Here is list manufacturers that the STATE of New Jersey believe “have obtained NHSTA certification”, however there is no such thing, the NHSTA does not certify vehicle
http://www.nj.gov/mvc/pdf/Vehicles/mc_manufacturers.pdf


The NHSTA only shares information and investigate violations if and when they are brought to their attention.


They in that offer a database and it is here.
http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/manufacture/


Three criteria must be meet under CRF 49 That’s code of federal regulations title 49.


The manufacturer as the OEM, that being who actually makes the vehicle must be registered with the SAE and represented within its WMI data base, that is one, the NHSTA only links to the SAE database they do not maintain it. The NHSTA augments and maintain files associated with a manufacturers WMI and those fall under the above regulations parts 565, that two and 566, is the third criteria.


Here are the regulations parts, see above, and below, that are required


49 CFR 565 - VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (VIN) REQUIREMENTS


And


49 CRF 566-Manufacrturers Identification


Here is the issue and may be confusing to laypeople, the OEM is the factory and represented in the WMI however part 566 requires the OEM to identify the name of who represents their products legally in the USA. The term manufacturer here actually means the agent of process, who is selling the vehicles, the legal entity that maintains the records of sales, what they sell and to who they sold it to.


So when anyone accesses the NHSTA lookup if the parts 565 and 566 are empty then the manufacture cannot sell the vehicle in any state, they are not meeting federal transportation regulations.


Also every vehicle must have a EPA certificate and also be affixed with a decal that states the vehicle meets FMVSS, that decal is not provided by any federal agency it’s the factory that installs it and its them making a statement that they understand the laws and that the vehicle meets those standards set in the laws.