For the extension plate in front central channel of a car，the stamping process was analyzed. Then, the defects such as cracking, wrinkling and springback etc. during the forming process were predicted by the FE model established with Autoform software, and the causes of the defects were analyzed and the corresponding optimization scheme was given. The results show that the wrinkle defects are successfully eliminated by adjusting the blank holder force to 800 kN, adding the process supplementary molding and modifying the drawbead coefficient to 0.3. It is found that the springback value is within the controllable range through the simulation prediction of springback. Finally, the actual stamping test was carried out, and the test results are basically consistent with the predicted results, which indicates that the finite element analysis and optimization scheme in the early stage are effective, and the quality of product can be guaranteed by the optimized solution to guide production.