Advanced Driver Assistance Systems & Windshield Replacement Information

Each year, more and more autos (roughly 15%) on the road have Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) included with the vehicle as a key safety feature.  These systems are designed to prevent head on collisions and utilize a small camera that looks through a very small area on the windshield.  These cameras are very sensitive to change, and require recalibration upon windshield replacement.

Around the year 2012 vehicle manufacturers started equipping premium vehicles with Lane Departure Warning Systems.  These systems would alert you if you happened to drift out of your lane.  At first, it was everyone’s belief that as long as you did not unplug the system (which is typically located in the rearview mirror assembly) that you could simply reinstall it on the new windshield and the system would function correctly.  Soon the industry caught up with the technology and realized that if the angle of the windshield was changed even slightly the system would not work as designed resulting in possible false readings.

Fast forward: It is speculated that by the year 2025 nearly 49 percent of all vehicles on the road will be equipped with a type of ADAS.  It is required not only by the Automobile Manufacturers but by the Insurance Industry to have a ADAS system calibration completed after the removal and installation of a windshield.

For example, a camera calibration that is off by one degree, could translate to as much as an eight foot positioning difference from 100 feet of distance away from an object ahead.  This difference may cause the vehicle to take ‘corrective’ action that is not needed, very dangerous, and potentially very harmless, including into oncoming traffic.

An example of this may be the FALSE detection of a vehicle in oncoming traffic as being a vehicle in your lane immediately in front of you, causing the ADAS to automatically slow the car down or stop, creating a significant risk of being struck from behind due to the unexpected change in speed and forward progress by drivers behind you.

MHS Insurance recommends that you determine if your vehicle has ADAS, and if your windshield has been replaced, that you  understand if the camera was recalibrated after the replacement windshield was installed.  Many dealers understand this safety issue, but some may not, so please ask for clarification.  We do provide referrals to third party glass replacement companies, such as City Auto Glass, and they have been working and training the service team for many years on recalibration proficiency for such vehicles.