FMEA (AIAG-VDA)
Seven-step AIAG-VDA FMEA with AP rating and action priority.
| # | Process step | Failure mode | Effect | Severity S (1–10) | Cause | Occurrence O (1–10) | Current controls | Detection D (1–10) | RPN | Action | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 72 | ||||||||||
| 2 | 140 |
- 1 row(s) with RPN ≥ 100 — act on them first; ties broken by highest Severity.
- Any failure mode with S ≥ 9 must have effective prevention or detection regardless of RPN.
- Update S/O/D after actions with evidence; the FMEA is a living document — revisit on design/process changes and complaints.
Serves these standards
About this tool
FMEA is a disciplined walkthrough of what could go wrong, why, and what already prevents or detects it — done before the failure happens in the field. The AIAG-VDA harmonised method structures the work in seven steps and replaces the old RPN score with the Action Priority (AP) table.
DFMEA analyses a design (product failures); PFMEA analyses a process (how manufacturing or a laboratory procedure can create or pass through a failure). Both are living documents: update them at every design or process change, and let them feed your control plan and audit programme.
Frequently asked questions
DFMEA vs PFMEA — which one do I need?
DFMEA covers the product or design: what can fail in the item itself, regardless of how it is made. PFMEA covers the process: how manufacturing, testing or service steps can introduce or fail to catch a failure. Automotive programmes need both, linked through the control plan.
What replaced the RPN number?
AIAG-VDA replaced the R×S×D RPN with the Action Priority table: every Severity/Occurrence/Detection combination maps to High, Medium or Low action priority. This removes the RPN arithmetic quirks (a 10×1×1 once scored lower than 3×3×3) and forces the team to discuss severity and detection explicitly.
What are the seven steps of AIAG-VDA FMEA?
1 Planning and preparation, 2 Structure analysis, 3 Function analysis, 4 Failure analysis, 5 Risk analysis, 6 Optimisation, 7 Results documentation. Steps 2–4 build the failure chain (element → function → failure mode → effect → cause → control), step 5 rates it, and steps 6–7 close the loop.
How often should an FMEA be updated?
Treat it as a living document: revisit at every design change, process change, drawing revision, customer complaint pattern or field failure. An FMEA that has not changed since the last audit cycle is itself an audit finding.