The present invention provides a process for producing a craze resistant plastic article. The process includes steps of exposing a substrate surface to a plasma gas formed by introducing a gas mixture containing oxygen and an organosilicon monomer into a plasma chamber to deposit a polymer coating that adheres to the surface of the substrate. An innermost region of the coating adjacent the surface of the substrate is deposited with a ratio of organosilicon monomer to oxygen in the gas mixture that is greater than or equal to 1. An outermost region of the coating is deposited with a ratio of organosilicon monomer to oxygen in the gas mixture that is less than 1. The ratio of organosilicon monomer to oxygen in the plasma gas is altered progressively over time between deposition of the innermost and outermost regions to form a graded coating.