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My wife and I purchased a new car this year. The employee handling the closing paperwork gave a compelling presentation concerning the extended warranty, which we also purchased. His presentation included a litany of high-tech components and even higher-tech systems that could and sometimes do go haywire—and the potential price of repairs. Having personal experience with a faulty GM ignition switch issue, we were all too happy to sign up for extended warranty coverage. But what does this have to do with the newborn IATF 16949:2016 standard?

Well, maybe nothing, but the auto industry’s continuing struggle to balance innovation, affordability, and safety, just might give some context to a standard that is written by an organization comprised of subscribing automotive manufacturers. Manufacturers that install ignition switches, seatbelts, and airbags for instance. Manufacturers that now install electronics rivaling anything NASA ever used. And do so at a price even my wife and I can afford. Is the IATF reacting to a solid 10-year struggle with safety recalls?

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