Analysis of warranty claim data: a literature review

Abstract

Purpose

To provide a brief survey of the literature directed towards the analysis of warranty claim data.

Design/methodology/approach

For convenience, this survey of the analysis of warranty claims data is somewhat arbitrarily be classified by topics as follows: age‐based claims analysis, aggregated warranty claims analysis, marginal counts of claims analysis, warranty claims analysis by using covariates, estimation of lifetime distribution using supplementary data, two‐dimensional warranty, warranty costs analysis, sales lag and reporting lag analysis, and forecasts of warranty claims.

Findings

Emphasis is placed on a discussion of different kinds of warranty claims data selected from reviews and on a comparison of the statistical models and methods used to analyze such data.

Research limitations/implications

Since the literature on product warranty data is vast, more work on this problem is needed.

Practical implications

This review points out why warranty claims data is important and gives a survey of the literature pertaining to the analysis of such data. The emphasis is on the analysis of minimal databases of real warranty data, constructed by combining information from different sources, which can be collected economically and efficiently through service networks. The research is applicable for those responsible for product reliability, product design decisions and warranty management in manufacturing industries.

Originality/value

The paper reviews different statistical models and methods used to analyze warranty claims data. The statistical models and methods presented are be valuable and meaningful tools for product reliability and warranty management and analysis.

Citation

Karim, R. and Suzuki, K. (2005), "Analysis of warranty claim data: a literature review", International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 22 No. 7, pp. 667-686. https://doi.org/10.1108/02656710510610820