For the construction of the CMS inner tracking detector 15,232 silicon microstrip detectors had to be produced. This large number required a fast, easy to use and cost-efficient test setup for the quality assurance at different production steps in all laboratories participating in the production of the detector modules. This article describes typical faults occurring on modules as well as the test procedures used to identify and classify them provided by the APV Readout Controller (ARC) system. To establish the final test procedures the data of more than 500 tracker endcap modules had been analysed in detail. An optimal combination of measures was found that prove to be extremely efficient in detecting and properly identifying all relevant failure modes of a detector module. Finally the quality of all modules for the CMS silicon microstrip tracker is quoted
