FMVSS 216a: Roof Crush Resistance explained.

What FMVSS 216a says it is for

The eCFR heads this section "Standard No. 216a; Roof crush resistance; Upgraded standard." 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 571.216a as current through October 29, 2026.

This standard establishes strength requirements for the passenger compartment roof.

The purpose of this standard is to reduce deaths and injuries due to the crushing of the roof into the occupant compartment in rollover crashes.

What it applies to

The text of 571.216a sets its coverage in its scope and requirements sections quoted on this page; it has no separate application heading that this page could quote.

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 571.216a has these top-level sections:

• S1: Scope
• S2: Purpose
• S3: Application and selection of compliance options
• S4: Definitions
• S5: Requirements
• S6: Test device
• S7: Test procedure
• S8: Phase-in schedule for vehicles with a GVWR of 2,722 kilograms (6,000 pounds) or less
• S9: Vehicles with a GVWR above 2,722 kilograms (6,000 pounds)

In all, the text has 29 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 18):

• S3.1 Application
• S3.2 Selection of compliance option
• S5.1 When the test device described in S6 is used to apply a force to a vehicle's roof in…
• S5.2 The maximum applied force to the vehicle's roof in Newtons is
• S7.1 Support the vehicle off its suspension and rigidly secure the sills and the chassis frame…
• S7.2 Adjust the seats in accordance with S8.3.1 of 49 CFR 571.214
• S7.3 Orient the test device as shown in Figure 1 of this section, so that
• S7.4 Maintaining the orientation specified in S7.3 of this section
• S7.5 Apply force so that the test device moves in a downward direction perpendicular to the…
• S7.6 Repeat the test on the other side of the vehicle
• S8.1 Vehicles manufactured on or after September 1, 2012, and before September 1, 2013
• S8.2 Vehicles manufactured on or after September 1, 2013, and before September 1, 2014

Key requirements, quoted from the text

These are excerpts from the requirements sections of 571.216a, 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.

S5.1. When the test device described in S6 is used to apply a force to a vehicle's roof in accordance with S7, first to one side of the roof and then to the other side of the roof: (a) The lower surface of the test device must not move more than 127 millimeters, and (b) No load greater than 222 Newtons (50 pounds) may be applied to the head form specified in S5.2 of 49 CFR 571.201 located at the head position of a 50th percentile adult male in accordance with S7.2 of this section.

S5.2 The maximum applied force to the vehicle's roof in Newtons is. (a) For vehicles with a GVWR of 2,722 kilograms (6,000 pounds) or less, any value up to and including 3.0 times the unloaded vehicle weight of the vehicle, measured in kilograms and multiplied by 9.8, and (b) For vehicles with a GVWR greater than 2,722 kilograms (6,000 pounds), any value up to and including 1.5 times the unloaded vehicle weight of the vehicle, measured in kilograms and multiplied by 9.8.

Defined terms

The standard defines 2 terms in its definitions section; the first 2 are quoted here from the eCFR.

• Altered roof means the replacement roof on a motor vehicle whose original roof has been removed, in part or in total, and replaced by a roof that is higher than the original roof. The replacement roof on a motor vehicle whose original roof has been replaced, in whole or in part, by a roof that consists of glazing [...]
• Convertible means a vehicle whose A-pillars are not joined with the B-pillars (or rearmost pillars) by a fixed, rigid structural member.

Limits of this page

This page quotes the text of 49 CFR 571.216a 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 571.216a, Standard No. 216a; Roof crush resistance; Upgraded standard. (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)