Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Controls, Telltales and Indicators

In a final rule of August 17, 2005, we updated our standard regulating motor vehicle controls, telltales and indicators. The standard specifies requirements for the location, identification, and illumination of these items. The rule extended the standard's telltale and indicator requirements to vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 4,536 kg (10,000 pounds) and greater, updated the standard's requirements for multi-function controls and multi-task displays to make the requirements appropriate for advanced systems, and reorganized the standard to make it easier to read. In a document published on January 24, 2006, the effective date and compliance date for requirements applicable to vehicles under 4,536 kg (10,000 pounds) GVWR were extended to September 1, 2006. In response to the August 17, 2005 final rule, we received four petitions for reconsideration, from three organizations. This final rule responds to those petitions.