ISO 26262-4-2018 PDF

Full title and description

ISO 26262-4:2018 — Road vehicles — Functional safety — Part 4: Product development at the system level. This part of ISO 26262 specifies requirements and recommendations for system-level product development activities including initiation of system development, specification of technical safety requirements, technical safety concept, system architectural design, item integration and testing, and safety validation for automotive E/E safety-related systems.

Abstract

ISO 26262-4:2018 provides a framework and specific requirements to ensure functional safety for safety‑related electrical/electronic (E/E) systems installed in series-production road vehicles (excluding mopeds). It focuses on hazards arising from malfunctioning behaviour of E/E systems (including their interactions) and describes system-level requirements from technical safety concept through safety validation. The document also addresses tailoring for existing systems, integration of systems developed to different processes, and adaptation for vehicle categories.

General information

• Status: Published / Current edition (2nd edition).
• Publication date: 17 December 2018 (ISO 26262 — second edition published December 2018).
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
• ICS / categories: 43.040.10 (Electrical and electronic equipment for road vehicles).
• Edition / version: Edition 2 (2018) — ISO 26262 second edition (2018).
• Number of pages: 34 pages (official ISO publication).

Scope

This part specifies requirements for product development at the system level for automotive applications that include one or more safety‑related E/E systems installed in series‑production road vehicles (excluding mopeds). It addresses initiation of system‑level development, specification of technical safety requirements, technical safety concept, system architectural design, item integration and testing, and safety validation. It does not cover hazards not caused by E/E malfunction (for example, electric shock, fire, chemical hazards) unless those hazards are directly caused by the malfunctioning behaviour of E/E systems.

Key topics and requirements

• Initiation and planning of product development at the system level, including objectives and required inputs.
• Specification of technical safety requirements derived from safety goals and the functional safety concept (ASIL considerations and ASIL‑dependent requirements).
• Development of the technical safety concept and allocation of safety requirements to system elements and safety mechanisms.
• System architectural design, including architectural metrics, redundancy, fault tolerance and decomposition to support ASIL objectives.
• Item integration and system-level verification and testing to demonstrate that technical safety requirements are met.
• Safety validation: confirming that the implemented system achieves the intended level of risk reduction in the vehicle context.
• Guidance on tailoring the safety lifecycle for existing or legacy systems and on interactions between systems.

Typical use and users

Used by automotive OEMs, Tier‑1 suppliers, system and safety engineers, functional safety managers, verification and validation teams, and independent assessors. Typical activities include translating safety goals into system requirements, designing system architectures to meet ASIL targets, planning and executing system integration tests, and preparing evidence for functional safety assessments and product release.

Related standards

ISO 26262-4:2018 is one part of the ISO 26262 series (second edition, 2018) covering functional safety for road vehicles (other parts include Parts 1 through 10 addressing vocabulary, management, concept phase, hardware, software, production/operation, supporting processes, etc.). It is commonly used alongside ISO 21448 (SOTIF — Safety of the Intended Functionality) which addresses hazards from functional insufficiencies and perception/algorithm limitations and complements ISO 26262 for ADAS and automated driving functions. It is also conceptually related to the broader functional‑safety family such as IEC 61508 for general E/E safety principles.

Keywords

Functional safety; ISO 26262; system-level development; technical safety requirements; technical safety concept; ASIL; system architecture; item integration; safety validation; automotive E/E systems; SOTIF.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO 26262-4:2018 is Part 4 of the ISO 26262 series and defines requirements for product development at the system level for safety‑related electrical/electronic systems in road vehicles.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers system‑level activities from initiation of development through specification of technical safety requirements, technical safety concept, system architectural design, item integration and system testing, to safety validation and product release; it addresses ASIL‑dependent requirements and tailoring for existing systems.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Automotive OEMs, Tier‑1 suppliers, system and safety engineers, verification/validation teams, and functional safety assessors use this part to design, integrate and validate system‑level safety for E/E items.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The 2018 second edition (published 17 December 2018) is the current edition of Part 4; it replaced the withdrawn 2011 first edition. The ISO 26262 family and related documents are subject to periodic review and revision.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — ISO 26262 is a multi‑part standard for automotive functional safety. The 2018 second edition comprises multiple parts (Parts 1–10 in the main 2018 publication set), and Part 4 is the system‑level product development part.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Functional safety, ASIL, technical safety concept, system architecture, item integration, safety validation, automotive E/E systems, ISO 26262, SOTIF.