What do Phase I and Phase II mean? How do they differ and how much damage does the standard allow?
Phase I and II refer to a two-phased rulemaking action on bumper requirements. Phase I of the standard became effective on September 1, 1978 for passenger cars beginning with MY 1979. It incorporated the FMVSS 215 safety criteria, and added new performance criteria which prohibited damage to all exterior vehicle surfaces. For MY 1979, the standard required that there be no damage to safety-related parts and exterior surfaces not involving the bumper system(e.g., sheet metal; lamps; and fuel, exhaust and cooling systems) with damage to the facebar and its fasteners at impact test speed of 5 mph front and rear impacts with barrier and pendulum; 3 mph corner impact with pendulum. More stringent damage resistance criteria known as Phase II became effective one year later, on September 1 1979, for MYs 1980 to 1982, and consisted of 5 mph longitudinal front and rear impacts with barrier and pendulum; 3 mph corner impact pendulum, all with no damage to the bumper itself beyond a 3/8 inch dent
