How often does GM update the SQ scorecard?

Monthly for most metrics, with 12-month rolling trends. Some metrics (warranty especially) update quarterly because the underlying data takes longer to mature. The scorecard you see in March reflects production from earlier periods, not the current month.

Does the SQ scorecard apply across all GM plants or per plant?

Both. There is a supplier-level rolled rating that reflects total performance across all GM facilities you ship to, and there are plant-specific data views that plant quality teams use locally. A supplier can have a solid corporate rating while having a serious issue at one plant — and that plant-specific concern often eventually pulls down the corporate rating.

What letter rating do suppliers need to keep program access?

GM doesn't publish hard thresholds publicly, and the actual thresholds vary by commodity. Most suppliers want to maintain an 'A' or 'B' equivalent rating to stay in active sourcing consideration. 'C' ratings typically trigger supplier development intervention. 'D' ratings risk sourcing exclusion. Treat any persistent decline as a leading indicator regardless of letter.

How does the GM SQ scorecard compare to Ford Q1 or Stellantis ratings?

Conceptually similar — all three OEMs use multi-metric supplier ratings that drive sourcing decisions. The specific metrics, weights, and thresholds differ. Ford's Q1 program has stricter formal criteria. Stellantis's rating system weights warranty more heavily. The behaviors that move all three are largely the same: PPM control, fast PRR response, strong launch performance, and consistent customer engagement.

Can a quality liaison directly affect our SQ rating?

Indirectly — through the customer satisfaction metric and through faster PRR closure. A consistent plant-floor presence improves plant SQE perception of supplier responsiveness, and faster on-site corrective action verification accelerates PRR closure. Both metrics carry meaningful weight. Direct impact varies by program but is real.

We're a Tier 2 supplier — does GM see our scorecard or only our Tier 1 customer?

Tier 2 suppliers typically don't appear directly on GM's scorecard, but Tier 1 ratings are affected by Tier 2 performance, and Tier 2 issues that cause PRR events at GM plants will appear in the Tier 1's PRR data with Tier 2 attribution. Sophisticated Tier 1 customers track Tier 2 performance internally and feed it back through their own supplier rating systems.

GM SQ Scorecard 2026: 6 Metrics That Move Your Tier 1 Rating

Most Tier 1 suppliers know GM has a Supplier Quality (SQ) scorecard. Many can name two or three metrics on it — usually PPM and warranty. Few can name all six. Almost none have an internal process for systematically moving the metrics they don't obviously control. And yet the SQ scorecard drives the decisions that determine which suppliers grow with GM and which quietly lose program share over a 3-5 year period.

This article breaks down the six metrics that move the GM SQ scorecard, their realistic weights, and the specific actions that move each one. The data here reflects the current scorecard structure used at GM assembly plants including Spring Hill (Cadillac XT5, XT6, GMC Acadia, Cadillac Lyriq), Fort Wayne, Arlington, Wentzville, and others.

What the GM SQ Scorecard Actually Does

The SQ scorecard rolls up monthly into a supplier-level rating that GM uses for three primary decisions:

Sourcing reviews: Suppliers below threshold are excluded from new program quotes
Program reviews: Suppliers above threshold receive growth program consideration
Supplier development priority: Suppliers in middle ranges receive targeted intervention, often including required improvement plans

The scorecard is not just a quality team document. Plant managers reference it. Purchasing references it. The annual supplier review presented to GM leadership includes it. A 12-month trend in either direction affects every commercial conversation.

The 6 Metrics — Realistic Weights

Exact weights vary by program category (powertrain, body, interior, electrical) and supplier tier. The structure below reflects the typical weighting for Tier 1 production suppliers shipping into US/Canada/Mexico assembly plants:

Metric 1: Defective PPM (typical weight: 25-30%)

Customer-confirmed defects divided by parts shipped, measured monthly and rolled to a 12-month trend. The metric most suppliers obsess over. It is important — but it is not the only thing.

Metric 2: Warranty Performance (typical weight: 15-20%)

Warranty IPTV (Incidents Per Thousand Vehicles), warranty cost recovery exposure, and trend at 3/12/30 months in service. Often underweighted by suppliers because warranty data trails production by months, but GM tracks it carefully and it drives long-term sourcing decisions.

