A process control system includes a plurality of input/output (I/O) devices and a controller in communication using a bus. Each I/O device has an interface for communicatively linking the I/O device with the bus, and includes a device processor which, upon detection of a potential I/O device fault, severs the communication link provided by the interface with the bus to thereby remove the I/O device from the bus and to prevent the I/O device from keeping other I/O devices on the bus from communicating over the bus.