Vehicle Theft‑Protection Standards Updated

Summary#

This is a proposed change to the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations that updates the theft‑protection rules in CMVSS 114. It would swap older immobilizer standards for newer ones — ANSI/CAN/UL/ULC 338:2025 and UN Regulation No. 162 — and give industry two years to comply after the regulations are finalized.

What it does#

• Replaces the old Canadian standard (CAN/ULC‑S338‑98) with ANSI/CAN/UL/ULC 338:2025 (often called CAN/ULC 2025).
• Adopts the technical requirements of UN Regulation No. 162 (ambulatory reference to the 00 series) so manufacturers can follow that international standard.
• Removes the Transport Canada–specific option currently found in subsections (8) to (21) of CMVSS 114 and deletes references to UN Regulation No. 97 and UN Regulation No. 116 (since they are consolidated into UN Reg. 162).
• Makes small wording changes to adapt the UN text for Canada’s self‑certification system (for example, defining “rapidly” as less than 5 minutes).
• Updates the import rule in subsection 12.1(2)(c) to reference CAN/ULC 2025 for imported vehicles.
• Gives manufacturers a two‑year transitional period before mandatory compliance.
• This is a proposal open for comment (the public comment window noted in the notice is 75 days); it is not law yet.

Who's affected#

• About 45 vehicle manufacturers or companies with a Canadian presence. They are expected to update their compliance records.
• Vehicle importers and the companies that certify new vehicles for Canada.
• Indirectly: vehicle buyers, insurers, and aftermarket repair businesses — because the standards relate to vehicle theft protection.
• Transport Canada will enforce the rules as part of its existing compliance work.
• Vehicles already manufactured before the new rules come into force would not be affected.

Specific notes from the proposal:

• Transport Canada found only one manufacturer was still using the old Transport Canada–specific option; that company would need to switch to one of the adopted standards.
• The proposal says the changes are mostly administrative and should not require changes to how cars are built.

Why it matters#

• The new standards explicitly include testing for modern “electronic attack tools” (for example, devices that can program keys or relay key signals). That responds to recent increases in auto theft using digital tools.
• Adopting UN Regulation No. 162 brings Canada closer to international practice and can make compliance simpler for manufacturers that sell in multiple markets.
• Transport Canada says manufacturers generally already meet or exceed these newer standards, so the proposal mainly updates the paperwork and the technical references rather than vehicle designs.
• The government estimates the paperwork update will cost industry about $0.80 million in present value over 2026–2035 (analyst discount rate 7%). On average, a manufacturer might spend about 322 hours (about 40 hours per model for 8 models) updating files; the analysis used a transportation engineer cost of $63.18 per hour.
• The proposal is part of the federal effort under the National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft. However, consultation feedback noted that updating standards alone is not expected to dramatically reduce organized‑crime‑linked vehicle theft.