The automotive recall is costly. In time, money, reputation and even in market trust. In the automotive sector, where the complexity of products increases every year, preventing failures is no longer a differential and has become a matter of survival.
Did you know that in 2024 alone, more than 10 million vehicles were recalled in Brazil and the United States for failures due to the quality of parts or processes? Most of these problems could have been identified in the development phase, if there had been more effective risk management connected with the engineering, production and quality teams.
1. What actually causes a recall?
Contrary to what many people think, the recall is rarely caused by a big mistake. Most of the time, it arises from small untreated deviations, communication failures between areas, or poorly controlled changes in the project or production process. The problem is that, when it reaches the end customer, the cost is already much higher.
2. The role of risk analysis (FMEA) in prevention
FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis) is one of the most effective tools for mapping risks before they become actual failures. But to work well, it needs to:
- Be collaborative between areas (engineering, production, quality)
- Be updated whenever there is a change in the project or process
- Generate concrete action plans, with those responsible, deadlines and verification of effectiveness
With ISOQualitas PLM, FMEA is digital, traceable, and integrated into the project, with automatic alerts and complete history of decisions, while assuring the product quality and full compliance to IATF-16949 standard.
3. Smart corrective actions: rapid and structured response
Spotted a problem? How your company responds can determine whether it will be resolved internally or become a recall.
The ISOQualitas’ CAPA /Global 8D modules allow you to:
- Identify the problem, record and classify the severity and occurrence, using 5W2H and Is/Is Not tools.
- Apply immediate containment measures to protect the customer.
- Identify the root cause with tools like Ishikawa Diagram and 5 Whys.
- Plan corrective and preventive actions with those responsible and defined deadlines
- Validate effectiveness and maintain track record for audits
4. How technology reduces the risk of failures
- Full traceability: know where each part, batch and the supplier(s) is/are involved
- Cross-functional integration: eliminate miscommunication and disconnected decisions
- Automatic alerts: Get ahead of critical deviations with quick, recorded actions
- Continuous improvement: Turn every failure into a lesson learned for the process
Recalls aren’t just quality issues; They’re symptoms of poorly connected processes and ignored risks. With a preventive, data-driven approach and cross-functional collaboration, it is possible to drastically reduce the chance of failure reaching the customer. ISOQualitas PLM gives you all the tools you need to anticipate risk, act smart, and protect what is most valuable: trust in your product.
Avoiding a recall starts even before the first part is produced. And with ISOQualitas, you have full control of this process.
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