 seconds and maintain it for 10 seconds. [excerpt continues in the eCFR]

S5.3.1 Pelvic Body Block Zone. (a) With a 1,335 N (300 pound) force being applied to the pelvic body block in the direction in which the seat faces, the target depicted in figure 2A or figure 2B to this standard shall lie within the zone described in S5.3.1(a)(1) through (3) and in table 1 to this standard (and depicted in figure 6 to this standard): (1) At or rearward of the transverse vertical plane of the vehicle located 50 mm longitudinally forward of the SgRP and at or forward of the transverse vertical plane located 155 mm rearward of the SgRP. (2) At or below the horizontal plane located 210 mm above the SgRP and at or above the horizontal plane 65 mm above the SgRP. [excerpt continues in the eCFR]

S5.4 Choice of FAD. (a) If testing in accordance with S4.2.4, position a FAD1 in accordance with S5.5 at each DSP being simultaneously tested. If there is contact between adjacent FAD1s when positioned as required by S5.5, or if adjacent FAD1s cannot be positioned as required by S5.5 due to contact with each other, then replace the FAD1(s) according to the following hierarchy. (1) For forward or rearward facing designated seating positions: (i) If contact occurs between a FAD1 in an inboard seat and a FAD1 in an outboard seat, replace the FAD1 in the inboard seat with a FAD2. (ii) If contact occurs between adjacent FAD1s in inboard seats, replace the FAD1 on the right-hand side (as viewed in the direction the seat is facing) with a FAD2. [excerpt continues in the eCFR]

S5.5 FAD Positioning Procedure. (a) Place the FAD1 or FAD2 on the seat such that the midsagittal plane is parallel to and within 10 mm of the seat reference plane, with the torso portion of the FAD contacting the seat back. (b) While keeping the midsagittal plane within 10 mm of the seat reference plane, move the pelvis portion of the FAD toward the seat back until it contacts the seat back. (c) If the torso is not in contact with the seat back, rotate the torso portion of the FAD while holding the pelvis in place until the back of the torso contacts the seat back. [excerpt continues in the eCFR]

S6 Owner's Manual Information. The owner's manual in each vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 kg or less shall include: (a) A section explaining that all child restraint systems are designed to be secured in vehicle seats by lap belts or the lap belt portion of a lap-shoulder belt. The section shall also explain that children could be endangered in a crash if their child restraints are not properly secured in the vehicle. (b) In a vehicle with rear designated seating positions, a statement alerting vehicle owners that, according to accident statistics, children are safer when properly restrained in the rear seating positions than in the front seating positions.

Test conditions and procedures as stated

These excerpts come from headings of 571.210 that cover test conditions, procedures or similar subjects.

S5 Test procedures. (a) General provisions. Where a range of values is specified, the vehicle shall be able to meet the requirements at all points within the range. The anchorage shall be connected to material whose breaking strength is equal to or greater than the breaking strength of the webbing for the seat belt assembly installed as original equipment at that seating position. The geometry of the attachment duplicates the geometry, at the initiation of the test, of the attachment of the originally installed seat belt assembly. (b) Seat adjustment. If adjustable, the seat shall be adjusted in the following way. Using any seat adjustment controls, place the seat and its components into the configurations and positions of the rearmost normal design driving or riding position consistent with the seating reference point (SgRP), where rearmost is in reference to the direction the seat is facing. The seat may face any direction in which it can be occupied while the vehicle is in motion. (c) Shoulder belt anchorage height adjustment. [excerpt continues in the eCFR]

S5.5 FAD Positioning Procedure. (a) Place the FAD1 or FAD2 on the seat such that the midsagittal plane is parallel to and within 10 mm of the seat reference plane, with the torso portion of the FAD contacting the seat back. (b) While keeping the midsagittal plane within 10 mm of the seat reference plane, move the pelvis portion of the FAD toward the seat back until it contacts the seat back. (c) If the torso is not in contact with the seat back, rotate the torso portion of the FAD while holding the pelvis in place until the back of the torso contacts the seat back. (d) Buckle and position the seat belt so that the lap belt secures the pelvis portion of the FAD and the shoulder belt secures the torso portion of the FAD.

Defined terms

The standard defines 10 terms in its definitions section. Definitions are quoted from the eCFR.

• Actuator means the device used to apply the load in performing testing.
• Bridged pull yoke means the yoke that bridges the torso and pelvis on the FAD1 or FAD2 and is used for testing Type 1 seat belt assemblies.
• FAD means the force application device, either the FAD1 or the FAD2, a one-piece device consisting of an upper torso portion and a pelvic portion hinged together.
• FAD1 means the larger version of the force application device specified in drawings NHTSA221-210-01, “Drawing Package for the Force Application Device 1 (FAD1),” April 9, 2024 (incorporated by reference, see § 571.5). FAD1 is depicted in figure 7 to this standard (figure provided for illustration purposes).
• FAD2 means the smaller version of the force application device specified in drawings NHTSA221-210-01J, “Drawing Package for the Force Application Device 2 (FAD2),” April 9, 2024 (incorporated by reference; see § 571.5). FAD2 is depicted in figure 8 to this standard (figure provided for illustration purposes).
• Midsagittal plane means the vertical plane that separates the FAD into equal left and right halves.
• School bus torso belt adjusted height means the vertical height above the seating reference point (SgRP) of the horizontal plane containing a segment of the torso belt centerline located 25 mm to 75 mm forward of the torso belt height adjuster device, when the torso belt retractor is locked and the torso belt is pulled away from the seat back by applying a 20 N horizontal force in the forward [continues in the eCFR]
• School bus torso belt anchor point means the midpoint of the torso belt width where the torso belt first contacts the uppermost torso belt anchorage. Seat belt anchorage means any component, other than the webbing or straps, involved in transferring seat belt loads to the vehicle structure, including, but not limited to, the attachment hardware, seat frames, seat pedestals, the vehicle structure itself, and any part of the vehicle whose [continues in the eCFR]
• Seat reference plane means the vertical plane that passes through the “seating reference point” (as defined at 49 CFR 571.3) and is parallel to the direction that the seat faces.
• Small occupant seating position is as defined in 49 CFR 571.222.

Limits of this page

This page quotes the text of 49 CFR 571.210 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 571.210, Standard No. 210; Seat belt assembly anchorages. (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)