NHTSA Complaint #10146825 — 2006 CADILLAC STS

ALL CARS AND SUVS MANUFACTURED BY GM'S CADILLAC DIVISION HAVE BEEN BUILT WITH INSTRUMENT PANELS (IPS) THAT DO NOT ALLOW THE DRIVER TO KNOW HOW FAST HE IS GOING ABOVE A CERTAIN SPEED WHEN THE SPEEDOMETER HAS BEEN CALIBRATED IN KMH. THE US IS NOW A METRIC COUNTRY AND ALL MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS SHOULD BE IN BOTH ENGLISH AND METRIC CALIBRATION. EVERY OTHER DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN MANUFACTURER IS REQUIRED BY LAW TO HAVE IP SPEEDOMETERS THAT READ IN BOTH SYSTEMS. THESE SPEEDOMETER FACEPLATES HAVE A LARGER MPH READING AND A SMALLER KPH ONE BELOW IT SO THAT DRIVERS ALWAYS KNOW HOW FAST THEY ARE DRIVING ALL THE WAY UP TO THE TOP SPEED OF THE VEHICLES. BUT NOT SO CADILLAC. CADILLAC ONLY HAS ONE NUMERIC READING ON THE SPEEDOMETER FACE. THE SPEEDOMETER FACE THEREFORE READS TO 160 IN THE CASE OF THE CADILLAC SRX FOR EXAMPLE. HOWEVER IF THE DRIVER DECIDES TO SWITCH THE IP TO METRIC HE WILL NOT KNOW HOW FAST HE IS GOING ABOVE 160 KPH WHICH IS 100 MPH. YOU MIGHT SAY SO WHAT SINCE YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO LEGALLY DRIVE 100 MPH PLUS IN THE US. PERHAPS, BUT MANY PEOPLE TAKE THEIR CARS TO MEXICO, CANADA AND EUROPE - ALL PLACES WHERE THOSE SPEEDS ARE EITHER TOLERATED OR IN SOME CASES LEGAL. IF CADILLAC CONTINUES TO SELL VEHICLES WITH THIS QUIRK THEY SHOULD ALLOW AS AN OPTION THE ABILITY TO GET THE KPH GRADED SPEEDOMETER (IE THE ONE SOLD IN CANADA, MEXICO, EUROPE, CHINA, JAPAN, AUSTRALIA AND EVERYWHERE ELSE). IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE TO ALWAYS KNOW YOUR CORRECT SPEED IN THE TWO SYSTEMS MANDATED BY US LAW. *NM