A vehicle is comprised of up to 20,000 separate components and roughly one million possible interactions between components, making the avoidance of all defects challenging (Liker et al., 1996). A vehicle recall is necessary when a vehicle does not comply with safety regulations and contains a defect (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2017). The current study analysed 345 passenger vehicle recalls that were reported to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Each recall lists the vehicle manufacturer, affected products, potential number of units affected, defective component, description of defect or non-compliance, chronology of events, remedy program, and any corresponding investigation, among other pertinent information. Classification schemes were developed to classify the defective components and causes of recall into useful categories.

Cramer’s V and Phi coefficient analyses were applied to identify significant associations between defective components and causes of recall for preventing future recurrence of recalls and improving vehicle quality. The following significant associations revealed the most probable cause of recall for each defective component: air bags were significantly associated with software defect, material selection failure, and stitching defect; software defect was the primary cause of recall for electrical systems as well as for wheels and tires; material selection failure was the cause of recall for fuel systems; wheels and tires were associated with instrument error; equipment was associated with mislabelling; fabrication defect was the primary cause of recall for engine, engine cooling, suspension and power train; mechanical joining defect was the primary cause of recall for power train and steering; misplacement defect was the primary cause of recall for steering, parking and braking while parking and braking were also associated with damaged during installation; visibility was associated with adhesion bonding and sealing defects; vehicle speed control was associated with component design defect; and seating was associated with metal joining defect and stitching defect. The current study demonstrated that defect analysis can be applied to improve the design and manufacturing process for a vehicle, and such defect analysis can be generalized to other products or manufacturing processes.

A vehicle is comprised of up to 20,000 separate components and roughly one million possible interactions between components, making the avoidance of all defects challenging (Liker et al., 1996). A vehicle recall is necessary when a vehicle does not comply with safety regulations and contains a defect (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2017). The current study analysed 345 passenger vehicle recalls that were reported to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Each recall lists the vehicle manufacturer, affected products, potential number of units affected, defective component, description of defect or non-compliance, chronology of events, remedy program, and any corresponding investigation, among other pertinent information. Classification schemes were developed to classify the defective components and causes of recall into useful categories.

Cramer’s V and Phi coefficient analyses were applied to identify significant associations between defective components and causes of recall for preventing future recurrence of recalls and improving vehicle quality. The following significant associations revealed the most probable cause of recall for each defective component: air bags were significantly associated with software defect, material selection failure, and stitching defect; software defect was the primary cause of recall for electrical systems as well as for wheels and tires; material selection failure was the cause of recall for fuel systems; wheels and tires were associated with instrument error; equipment was associated with mislabelling; fabrication defect was the primary cause of recall for engine, engine cooling, suspension and power train; mechanical joining defect was the primary cause of recall for power train and steering; misplacement defect was the primary cause of recall for steering, parking and braking while parking and braking were also associated with damaged during installation; visibility was associated with adhesion bonding and sealing defects; vehicle speed control was associated with component design defect; and seating was associated with metal joining defect and stitching defect. The current study demonstrated that defect analysis can be applied to improve the design and manufacturing process for a vehicle, and such defect analysis can be generalized to other products or manufacturing processes.

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