Why You Can Have a Failed Calibration With Zero DTCs — and Still Be in Trouble

Let’s talk about everyone’s favorite false sense of security:

“There’s no trouble codes, so we’re good!”

Yeah, about that...

In the ADAS world, no codes does not mean no problems.It means the system didn’t catch the problem.

And sometimes, the system doesn’t know it has a problem until it hurts somebody.

Why This Happens:

Because most ADAS systems are logic-based. They assume you’ve already:

• Replaced the right part

• Calibrated it correctly

• Followed the OEM’s setup

  
  

If something goes wrong in the calibration process, but the steps technically completed, it won’t know.

Until that misaligned radar thinks an overpass is a stopped vehicle.Or the blind spot system fails to detect a car in the next lane.

No codes. No lights. Just false confidence.

Here’s the Truth:

• Your scan tool is not a crystal ball

• A clean report does not equal a safe system

• If the environment or measurement was off — the calibration was wrong

• And if something goes wrong on the road? You’ll be held responsible

  
  

Final Word: A Quiet Dash Doesn’t Equal a Safe Car

If you’re using DTCs as your only calibration check, you’re skipping the most important part: the actual calibration.

Always verify. Always document. Always follow the process.Because when something fails and someone says, “But there was no code…”

You’ll be the one explaining why that wasn’t good enough.