ISO 26262-7:2018

Overview

ISO 26262-7:2018 - "Road vehicles - Functional safety - Part 7: Production, operation, service and decommissioning" defines requirements for the post-development phases of safety-related electrical/electronic (E/E) systems in series-production road vehicles (excluding mopeds and certain unique special-vehicle systems). It supplies a practical framework to integrate functional safety activities into company-specific processes covering planning, production, operation, maintenance (service) and end-of-life (decommissioning). The part focuses on hazards caused by malfunctioning behavior of E/E systems (including interactions) and complements other parts of the ISO 26262 series.

Key topics and requirements

• Planning: requirements for planning production, pre-production and operation/service/decommissioning activities, including inputs, prerequisites and expected work products.
• Production: production-phase measures to ensure that systems released for series production meet functional safety requirements.
• Operation, service and decommissioning: measures to manage safety during vehicle operation, maintenance, repair, modifications and at end-of-life.
• ASIL-dependent requirements: application of Automotive Safety Integrity Levels (ASILs) to determine applicable measures and rigor.
• Tailoring and integration: guidance for tailoring the safety lifecycle when integrating existing systems not originally developed to ISO 26262 or when altering production-released systems.
• Work products and documentation: definition of necessary deliverables and evidence to demonstrate compliance in production and field phases.
• Scope and exclusions: clarifies exclusions (e.g., hazards like fire or toxicity unless directly caused by E/E malfunction) and exemptions for systems released or under development prior to the publication date.
• Annex A: informative overview of objectives, prerequisites and document flow for these lifecycle phases.

Practical applications

• Ensures continuity of functional safety from product development into manufacturing and real-world use.
• Forms the basis for production control plans, service procedures, in-field monitoring and decommissioning strategies for E/E safety systems.
• Guides change management and risk assessment when altering or integrating existing E/E systems post-release.

Who should use this standard

• Automotive OEMs and Tier‑1/Tier‑2 suppliers involved in safety-related E/E systems
• Functional safety managers and safety engineers implementing ISO 26262 compliance across the vehicle lifecycle
• Production engineers, quality assurance, service/maintenance organizations and change-control teams responsible for safety evidence and documentation
• Regulators and auditors assessing lifecycle conformity to automotive functional safety requirements

Related standards

• ISO 26262 (other parts): Parts 1–6, 8–9 are directly related (vocabulary, management, concept, system/hardware/software development, supporting processes and ASIL guidance). Use ISO 26262-7:2018 together with the broader ISO 26262 series for full functional safety lifecycle coverage.

Keywords: ISO 26262-7:2018, functional safety, production, operation, service, decommissioning, automotive E/E systems, ASIL, safety lifecycle, ISO 26262.