Dear Insurance Company — You Don’t Get to Redefine “Collision”

“Collision” Is Not Your Interpretation — It’s the Manufacturer’s Call

Here’s the thing: Many manufacturers have very clear instructions on what to inspect, calibrate, or replace after a collision.

The problem? Some of them don’t define “collision” in exact terms — because, let’s be real, they shouldn’t have to.

Others do spell it out. Honda, for example, explicitly says that any crash — whether airbags deploy or not — requires checking the occupant classification system.

Let us say that again for the adjuster in the back:

“Any collision.”Not “any major collision.”Not “only if there’s frame damage.”Not “only if the seatbelt’s hanging by a thread.”Any. Collision.

If You Hit Something and It Hit Back, Guess What?

That’s a collision.

• A curb impact that cracks a bumper? Collision.

• A side swipe that messes with a sensor mount? Collision.

• A low-speed rear-end that rattles a seatbelt pretensioner? Collision.

• A “no visible damage” accident that triggers the SRS module? Also a collision.

You don’t get to downgrade the event just because it didn’t meet your claims team’s threshold for full payout.

The OEM Doesn’t Care How You Define It

OEMs care about safety.They care about restoring the car’s function, not your loss ratio.

If they say recalibrate, inspect, or replace after a collision — then that’s what we’re doing.

And no, “your interpretation” of what counts as a collision isn’t relevant.

Unless you work at the automaker, designed the ADAS system, and signed off on the crash testing… you’re not qualified to overrule their language.

What This Means for Shops

Shops, listen up:

If your customer’s vehicle experienced an impact — ANY impact — and the OEM procedure calls for inspections or calibrations post-collision?

• You do it.

• You document it.

• You explain to the insurer: “We don’t interpret OEM language. We follow it.”

• If they refuse? You ask them to provide that refusal in writing and confirm their liability.

Because at the end of the day, it’s your shop’s name on that repair order — not the adjuster’s.

Final Word: You Don’t Get to Interpret the Instructions You’re Ignoring

We don't let customers decide what counts as “torqued tight enough.”We don't let techs decide what part of a structural weld they’ll skip.And we don’t let insurance companies decide what a “collision” means — just because it’s cheaper for them.

The manufacturer already said what needs to happen after an accident.

The only job left is to do it.