Warranty & field failure analysis (IATF only)
Plain-language summary
Where you have warranty obligations: a documented warranty management process including claim analysis and NTF (no trouble found) decisions agreed with the customer; returned parts and field failures get analysed with results reported and corrective action triggered.
What the clause is really asking
10.2.5: warranty process implemented where required, including warranty part analysis methods and customer agreement on NTF disposition. 10.2.6: analyse customer complaints and field failures including returned parts, initiate problem solving and corrective action to prevent recurrence — communicating results to customer and internally, and performing test/analysis per customer requirements.
What auditors look for
Auditors sample warranty claims and returned parts: analysis records (not just credit notes), NTF rate and the agreed criteria behind NTF calls, problem-solving linkage, and the report-back trail to the customer. High NTF with no agreed methodology is a recurring finding.
Typical evidence
Warranty claim analyses; returned part teardown records; NTF criteria agreed with customer; field failure 8Ds; customer communication of results.
How to comply — recommendations
Treat every returned part as evidence: photograph, teardown, record — before crediting. Agree the NTF protocol with your customer in writing once; it prevents both audit findings and commercial disputes.
Common nonconformities
Returns credited without analysis; NTF used as a dumping category with no agreed criteria; field failure lessons never reaching the FMEA.
Related clauses
Builds on ISO 9001 10.2 (see Example row) / 8.5.5
In the book
Chapter 10 — Improvement — Closing Loops for a Living treats this clause family in full: what it is really asking, what auditors look for, the evidence that satisfies, how to make it work on a real floor, and where companies stumble. This IATF requirement is covered in the Automotive Edition, in the same six blocks as the ISO clause around it.
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