Metric 3: Launch Performance (typical weight: 15-20%)

PPAP first-time approval rate, on-time launch readiness, GP-12 early production containment effectiveness, and any launch-driven PRR events. Heavily weighted during program launch windows. Suppliers ignore this until it bites them.

Metric 4: Quality System Audits (typical weight: 10-15%)

Customer-led system audit results (process audits, layered process audits, quality system reviews). Maintained certifications (IATF 16949). Results from any escalated audits triggered by quality events.

Metric 5: Containment & PRR Events (typical weight: 10-15%)

Number and severity of Problem Resolution Reports issued, CS1 and CS2 entries, time to closure on PRRs, and effectiveness of corrective actions. This metric punishes suppliers twice — once for the event, again for slow recovery.

Metric 6: Customer Satisfaction / Service (typical weight: 10-15%)

Subjective and semi-quantitative input from plant quality teams, SQEs, and program management on supplier responsiveness, communication, and on-site presence. The metric most suppliers don't realize exists. The metric a quality liaison program directly improves.

How to Move Each Metric

Moving PPM

The metric most suppliers already have a plan for. The non-obvious lever: aggressive containment at the supplier dock before shipment. Suppliers that pre-screen shipments during sensitive launch windows consistently outperform suppliers that rely on process control alone. Cost is real but lower than a single PRR event.

Moving Warranty Performance

Hardest to move because the data trails production by months. Strategies that work: aggressive use of customer warranty return analysis (most suppliers don't request this systematically), early field complaint tracking through dealer networks, and proactive engineering changes when warranty trends emerge in any program. The supplier that responds to a warranty trend in month 3 prevents the 12-month rating impact.

Moving Launch Performance

First-time PPAP approval rate is the obvious target. Less obvious but equally important: GP-12 early production containment effectiveness. Suppliers that under-resource GP-12 enter launches with elevated risk, then take PRR hits in the first 60 days of production that haunt the scorecard for 12 months.

Moving Quality System Audit Results

Quarterly internal audits to the same standard GM uses externally. Read-across analysis when any single program receives a finding. Document control discipline — most audit findings are documentation issues that compound into systemic concerns.

Moving PRR Performance

Fast time-to-acknowledgment, credible 8D, and on-site customer presence during corrective action verification. PRR cycle time is heavily weighted — a supplier that closes PRRs in 30 days outperforms a supplier with the same defect count but 60-day closures.

Moving Customer Satisfaction

The metric where outside support can move the rating fastest. Plant personnel see suppliers who show up regularly, communicate proactively, and bring solutions to plant-level concerns. Suppliers without a regular plant presence rate lower on this metric regardless of PPM or warranty performance.

IDS resident liaison engagements specifically target the customer satisfaction metric by providing the consistent plant-level presence that internal supplier teams often can't maintain — especially for out-of-region or overseas Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers.

The Compounding Effect

The mistake most quality directors make is treating each metric as independent. They aren't. A PRR event affects PRR performance directly, but it also affects customer satisfaction (plant frustration), launch performance if it happens during a launch, and warranty performance if the defect mode reaches field service. One containment event during a sensitive window can knock 12 months off a scorecard.

The reverse is also true. A supplier with clean PPM, fast PRR closure, and strong customer engagement gets the benefit of doubt on edge cases. Plant SQEs don't escalate as fast. Audit findings get treated as opportunities rather than systemic concerns. The scorecard rating amplifies into the commercial relationship.

Reading Your Own Scorecard

Suppliers receive monthly SQ scorecard data from GM. Most quality teams glance at PPM and the overall letter rating. The data that matters most is rarely on the front page:

12-month trend on each metric (not just current month)
Comparison to peer group within your commodity
Specific PRR events and their open/closed status
Open audit findings and required actions
Customer satisfaction subjective scoring narrative if included

If your monthly scorecard review takes less than 30 minutes, you're missing data that's quietly driving sourcing decisions.

GM SQ Scorecard: The 6 Metrics That Actually Move Your Supplier Rating