LAS VEGAS — Hunter Engineering Co. has produced a pair of educational videos that explain the purpose and function of driver assist systems that are being offered increasingly on new vehicles and how these systems interact with proper mechanical and safety system alignment.
Hunter estimates that nearly one-third of the approximately 15 million vehicles registered in the U.S. in 2015 were capable of being equipped with driver assist system technology, making it critical for independent vehicle maintenance and repair shops to understand proper reset procedures, according to Kaleb Silver, engineering senior product manager.
These systems, such as adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning or brake assist, are designed to increase driver safety by using cameras and radar to monitor the vehicle's surroundings and help drivers avoid collisions.
Failure to properly align safety systems when carrying out a mechanical wheel alignment can result in dashboard warning lights, steering wheel vibration, vehicle pull or increased steering effort, Mr. Silver said. Driver assist systems can even malfunction or shut down.
Hunter's new videos — one for vehicles owners,and one for service providers — help explain these situations.
Considering the dilemma, Hunter has developed a Safety System Alignment package, dubbed WinAlign 15.0, that covers the vehicle manufacturers' specifications related to resetting these various systems properly.