Post-Audit CAR Tracker Excel Template | Corrective Action Register with 5-Phase Execution, Auto-Status - Live KPI Dashboard | iatf ISO 9001

Drive every CAR to closure.

A corrective-action register that runs every CAR through a disciplined five-phase lifecycle — Containment → Root Cause → Corrective Action → Implementation → Effectiveness Verification — and tracks each one automatically from open to closure. Fill in a date as each phase completes and the workbook calculates the CAR ID, % complete, status, and days open, flags overdue CARs, detects phase bottlenecks, and rolls everything up into a live dashboard.

Auto-everything

Enter the open date and the CAR ID auto-generates (CAR-001, CAR-002…). As you fill in each phase-completion date, % Complete updates live (filled phase dates ÷ 5) and the Status auto-flips — Open → Active → Overdue → Closed — driven by your dates. Days Open counts automatically. A Linked Finding field cross-references the source finding ID from the QA-F-260 Audit Findings Log for full traceability.

Five gated phases, IATF 10.2 aligned

Every CAR runs through five phases, each with an editable target window:

Phase 1 — Containment (5 days): stop the bleeding; photo / interim WI
Phase 2 — Root Cause (14 days): 5-Why / Fishbone / 8D; RCA documented
Phase 3 — Corrective Action (21 days): define the fix; plan + owner agreed
Phase 4 — Implementation (45 days): execute the action; evidence captured
Phase 5 — Effectiveness Verify (90 days): 60–90 day re-check; effectiveness proven

Target days are editable in Settings to match your QMS response windows.

Phase bottleneck analysis

The Phase Analysis tab auto-counts how many CARs are waiting in each phase and flags each as OK, NORMAL, or BOTTLENECK — so you can see exactly where CARs are stuck before your next audit. It also runs phase-gate compliance checks that detect out-of-sequence completion (e.g. a corrective action defined before root cause is done), and shows active CAR load by severity so Major NCs get priority.

Live KPI dashboard with a diagnostic engine

The Dashboard auto-calculates total CARs, overdue count, average % complete, and average days open, with breakdowns by phase, severity, status, and an aging bucket. A built-in diagnostic engine runs five live checks — overdue CARs, open Major NCs, CARs missing containment, CARs stuck over 14 days in RCA, closed CARs missing implementation — and tells you what to fix.

Worked example included

Six CARs from a real post-IATF surveillance audit response — closed, active, and overdue — each linked to a source finding and worked through all five phases, so you can see exactly how to fill it out.

What's inside (6 tabs)
Settings — org info, six dropdown lookup lists, and editable 5-phase target days
CAR Register — the 30-row tracker with 18 fields and auto-everything
Phase Analysis — bottleneck detection and phase-gate compliance
Dashboard — live KPI roll-up with the diagnostic engine
Worked Example — six CARs from a real post-IATF audit
Instructions — tab map, 5-phase workflow, and field-by-field definitions
Details
Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) — no macros, no plugins
Works with Excel 2016, 2019, 2021 and Microsoft 365
Pairs with the QA-F-260 Audit Findings Log for a complete audit-response system
Built for IATF 16949 and ISO 9001 corrective-action management
Instant digital download

Built by a quality practitioner for quality practitioners — quality managers, CAR program owners, CAR team leads, process owners, and internal auditors. Standards referenced for informational alignment only — not a certification.