Failure Mode and Effect Analysis in Automotive Industry: A Case Study

Nowadays, Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) is more present in any standard evaluation of a product or process. In automotive industry, the IEC 61508 Standard adapted the ISO 26262 restrictions for Electrical and Electronic Devices. Conducting an FMEA reduces the costs by focusing on preventing failures, improving safety and increasing customer satisfaction. This paper presents a case study of a FMEA on a CAN (Controller Area Network) Bus Harness considering the entire process from defining the scope and building the team, to the action plan that will reduce the Risk Priority Number below the acceptable risk value. Also, the brainstorming that identifies the possible failure modes is presented.