Suspect, reworked & repaired product (IATF only)
Plain-language summary
Suspect product is treated as nonconforming until proven otherwise; rework and repair follow risk-assessed, documented processes with customer approval where required, full traceability, and disposition records.
What the clause is really asking
Suspect/unidentified-status product gets classified and controlled as nonconforming. Rework: customer-required approvals obeyed, risk assessment (FMEA-aligned) before the decision, documented confirmation process for re-verification, disposition records retained. Repair (product not brought back to spec but made acceptable): customer authorisation mandatory before repair, same documentation discipline.
What auditors look for
Auditors test the rework station: documented rework instructions? Re-verification to original criteria? Traceability of reworked units? For repair, the customer authorisation comes first or the finding is immediate. Suspect product handling after sorting events gets sampled.
Typical evidence
Rework/repair instructions with risk assessments; customer approvals; re-verification records; rework/repair traceability logs.
How to comply — recommendations
Treat rework as a process like any other: instruction, trained people, verification, records — never an unrecorded bench in the corner. Burn the distinction into the team: rework restores spec, repair does not and ALWAYS needs the customer's yes first.
Common nonconformities
Informal rework benches with no instructions or records; repair confused with rework and done without authorisation; reworked product untraceable; sorted 'good' product with no record of sort criteria.
Related clauses
Builds on ISO 9001 8.7
In the book
Chapter 8 — Operation — Where the Product Is Won or Lost 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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Qlause provides interpretive guidance only and is not a substitute for the standard. Refer to your licensed copy of the relevant standard for the authoritative text.