VDA 6.3 process audits are mandatory in the German automotive supply chain and are increasingly required by non-German OEMs including Stellantis, Renault and major Asian manufacturers. An unprepared organisation that does not understand what a process auditor is assessing — and how the scoring methodology works — will consistently underperform its actual quality capability in assessment. This article explains exactly what happens in a VDA 6.3 audit, how the scoring works, and what the seven most common failures look like in practice.
Why VDA 6.3 Is Not Just a German Automotive Requirement
VDA 6.3 originated in the German automotive supply chain — developed by the Verband der Automobilindustrie as a process audit standard for suppliers to German OEMs including Volkswagen Group, BMW Group, Mercedes-Benz Group and their Tier 1 suppliers. If your organisation supplies into the German automotive supply chain, VDA 6.3 process audits are a routine part of your customer relationship.
What has changed in 2024–2026 is the scope of who requires them. Stellantis has adopted VDA 6.3 as a standard supplier audit methodology across its global supplier base. Several Tier 1 suppliers to Asian OEMs operating European plants — including Toyota, Honda and Hyundai's European manufacturing operations — now require VDA 6.3 assessments as part of their supplier approval process. And the AIAG-VDA FMEA standard, which converges American and German automotive quality approaches, has brought VDA methodology into supply chains that previously only engaged with AIAG standards.
For automotive component and system suppliers, VDA 6.3 process audit readiness is no longer a German market question. It is a global automotive supply chain question.
What a VDA 6.3 Auditor Is Actually Assessing
The single most important thing to understand about VDA 6.3 is that it is a process audit — not a system audit and not a product audit. An IATF 16949 audit assesses your quality management system. A VDA 6.3 process audit assesses a specific production process from end to end, tracing a product or product family through every stage from order receipt to customer delivery. The auditor is assessing whether your process is capable of consistently producing conforming product — not whether your procedures are documented.
The seven process elements (P1–P7)
VDA 6.3 Third Edition organises the audit into seven process elements, each covering a distinct phase of the product and process lifecycle:
- P1 — Potential analysis. Assessed during supplier selection. Can your organisation demonstrably manage a new project from award to serial release? Project management capability, risk assessment and resource planning are assessed here.
- P2 — Project management. How new products and processes are planned, resourced, and controlled from nomination to Start of Production. APQP milestone management, cross-functional team effectiveness, and risk identification are central to this element.
- P3 — Planning product and process development. The technical planning of the manufacturing process — process flow, FMEA, control plan, measurement system analysis, special characteristics identification and control.
- P4 — Implementation of product and process development. Validation of the planned process — that the manufacturing equipment, tools, gauges, personnel and environment are capable of producing the product to specification before serial production begins.
- P5 — Supplier management. How you manage the supply of materials, components and services that feed the audited process. Supplier qualification, incoming inspection, and supply chain risk management.
- P6 — Process analysis / serial production. The core of most process audits. Assesses the serial production process itself — process controls, in-process inspection, reaction plans, deviation management, equipment maintenance, and process stability data.
- P7 — Customer service / satisfaction / warranty. How your organisation manages customer complaints, warranty claims, field returns and continuous improvement driven by customer feedback.
How the scoring works
Each question in the VDA 6.3 catalogue is scored 0, 4, 6, 8 or 10 — with 10 being fully conforming, 8 largely conforming with minor gaps, 6 partially conforming, 4 mostly non-conforming, and 0 a complete absence of the required element or a safety-critical finding. Questions with a * designation are safety-critical — a score of 0 on any starred question automatically limits the overall element score to a maximum of 0%, regardless of how well all other questions in that element are answered.
The overall process capability rating is: A (capable) = ≥90%; B (conditionally capable) = 75–89%; C (not capable) = below 75%. A C-rating triggers mandatory corrective action and typically results in customer development status — enhanced oversight, mandatory reporting, and potential supply volume restrictions until capability is demonstrated.
The most damaging VDA 6.3 finding is not a low score on a routine question. It is a zero on a starred question — because it caps the entire element at zero regardless of everything else you have done correctly. Most organisations that experience this were not aware the starred question existed, or did not understand its implications.
How to Prepare for a VDA 6.3 Process Audit
- Identify which process elements will be audited and obtain the correct question catalogue. VDA 6.3 Third Edition (2023) introduced significant changes to the question catalogue. If your preparation materials or internal audit tools are based on the Second Edition, you are preparing against the wrong standard. Confirm with your customer which edition applies and obtain the official VDA 6.3 questionnaire for that edition.
