In short: AIAG (North America) and VDA (Germany) have published a joint FMEA handbook for the automotive industry. It introduces a seven-step approach and replaces the Risk Priority Number (RPN) with Action Priority (AP) tables.
What is the AIAG-VDA FMEA handbook?
It is a harmonized reference for Design FMEA, Process FMEA and FMEA for Monitoring and System Response (FMEA-MSR), agreed by two of the world’s largest automotive industry bodies.
What are the seven steps?
- Planning and preparation
- Structure analysis
- Function analysis
- Failure analysis
- Risk analysis
- Optimization
- Results documentation
Why replace RPN with Action Priority?
RPN multiplied severity, occurrence and detection, which could hide high-severity risks. Action Priority tables rank combinations as high, medium or low priority, giving more weight to severity.
Key takeaways
- FMEA is now harmonized across North American and German automotive suppliers.
- The 7-step approach improves structure and traceability.
- Action Priority replaces RPN for prioritizing risk actions.
Frequently asked questions
Is the new FMEA method mandatory?
Many automotive OEMs require it for new programmes; check customer-specific requirements.
Do existing FMEAs need to be redone?
Usually not immediately; the new method is applied to new products and major changes unless the customer requires otherwise.
What is FMEA-MSR?
A supplementary FMEA for monitoring and system response, analysing how diagnostics maintain safety in operation.