Failure

A condition where a machine or component is no longer able to perform its intended function. (Examples: An undesirable machine condition requiring maintenance resources to restore functionality; a breakdown or decline in machine performance, or an occasion when a machine stops working or stops working adequately.) Failure is an event, while fault is a state.

See also Announced Failure; Correlated Failure; Failure Characteristics; Failure Consequences; Functional Failure; Patterns Of Failure; Primary Failure; Run-To-Failure; Unannounced Failure.