Each entry examines a real industry development from the indicated week through independent newsroom verification. These dates describe the historical timeline—not when Auto Glass Shop News originally published the article.
An August 2026 recall by International Motors covered certain 2027 heavy-duty trucks whose windshield wiper assemblies could lose both wipers simultaneously if a retaining nut loosened — a safety issue relevant to any shop servicing commercial or fleet vehicles.
The two new AGSC certifications debuted at Auto Glass Week™ 2025 in Reno — Glass-ADAS Specialist and Customer Service Representative — continued to see strong demand in 2026 as state disclosure laws made credentialed staff a compliance asset.
Honda's July 2025 position statement — which continued reshaping shop practices into 2026 — explicitly required ADAS recalibration on all Honda and Acura vehicles after windshield replacement, covering eight distinct safety system categories that use windshield-mounted cameras.
As OEM position statements from BMW, Ford, GM and others multiplied through mid-2026, shop owners described a growing operational bind: automakers requiring OEM-only glass while insurers still demand aftermarket attempts first.
The 2026 Top Retailers list recognized auto-glass companies across all size categories in the U.S. and Canada that demonstrated strong financial performance and growth despite tariffs, TPA disruptions and legislative uncertainty.
BMW's decision to expand its restricted structural-parts program to include the 3 Series and other models reinforced the automaker's strict OEM-only repair posture — a stance that shaped how shops sourced glass and structural components for BMW and MINI vehicles.
Five companies earned 2026 Fastest-Growing Retailer recognition for year-over-year revenue, location growth and industry impact, offering a benchmark for the operational strategies driving success in a challenging year.
With California SB 988 now in Assembly hands after clearing the Senate in late May, the nation's largest auto-glass market entered a new phase of legislative uncertainty — with the claim-number requirement and ADAS disclosure provisions both still intact.
Virginia's HB 312, passed by the legislature in March 2026 and signed by the governor, became effective July 1 — making Virginia the first state to implement a dedicated statutory ADAS disclosure requirement for auto-glass companies.
California SB 988 advanced through the Assembly Judiciary Committee in June 2026 with its core NCOIL provisions intact, moving closer to a full Assembly vote that would determine whether the nation's largest auto-glass market would face new claim and disclosure requirements.
The Auto Glass Safety Council's March 2026 announcement of its full certification program for Auto Glass Week™ 2026 introduced the four-track system — including the debut of the Glass Calibration Specialist credential — at a single industry event for the first time.
The Illinois NCOIL-inspired glass bill was referred back to assignments in June 2026 after intense committee testimony, while North Carolina introduced similar legislation — illustrating the uneven state-by-state pace of glass industry regulation.
California's Motor Vehicle Glass Act cleared the full Senate at the end of May 2026 and moved to Assembly review, where its definition of covered businesses and its claim-number requirement both faced potential amendment.
The Auto Glass Safety Council announced the training schedule for its four certifications at the 2026 industry conference: Replacement Technician, Repair Technician, Glass Calibration Specialist and Customer Service Representative — all available in San Antonio.
The organizers of Auto Glass Week™ 2026 named futurist Jonathan Brill as keynote speaker for the event in San Antonio, with a focus on how AI, shifting TPA structures and changing consumer behavior will reshape the insurer-shop relationship over the next decade.
A May 2026 bill introduced in the Florida legislature proposed eliminating the state's mandatory zero-deductible glass coverage requirement — a change that, if enacted, would reshape demand patterns for the country's highest-volume auto-glass market.
As more automakers issued strict OEM-glass-only position statements in early 2026, the industry examined whether logo'd or dealer-sold aftermarket parts — which carry the brand name but may not be manufactured by the OEM — actually meet those increasingly rigid standards, even as CIC launched an ADAS-focused consumer advocacy task force.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection launched the CAPE portal on April 20, 2026 — establishing the first formal mechanism for auto-glass importers to claim refunds on tariff duties paid since 2025, following the Supreme Court's February ruling.
California SB 988, the state's NCOIL-aligned glass reform bill, survived a mid-April 2026 Judiciary Committee hearing and was referred to Appropriations — moving closer to a potential full Senate vote that could reshape how glass shops across the state operate.
A small April 2026 recall covering about 55 Lincoln and Ford vehicles found that an HVAC system defect could disable defrosting and defogging, causing windshields to cloud over — raising a visibility and safety concern relevant to any shop servicing high-end Ford products.
Louisiana HB 929, following NCOIL model language on claim-number requirements, ADAS disclosures and anti-steering provisions, passed third reading in the state House in late March 2026 and moved toward a Senate vote.
NHTSA reported in late March 2026 that Ferrari was recalling 12Cilindri vehicles with rear and side windows that transmitted less than the 70% light required by law, while Ford was recalling Maverick trucks whose moonroof glass had not been properly bonded.
Connecticut HB 5262, which would have required the insurance commissioner to review NCOIL's model auto-glass act, was shelved in mid-March 2026 after sustained lobbying from auto-glass shops and trade groups who argued the bill would harm independent operators.
Virginia HB 312, requiring glass shops to inform customers about ADAS recalibration needs before and after windshield replacements, passed both chambers in March 2026 — a milestone for industry regulation that would take effect July 1.
So-called zero-deductible states do not give glass shops automatic, unlimited claim authority: insurer-level exceptions, steering rules and markup limits still apply.
A compact NHTSA recall in early February 2026 addressed windshield adhesion issues on a small population of vehicles, reinforcing why independent shops must verify adhesive application on every installation regardless of batch size or vehicle price point.
A 6-3 February 2026 Supreme Court ruling declared the administration's executive-order tariffs unconstitutional, but auto-glass importers still faced a long wait for actual refunds while litigation continued.
The ADAS Functionality and Integrity Act cleared a House subcommittee in February 2026, proposing that NHTSA develop mandatory calibration guidelines ensuring ADAS systems remain functional after aftermarket repairs — a development with far-reaching implications for glass shops.
NHTSA recall 26V024, filed in January 2026, covered a small batch of 2026 Ford Explorers whose windshields were bonded with incorrectly applied urethane, potentially violating the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard for windshield mounting.
Vandalism and vehicle break-ins tied to Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara flipped the typical windshield-to-tempered-glass ratio at Caliber Auto Glass locations in the San Jose area, illustrating how major events can temporarily reshape a market's demand mix.
CCC Intelligent Solutions' year-end 2025 analysis showed recalibrations on insurance appraisals multiplied roughly 25-fold in eight years, setting expectations for continued rapid growth through 2028.
A January 2026 class-action complaint accused Nissan of concealing a defect in 2021–2025 Rogue backlites that caused rear windshields to spontaneously shatter, sparking concerns for glass shops handling related replacements.
Four more states introduced auto-glass regulatory bills in mid-January 2026, each drawing on NCOIL model language to govern claim handling, ADAS disclosure and assignment-of-benefits restrictions.
Four states simultaneously introduced auto-glass regulation bills in the opening weeks of 2026, continuing an NCOIL-driven wave that reshaped industry compliance planning heading into the new year.
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