Vehicle reference
Ford ADAS calibration requirements
Ford Co-Pilot360 depends on the Image Processing Module A (IPMA), mounted to the windshield above the rearview mirror. Replace or remove the glass and that camera's reference to the road changes, which is why calibration is part of the repair rather than an upsell after it.
What Ford Co-Pilot360 is
Ford Co-Pilot360 is Ford’s name for its driver-assistance suite. Not every feature in it looks through the windshield — blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are usually radar, mounted at the corners of the vehicle, and glass work does not disturb them. The features below are the ones that do depend on the camera behind your windshield.
We do not publish a model year at which Ford Co-Pilot360 became standard across the lineup, because we could not source that claim to Ford. Availability varies by model and trim, so the question is about your specific vehicle.
Which features depend on the windshield camera
- Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking
- Lane-Keeping System
- Auto High-Beam Headlamps
If your vehicle has any of these, the camera behind the glass is a safety component, and moving the glass moves the component.
Static or dynamic: what Ford requires
Required after every replacement
Ford is the clearest manufacturer in this set. Ford requires IPMA camera alignment after every windshield replacement, performed through the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS). Not conditionally, not depending on trim — every time the glass is replaced. That requirement is published in Ford's own collision repair publication.
What Ford has published
Yes, more than one. Ford's On Target collision publication carries the IPMA alignment requirement, and Ford has published a separate 2022 position statement on non-OEM glass.
Position statements matter more than they sound like they should. When an insurer or a shop questions whether calibration was necessary, a manufacturer statement is the document that settles it.
How we handle a Ford
We work from Ford service information for your specific vehicle rather than from a generic procedure, we carry static target equipment as well as the ability to run a dynamic drive cycle, and we document the calibration so you have proof it was completed to specification. We come to the vehicle — the calibration happens where the car is.
If you are a glass or collision shop and a Ford is on your schedule, this is exactly the work other shops sublet to us. See how the installer partnership works.
Sources
Everything above traces to a document. Where we could not find one, we said so rather than filling the gap.
Common questions
Frequently asked
Does a Ford need calibration after windshield replacement?
Yes, without exception. Ford requires IPMA camera alignment after every windshield replacement, performed through FDRS.
What is the IPMA on a Ford?
Image Processing Module A. It is Ford's name for the forward camera module mounted to the windshield above the rearview mirror, and it is the module that has to be aligned after glass work.
Need a Ford calibrated?
Mobile service, nationwide. We come to the vehicle, work to OEM specification, and document the result.