- Select the process to be audited and map it completely. The auditor will walk the process physically — from incoming material to outgoing product. Before the audit, map every step of the process: material flow, information flow, inspection points, decision points, and interfaces with other processes. Gaps in your process map are gaps the auditor will find.
- Identify all starred questions applicable to your process and verify compliance. Work through every starred question in the P6 (and relevant other element) catalogue for your process. Starred questions carry zero tolerance. If you cannot demonstrate full compliance with a starred question, this is your highest priority remediation item — above any other preparation activity.
- Prepare your process FMEA, control plan and process flow for audit review. These three documents are foundational to the P3, P4 and P6 assessment. They must be current, consistent with each other, and consistent with what actually happens on the production floor. An FMEA that identifies a special characteristic that is not in the control plan, or a control plan inspection step that is not performed in practice, is a finding that is immediately visible to a trained VDA auditor.
- Conduct a pre-audit internal VDA 6.3 process audit. Use the actual VDA 6.3 questionnaire — not an internal equivalent — to assess the process against all applicable questions. Score it honestly. Use the results to identify remediation priorities, not to generate a reassuring internal score.
- Prepare your process operators and team leaders. VDA 6.3 auditors interview operators during the audit — not just quality managers and supervisors. Operators should be able to explain: what they do at their workstation, what the special characteristics for their operation are and why they matter, what the reaction plan is if they find nonconforming product, and when they last received training on their work instruction. Operators who cannot answer these questions generate findings regardless of how well-prepared the quality documentation is.
- Verify process stability data is available and being actively used. SPC charts, Cpk data, and process monitoring records for special characteristics must be available, current, and consistent with the control plan monitoring frequency. Process stability data that exists but is not being reviewed and acted upon is a finding — the question assesses whether the monitoring drives process improvement, not merely whether charts are being produced.
The Seven Most Common VDA 6.3 Failures
| Failure | Process Element | Typical Score Impact |
|---|---|---|
| FMEA, control plan and process flow are inconsistent with each other | P3 / P6 | 4–6 on multiple questions; potential starred question finding |
| Special characteristics not controlled as specified in the control plan | P6 | 0 on starred question — caps element at 0% |
| Operators cannot explain their reaction plan for nonconforming product | P6 | 4–6 on operator competence questions |
| Process stability data exists but is not being reviewed or driving improvement | P6 | 4–6 on SPC/monitoring questions |
| Incoming inspection records do not exist or do not match control plan requirements | P5 | 4–6 on supplier management questions |
| Equipment maintenance records are incomplete or do not demonstrate preventive maintenance is being performed | P6 | 4–8 depending on evidence completeness |
| Deviation and nonconformance management — scrapped or reworked product not formally documented | P6 | 0–4 on nonconformance management; potential starred finding if safety-critical |
Frequently Asked Questions
How AjaCertX Helps
AjaCertX delivers VDA 6.3 process audit preparation, pre-audit assessments, corrective action support and IATF 16949 certification programmes for automotive component and system suppliers across Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 supply chains. Our Automotive Assurance practice combines deep VDA methodology expertise with practical manufacturing process knowledge.
- VDA 6.3 pre-audit assessment using the current Third Edition question catalogue
- Process audit preparation — FMEA review, control plan alignment, operator preparation
- Starred question identification and compliance verification
- Corrective action plan development for B and C audit outcomes
- IATF 16949 gap assessment and certification support
- Core tools training — APQP, FMEA, PPAP, SPC, MSA
- Customer-specific requirement (CSR) gap assessment for VW Group, BMW Group, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis
Automotive assurance specialists. Pre-audit assessment and proposal within 48 hours.
Conclusion
VDA 6.3 process audits assess process capability, not documentation quality. An organisation with excellent procedures and a poorly controlled production process will score worse than an organisation with lean documentation and a genuinely capable, consistently controlled process. The preparation that matters is the preparation that addresses what auditors actually assess: special characteristic control, process stability monitoring, operator competence, and the consistency between what the control plan specifies and what the process actually does.
Understanding the scoring methodology — particularly the zero-tolerance starred questions — and conducting a rigorous internal pre-audit against the actual question catalogue are the two most valuable preparation activities available. Everything else follows from knowing honestly where you stand before the customer's auditor arrives.