Not a New Standard, But a New Audit Reality: Updated SIs of the IATF 16949 available

Current Sanctioned Interpretations of the IATF: What SI 23 and SI 27–30 really mean for companies

With the publication of the revised SI 23 and the new Sanctioned Interpretations SI 27 to SI 30 at the end of 2025, the International Automotive Task Force once again clarified that the interpretation of IATF 16949 continues to evolve. Even though no new edition of the standard has been published, these Sanctioned Interpretations directly change audit and assessment practices – and therefore the requirements for certified organizations.

Sanctioned Interpretations are more than simple clarifications: they change the binding interpretation of existing requirements and can directly become the basis for nonconformities.

IATF 16949 – SI 23 (revised): Material compliance finally moves into focus

The revised SI 23 refers to section 4.4.1.1 – Conformance of products and processes of IATF 16949. In terms of content, it clarifies that conformity of all products and processes explicitly also includes compliance with material-related statutory and regulatory requirements.

Two key aspects are essential here:

• Material compliance is not a new requirement, but it’s now significantly in focus at the audits;
• The requirement applies equally to production parts and replacement parts.

With this, the IATF responds to increasing regulatory requirements (e.g. REACH, RoHS, IMDS, national chemicals and environmental legislation) and to audit experience where material-related topics were often not covered sufficiently in a systematic manner.

Impact on organizations:

Organizations must ensure that material compliance is systematically embedded in the QMS – for example through clear responsibilities, supplier requirements, traceability chains, and risk assessments. A purely operational or “incidental” approach will no longer be sufficient in the future.

IATF 16949- SI 27 & SI 28: Alignment of Foreword and Scope with the Rules 6th Edition

The new SI 27 (Foreword) and SI 28 (Scope) primarily serve linguistic alignment – however, they also have relevant content-related consequences. Both Sanctioned Interpretations clearly emphasize the alignment of IATF 16949 with the Rules for achieving and maintaining IATF Recognition, 6th Edition.

Particularly important is the emphasis that IATF 16949 is not a stand-alone QMS standard, but an automotive supplement to ISO 9001:2015. In addition, the scope is clearly specified as:

• automotive manufacturing sites;
• customer-specified production, replacement and accessory parts.

Impact on organizations:

These clarifications are especially relevant for scope definitions, multi-site structures, and the delimitation of non-automotive activities. Missing or unclear scope justifications may more easily lead to nonconformities in the future, as auditors explicitly refer to the Rules 6th Edition.

IATF 16949 – SI 29: New terminology with practical impact

With SI 29, several key terms in section 3.1 – Terms and definitions were revised or restructured, including:

• automotive customer & products – New: Automotive Products are customer-specified production parts, OEM-approved accessory parts, as well as replacement parts and materials for vehicles.
• manufacturing of replacement parts – Changed: instead of service parts
• replacement parts and materials – New: Replacement parts and materials are parts and materials used for repair and maintenance of automotive vehicles, including service, aftermarket, and remanufactured parts.

These definitions are now fully aligned with the Rules 6th Edition and ensure a clearer distinction between OEM-approved service parts, accessory parts, and aftermarket products.

SI 29 did not redefine the term service part, but integrated it into the overarching term replacement parts and materials. IATF relevance does not result from the definition itself, but from the Scope, Foreword, and the Rules 6th Edition.

Impact on organizations:

These changes directly affect certification eligibility, the applicable scope of the standard, and supplier classification. Organizations must verify which products actually fall within the IATF scope – especially when dealing with mixed portfolios of production, service, and aftermarket parts.