FMVSS 101 Test Standard for Controls and Displays, Speedometers and Odometers

NHTSA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (part of the U.S. Department of Transportation), publishes several Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, which are laws governing the safety of motor vehicles in the United States.

The FMVSS 101 standard specifies performance requirements for the location, identification, color and illumination of motor vehicle controls, optics and displays.

The purpose of this standard is to ensure the accessibility, visibility and recognition of motor vehicle controls, optics and indicators, and to facilitate the correct selection of controls in day and night conditions, in order to divert the driver's attention from the driving task and reduce safety hazards arising from errors in the selection of controls.

This standard applies to passenger cars, multi-purpose passenger cars, trucks and buses.
Common area means the area on which more than one optical, indicator, identifier or other message can be displayed, but not simultaneously.

Control means the manually operated part of the device that enables the driver to change the state or operation of the vehicle or a vehicle subsystem.

Every passenger car, multi-purpose passenger car, truck and bus equipped with a control, indicator or indicator must meet the requirements of this standard for the location, identification, color and illumination of that control. However, gauge and gauge requirements do not apply to vehicles with a GVWR of 1 kg or greater if the vehicles listed were manufactured before 2013 September 4.536.

Our EUROLAB testers provide a range of technical advice, certification and testing to help you achieve FMVSS compliance to ensure you can access the US automotive market. You can contact our laboratory for all FMVSS and FMVSS 101 test standards.