Speedometer off 3-4 mph at 70-80mph

[rcomeau]

If the speedo underreported by 1mph and someone got a ticket, class action lawsuit lawyers would be all over it like bees on honey. After for them to underreport a bit.

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[Wivenhoe]

I just read an article about US law that goes totally against the European law of not allowing under reading of speed.

Apparently in the US a Speedo at 50 mph has to be within +/- 5 mph. The law may have changed but there was a class action in which Honda was hammered as their speedo’s and thus odometers were over reading by 3.75% - Honda agreed to a class action settlement and further agreed to lengthen the warranty mileage of affected vehicles by 5%, and pay lease-mileage penalties incurred by owners of Honda or Acura between 2001 and 2006. Honda reportedly suffered a $6 million setback due to the settlement. So, the next time you suspect a problem with your speedometer, do not assume such a problem is necessarily proper or acceptable.

https://blog.goosmannlaw.com/risk-manager-on-your-side/how-accurate-is-your-car-speedometer

 

[PrudentOcean]

But the error being discussed is within the tolerance allowed by US law.

 

[Wivenhoe]

I didn’t post it thinking it wasn’t within the US law - I thought it would be of interest that Honda got clobbered for having ‘over reading’ (the same as European manufacturers do), despite apparently being within the law as it is either +/- They were penalised as the class action said by over reading odometers people were paying more than they should as the mileage done under leases etc. were greater than actually travelled. As a Brit I found it strange that something could comply with the law but still be clobbered for $6m

 

[dbsb3233]

I assume there's no way for us to adjust the speedometer via a setting somewhere? Mine reads 2 MPH high at highway speeds, according to cell phone GPS.

 

[jwatte]

As a Brit I found it strange that something could comply with the law but still be clobbered for $6m

The law generally determines *criminal* liability. *Civil* contracts are what class action lawsuits are about.

You can be within the *law* but break a *contract*. It sounds from that old lawsuit that the problem was that Honda over-indicated odometers, and then used that over-indication to terminate warranty and charge lease return mileage, which seems like a legitimate thing to complain about and get compensation for, as a matter of civil contracts.

 

[Wivenhoe]

The article didn’t make that clear. As you say, if they used the over-reading to gain advantage then that is plain wrong

 

[ncgator77]

I’m so glad I found this thread. I have noticed my GPS consistently showing around 2 MPH below my speedometer, yet it exactly matches the speedometer on our other 2 cars (Land Rover and Jeep) and 2 recent rental cars (both Kia’s). At least now I know it seems to be a known Porsche thing - not that I’m crazy about it, but now I won’t reach out to the dealer.

BTW, first post, but been reading the boards daily. I got my Macan 4 in January and have been loving it!

 

[sor]

This has come up on every car forum I’ve been on for the last 20 years. The answer has always been “there are fines involved for the manufacturer if the speedo causes the driver to go faster than expected, so they tune their speedos to over report a bit”.

Whether or not that’s true, I don’t know, but it seems to be the case for every make and model I’ve driven and it seems to be deliberate. And whether it is 2 or 3 off seems like splitting hairs.

 

[Yves]

It is variable at lower speeds it is within the expected error range of 2-3km/h but at higher speeds it goes to 5-6km/h and that is a lot …

 

[Bruyne]

Same here, but explaining my wife that I don't drive faster than admitted is my biggest issue...

 

[Wivenhoe]

I think that as European cars must never under read and can over read by a lot that’s why they give you the option of the over speed warning notifying only after exceeding the limit by up to 6 mph.

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