AIAG-VDA FMEA-MSRs

FMEA-MSRs were added as a new, supplementary form of FMEAs with the 2019 version of AIAG-VDA FMEA Handbook.

• The “MSR” in FMEA-MSRs means “Monitoring and System Response.”
• FMEA-MSRs are intended to help maintain a safe state and a state of compliance during customer operations.
• FMEA-MSRs identify possible errors or failures that can occur under normal operating conditions.

A key focus of the analysis is to determine if the system (or the end-user) detects an error when a failure does occur and then, as important, what happens next.

• FMEA-MSRs focus on how well monitoring systems can identify faults (or failures) and how useful response systems are in maintaining a safe state and a state of regulatory compliance throughout the useful life of the product.

Use of FMEA-MSRs help ensure that safety objectives and related regulatory compliance requirements have been fully considered and met.

• While DFMEAs focus on detection (and prevention) of potential failures, FMEA-MSRs focus on the efficacy of the monitoring system.
• The intent of FMEA-MSRs is to validate that diagnostic monitoring and the corresponding system responses work as they are intended. This new type of FMEA brings the ISO 26262 functional safety standard into play.

While FMEA-MSRs are intended primarily as a supplement to DFMEAs, not every design warrants a corresponding FMEA-MSR.

• If a design does not contain active or passive monitoring and response components, there is no need to conduct an FMEA-MSR.

FMEA-MSRs are conducted using the same basic seven-step team approach as DFMEAs. However, there are a few important and significant differences in how the Focus Element is defined and how risk is evaluated; the major differences are recapped below:

• Determination of Failure Analysis (Step 4): If the component can detect (i.e. Monitor) a failure, a System Response can either fully mitigate the Effect or reduce the impact (the Severity) of the Effect.

• The Risk Evaluation Criteria: With FMEA-MSRs the Occurrence and Detection ratings are replaced with the Frequency Potential rating and the Monitoring Criteria respectively.
• The Action Priority Tables: The Action Priority Tables used to assign Priority Levels for each issue of an FMEA-MSR are different than those used for DFMEAs, however the basic methodology used to assign Priority Levels is the same.
• The format for Step 5: Risk Analysis & Step 6: Optimization: Since FMEA-MSRs use a S-F-M (Severity-Frequency-Monitoring) evaluation of risk rather than the S-O-D factors used in DFMEAs, FMEA Worksheet form used to document FMEA-MSRs is modified accordingly.

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AIAG-VDA 7-Step DFMEA Process

AIAG-VDA 7-Step PFMEA Process