The Real Risks of Improperly Calibrated ADAS systems
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are responsible for operating some of the most common safety features on modern vehicles. These systems rely on sensors and cameras, which need to be calibrated correctly in order for their features to work properly.
Here we discuss the importance of ADAS recalibration, including the real dangers of improper or missed calibration, and how repairers ensure these systems operate correctly.
What is ADAS on vehicles?
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) deliver some of the most popular and important onboard safety features on modern vehicles.
They use cameras and sensors located around the vehicle to scan the surrounding environment, identify emerging hazards, and deliver warnings or corrective manoeuvres to reduce the risk of collision.
Some of the most well-known ADAS-powered safety features include:
Lane & position correction
Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)
Pedestrian & hazard detection
Blind spot monitoring
Adaptive cruise control
Why does ADAS need calibrating?
ADAS systems rely on precise calibration of their cameras and sensors in order to accurately scan and detect potential hazards around the vehicle.
These sensors can easily be knocked out of position if you’re involved in a collision (even a minor bump) or if your vehicle undergoes repairs to its panels, wheels, suspension, or even its windscreen.
If this happens, ADAS-powered safety features could stop working, or intervene when they’re not needed, posing risks to vehicle safety.
It’s therefore critical that ADAS calibration is checked and corrected in full if there’s even a small chance they may have been disrupted.
What happens if ADAS isn’t calibrated properly?
Failure to calibrate ADAS properly can lead to serious implications for drivers and their vehicles, including:
1. Critical safety features will fail to work properly
If ADAS sensors aren’t calibrated correctly, then the vital safety features that rely on them will fail to work properly. This could mean that warnings and interventions fail to activate when they’re needed most, potentially increasing the risk and severity of an incident.
2. The vehicle may not work at all
Some ADAS features may render your vehicle completely unusable if they aren’t calibrated properly. Features like autonomous braking may prevent the vehicle from moving if sensors can’t pick up the surrounding environment, due to their line of vision being blocked or impeded.
3. It could pose real dangers to driver safety
If miscalibration causes ADAS to malfunction while you’re driving, the system may activate interventions or corrective manoeuvres when they aren’t needed. In extreme cases, this could cause your vehicle to swerve or brake unexpectedly, posing serious risks to both drivers and other road users.
Signs Your ADAS Might Need Calibration
How can you tell if your ADAS needs attention? Look out for these indicators:
* Warning lights on the dashboard related to ADAS features
* Inconsistent or erratic behaviour of ADAS functions
* False alarms from collision warning systems
* Adaptive cruise control not maintaining proper distance
* Lane departure warnings activating when you’re driving straight
If you notice any of these signs, it’s crucial to have your ADAS checked by contacting us here at Wheel Alignment and Balljoint Centre Ltd.
Consequences of Uncalibrated ADAS :
When ADAS is not calibrated, several problems can arise:
1. False Alarms: The system may trigger warnings when there’s no actual danger, leading to driver distraction and unnecessary stress.
2. Missed Warnings: More critically, uncalibrated systems might fail to alert you to genuine hazards, defeating the purpose of having ADAS in the first place.
3. Incorrect Interventions: Features like automatic emergency braking might activate at the wrong times, potentially causing accidents rather than preventing them.
4. Reduced Effectiveness: Even if the system doesn’t malfunction outright, its performance may be suboptimal, providing less protection than it’s designed to offer.
5. Legal and Insurance Issues: In some cases, driving with improperly functioning ADAS could affect your insurance coverage or lead to legal complications if an accident occurs.
How does ADAS recalibration work?
ADAS calibration must be conducted by a skilled professional, with the right tools, training, and techniques to ensure the system remains in full working order.
Here’s how the ADAS recalibration process works at Wheel Alignment and Balljoint Centre:
1 – ADAS sensors are checked using calibration equipment
First and foremost, the vehicle is plugged into diagnostic equipment to identify any errors or warnings with ADAS or any other onboard technologies. This helps us to identify any major faults through error codes, which relate to specific components or sensors on the vehicle.
2 – 4 wheel alignment is checked & corrected on the latest Hunter 3D 4 wheel alignment machine.
After the initial diagnostic scan, the vehicle is placed on our alignment machine to ensure the wheels are positioned and aligned correctly. ADAS relies on proper alignment to function properly, so checking this allows the technician to identify and correct any issues which may impact functionality.
3 – Road test to ensure correct calibration
Once the vehicle’s alignment has been checked, and all diagnostics are clear, it will be taken for a road test to confirm this process has been completed sufficiently. This gives us the opportunity to check and correct any outstanding alignment issues before ADAS calibration can begin.
4 – ADAS is calibrated using either static or dynamic techniques
ADAS calibration is conducted using specialist equipment, compatible with the vehicle’s onboard system and sensors. Currently we use the latest Digital ADAS 2.0 Calibration equipment. This can either be completed using ‘static’ or ‘dynamic’ calibration techniques.
Static ADAS calibration
Static calibration is conducted in a workshop or garage, while the vehicle is stationary. It uses physical ‘targets’ to align the vehicle sensors to manufacturer specification, which can be moved around the vehicle to target sensors in different areas.
Dynamic ADAS calibration
Dynamic calibration is conducted while the vehicle is moving, at the speed and in road conditions recommended by the manufacturer. A technician will ride alongside the driver to recalibrate the sensors, either using the car’s calibration mode, or using a portable device, to return them to factory specifications.
5 – The vehicle is rechecked & scanned for errors
Once its sensors have been calibrated, the vehicle is rechecked with diagnostic equipment to ensure no additional errors have been raised during the process. If there are any errors present which could impact ADAS or its features, these must be rectified, and the vehicle must be recalibrated in full.
6 – Formal calibration report is produced
Once we are satisfied that the ADAS system is working properly, a formal calibration report will be produced – using the calibration notification exported directly from the vehicle’s onboard computer. This allows technicians to highlight any issues they’ve corrected, and confirm that they’ve taken all the necessary precautions to ensure accurate, manufacturer-standard calibration before returning the vehicle to the customer.
In Summary…
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems are responsible for some of the most prominent safety features on modern vehicles – like lane assist and autonomous emergency braking.
These systems rely on cameras and sensors located around the vehicle to monitor the surrounding environment, which must be precisely calibrated for safety features to work properly.
ADAS sensors can be easily knocked out of alignment during minor incidents or common repairs – even something as simple as a tyre replacement can shift them out of calibration. If this happens, the system can malfunction, and even cause the vehicle to lose control – posing serious risks to driver safety.
It’s therefore crucial that ADAS is recalibrated if your vehicle is involved in a collision, or undergoes repairs which may impact the accuracy of its sensors.
During a vehicle calibration, a qualified technician will:
* Scan the vehicle with diagnostic equipment to identify any errors
* Check the wheel alignment, and correct if necessary
* Road test to ensure correct alignment
* Calibrate the sensors using either dynamic or static techniques
* Recheck the vehicle for any errors raised during calibration
* Assess the vehicle in full, and produce a calibration report
To Book your ADAS check, please contact us on 0151 9335111 and we will gladly help you out