FMVSS 214: Side Impact Protection explained.

What FMVSS 214 says it is for

The eCFR heads this section "Standard No. 214; Side impact protection." 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 571.214 as current through October 29, 2026.

(a) Scope. This standard specifies performance requirements for protection of occupants in side impacts. (b) Purpose. The purpose of this standard is to reduce the risk of serious and fatal injury to occupants of passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks and buses in side impacts by specifying strength requirements for side doors, limiting the forces, deflections and accelerations measured on anthropomorphic dummies in test crashes, and by other means.

What it applies to

The application section of the standard says:

This standard applies to passenger cars, and to multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks designed to carry at least one person and buses with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 4,536 kilograms (kg) (10,000 pounds (lb)) or less, except for walk-in vans, or otherwise specified.

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 571.214 has these top-level sections:

• S1: Scope and purpose
• S2: Applicability
• S3: Definitions
• S4: Requirements
• S5: General exclusions
• S6: Door Crush Resistance Requirements
• S7: Moving Deformable Barrier (MDB) Requirements
• S8: Test conditions for determining compliance with moving deformable barrier requirements
• S9: Vehicle-To-Pole Requirements
• S10: General test conditions for determining compliance with vehicle-to-pole requirements
• S11: Anthropomorphic test dummies
• S12: Positioning procedures for the anthropomorphic test dummies

In all, the text has 108 numbered headings. Use the finder above to search them; for example, a search for "test" lists the headings that mention tests.

Second-level headings at a glance

These are the numbered sub-sections one level below the top, in order (first 12 of 43):

• S6.1 With any seats that may affect load upon or deflection of the side of the vehicle removed…
• S6.2 With seats installed in the vehicle, and located in any horizontal or vertical position…
• S6.3 Test procedures for door crush resistance
• S7.2 MDB test with advanced test dummies
• S7.3 Door opening
• S8.1 Test weight
• S8.2 Vehicle test attitude
• S8.3 Adjustable seats
• S8.4 Adjustable steering controls
• S8.5 Windows and sunroofs
• S8.6 Convertible tops
• S8.7 Doors

Key requirements, quoted from the text

These are excerpts from the requirements sections of 571.214, in the order the standard presents them. Long paragraphs are shortened where marked with [...]; the eCFR has the complete text, tables and figures, which this page omits.

S4 Requirements. Subject to the exceptions of S5— (a) Passenger cars. Passenger cars must meet the requirements set forth in S6 (door crush resistance), S7 (moving deformable barrier test), and S9 (vehicle-to-pole test), subject to the phased-in application of S7 and S9. (b) Multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks and buses with a GVWR of 2,722 kg or less (6,000 lb or less). Multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks and buses with a GVWR of 2,722 kg or less (6,000 lb or less) must meet the requirements set forth in S6 (door crush resistance), S7 (moving deformable barrier test), and S9 (vehicle-to-pole test), subject to the phased-in application of S7 and S9. (c) Multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks and buses with a GVWR greater than 2,722 kg (6,000 lb). Multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks and buses with a GVWR greater than 2,722 kg (6,000 lb) must [...]

S6 Door Crush Resistance Requirements. Except as provided in section S5, each vehicle shall be able to meet the requirements of either, at the manufacturer's option, S6.1 or S6.2, when any of its side doors that can be used for occupant egress is tested according to procedures described in S6.3 of this standard (49 CFR 571.214).

S6.1. With any seats that may affect load upon or deflection of the side of the vehicle removed from the vehicle, each vehicle must be able to meet the requirements of S6.1.1 through S6.1.3.

S6.1.3 Peak crush resistance. The peak crush resistance shall not be less than two times the curb weight of the vehicle or 31,138 N (7,000 lb), whichever is less.

S7 Moving Deformable Barrier (MDB) Requirements. Except as provided in section S5, when tested under the conditions of S8 each vehicle shall meet S7.3 and the following requirements in a 53 ±1.0 km/h (33.5 mph) impact in which the vehicle is struck on either side by a moving deformable barrier.

S7.2.2. Each vehicle must meet the requirements of S7.2.5 and S7.2.6, when tested with the test dummy specified in those sections. Place the Subpart U ES-2re 50th percentile male dummy in the front seat and the Subpart V SID-IIs 5th percentile female test dummy in the rear seat. The test dummies are placed and positioned in the front and rear outboard seating positions on the struck side of the vehicle, as specified in S11 and S12 of this standard (49 CFR 571.214).

S7.2.5 Dynamic performance requirements using the Part 572 Subpart U dummy (ES-2re 50th percentile male) dummy. Use the 49 CFR Part 572 Subpart U ES-2re dummy specified in S11 with measurements in accordance with S11.5. The following criteria shall be met: (a) The HIC shall not exceed 1000 when calculated in accordance with the following formula: (b) Thorax. The deflection of any of the upper, middle, and lower ribs, shall not exceed 44 mm (1.73 inches). (c) Force measurements. (1) The sum of the front, middle and rear abdominal forces, shall not exceed 2,500 N (562 lb). (2) The pubic symphysis force shall not exceed 6,000 N (1,350 pounds).

S9.1.2. Each vehicle must meet the requirements of S9.2.1, S9.2.2 and S9.2.3, when tested under the conditions specified in S10 into a fixed, rigid pole of 254 mm (10 inches) in diameter, at any speed up to and including 32 km/h (20 mph).

Defined terms

The standard defines 7 terms in its definitions section; the first 7 are quoted here from the eCFR.

• Contoured means, with respect to a door, that the lower portion of its front or rear edge is curved upward, typically to conform to a wheel well.
• Double side doors means a pair of hinged doors with the lock and latch mechanisms located where the door lips overlap.
• Limited line manufacturer means a manufacturer that sells three or fewer carlines, as that term is defined in 49 CFR 583.4, in the United States during a production year.
• Lowered floor means the replacement floor on a motor vehicle whose original floor has been removed, in part or in total, and replaced by a floor that is lower than the original floor.
• Modified roof means the replacement roof on a motor vehicle whose original roof has been removed, in part or in total.
• Raised roof means, with respect to a roof which includes an area that protrudes above the surrounding exterior roof structure, that protruding area of the roof.
• Walk-in van means a special cargo/mail delivery vehicle that has only one designated seating position. That designated seating position must be forward facing and for use only by the driver. The vehicle usually has a thin and light sliding (or folding) side door for easy operation and a high roof clearance that a [...]

Limits of this page

This page quotes the text of 49 CFR 571.214 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 571.214, Standard No. 214; Side impact protection. (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)