IIHS Finds Windshield Replacements and Crash Repairs Complicated By Safety Tech

Studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Data Loss Institute have found that modern driver assist and active safety syetms complicate repairs. The groups report that following a simple windshield replacement or a repair following a collision, the ne technology is making repairs more costly and require more follow-up visits to the shop.

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Included in the findings were these statements:
-Windshield repairs often make it necessary to calibrate crash avoidance sensors and cameras.
-Automakers stipulate systems be calibrated anytime a sensor is removed and replaced or
reinstalled.
-About two-thirds of respondents who had had repairs done said that calibration was included. Those respondents also reported a higher incidence of post-repair issues.

IIHS concludes that the higher incidence of post-repair issues for repairs that involved calibration suggests that repairers are struggling with the calibration process. Follow any automotive model fan club on social media, and you will quickly find posts that back up IIHS’ findings.

One Hyundai Ioniq 5 owner posted this comment in a social media club, “Great. Had my windshield replaced by Safelite, but they have now said they are completely unable to perform the sensor calibration on the new windshield due to their software malfunctioning and want me to take the car to a dealership. And the closest dealership is backlogged by weeks.”

We searched the interweb and found many posts where the frustrated vehicle owner is stuck between the auto glass replacement company (like Safelite) and the dealership. Both pointing at the other after head-up displays and other features are not working following a glass replacement. Here is one example: “I took the vehicle to the dealer today, and after trying numerous times to calibrate the front camera, they couldn’t do it. The service advisor said the camera wasn’t responding to the calibration. He said he felt the camera might have been damaged when SAFELITE replaced the windshield. Oh, and the dealer said they didn’t see any defects in the windshield glass. The new camera was ordered, and luckily, the dealer is going to cover it as a warranty item. I called Safelite after leaving the dealer, and of course, they took none of the blame. But let’s see; the camera was working perfectly fine with the cracked original windshield. Safelite replaced the windshield, couldn’t program the camera, and now even the dealer can’t program the camera. That makes me think that Safelite broke the camera.”

With so much frustration around simple windshield replacements due to new technology, will drivers simply give up if it works following a repair? IIHS Senior Research Scientist Alexandra Mueller commented, saying, “These technologies have been proven to reduce crashes and related injuries,” said Mueller. “Our goal is that they continue to deliver those benefits after repairs and for owners to be confident that they’re working properly.”
Have you replaced a windshield on a car with modern active safety systems? Tell us what you learned in the comments below.

Original image of windshield crack by John Goreham.

John Goreham is an experienced New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. In addition to his ten years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can follow John on Twitter, and TikTok @ToknCars, and view his credentials at Linkedin