An NCR (nonconformance report) records a problem with a product or process and decides what happens to the affected product. A CAR (corrective action request) goes after the cause so it does not happen again. Every nonconformance gets an NCR. Only the ones that matter, repeat, or reach the customer get a CAR. When they do, the CAR carries the NCR number so the trail connects.
The short version
| NCR | CAR | |
|---|---|---|
| Answers | What is wrong, and what happens to the product? | Why did it happen, and how do we stop it? |
| Triggered by | Any nonconformance found | A nonconformance that is serious, repeating, customer reported, or from an audit |
| Main contents | Part, lot, quantity, the requirement, what was found, disposition | Problem statement, containment, root cause, actions, effectiveness check |
| Closed when | The product is dispositioned and the records are complete | The cause is removed and the data shows it stayed gone |
| Typical owner | Inspection or quality | The process owner, with quality |
| Usual speed | Same day | Weeks, because proof takes time |
When an NCR should become a CAR
- It reached the customer. Any escape is at least two failures, so it needs a cause found.
- It has happened before. Two NCRs for the same defect on the same part is a pattern, not bad luck.
- It affects safety, fit or function. Special characteristics get a CAR even on the first occurrence.
- It came from an audit. Audit findings need corrective action by definition.
- Your procedure says so. Write the triggers down so the decision is not made case by case.
Example
Receiving finds 14 brackets with a burr on one edge. The NCR records the part, lot, quantity, the drawing note it breaks, and the disposition: sort and rework the 14, use the rest. It closes the same day. Two weeks later the same burr shows up on the next lot. That second NCR triggers a CAR, which finds a worn deburr tool at the supplier and closes only after three clean lots in a row.
Your company may call these something else: NCMR, DMR, NCR, CAPA, 8D. The split between recording the problem and removing the cause is the same.