Very interesting. As a consultant I have taught Ford's Global 8 Discipline Problem Solving to a lot of organizations outside of the automotive industry. This type of problem solving has a heavy emphasis on early defect identification, followed by root cause and isolation from the customer (Acura). So it sounds like a process change was the culprit in an otherwise acceptable product. No doubt this part is still used in our Cars but the change in processing was limited and the supplier was able to identify all the parts shipped to Acura or another system integrator. While the general public complains about quality in the automotive industry, my experience has been they do an excellent job in comparison to other industries especially when cost is considered. In Aerospace, everyone checks the product so many times that it is rare that a defect gets through the system. The cost of checking however jacks up the overall cost significantly.
