Incident: Hoverboard Batteries Catching Fire Incident.

Published Date: 2016-01-13

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident with the hoverboard catching fire happened in January 2016. [39696]
System 1. Hoverboards with internal batteries [39696]
Responsible Organization 1. The internal batteries inside the hoverboard were responsible for causing the software failure incident [39696].
Impacted Organization 1. Consumers who purchased the hoverboards were impacted by the software failure incident as there were reports of batteries catching fire during usage [39696].
Software Causes Unknown
Non-software Causes 1. Overheating batteries leading to fire incidents [39696] 2. Potential manufacturing defects in the hoverboard design or components [39696]
Impacts 1. The software failure incident of hoverboards catching fire due to battery issues led to safety concerns and potential hazards for users, as seen in various reports of hoverboard-caused house fires in Australia and investigations in the US [39696].
Preventions 1. Ensuring proper quality control and testing procedures during the manufacturing process to detect any potential issues with the internal batteries [39696]. 2. Implementing stricter safety regulations and standards for the production of hoverboards to prevent incidents like fires caused by faulty batteries [39696].
Fixes 1. Implementing better battery management systems to prevent overheating and potential fires in hoverboards [39696].
References 1. BuleBritish's YouTube video [39696]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization, multiple_organization (a) The software failure incident related to hoverboards catching fire has happened again with the same product, as mentioned in the article. There have been reports of hoverboards catching fire in various incidents, including a house fire in Australia and at least a dozen hoverboard fire investigations in the US [39696]. This indicates a recurring issue with the internal batteries of hoverboards, leading to the software failure incident of catching fire. (b) The software failure incident related to hoverboards catching fire has also occurred with products from multiple organizations, as there are reports of hoverboards catching fire in different incidents involving various brands and manufacturers. This suggests that the issue of hoverboards catching fire is not limited to a single organization but is a widespread problem across the industry [39696].
Phase (Design/Operation) unknown <Article 39696> does not specifically mention a software failure incident related to the development phases of design or operation. The article focuses on hoverboards catching fire due to issues with the internal batteries, rather than software-related failures in the design or operation phases. Therefore, the information needed to answer the question is unknown based on this article.
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system The software failure incident related to the hoverboard catching fire is primarily within_system. The articles mention that the issue with the hoverboards catching fire seems to stem from the internal batteries [39696]. This indicates that the failure is originating from within the system itself, specifically related to the batteries used in the hoverboards.
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident related to non-human actions in this case is the hoverboard catching fire due to issues with the internal batteries. The incident with the hoverboard catching fire seems to stem from the internal batteries, indicating a failure caused by factors introduced without human participation [39696].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware (a) The software failure incident in the article is related to hardware issues. The incident involves self-balancing scooters, popularly known as hoverboards, catching fire due to problems with the internal batteries. The article mentions reports of hoverboards catching fire, with the issue seeming to stem from the internal batteries, which are hardware components [39696].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious The software failure incident described in the article about hoverboards catching fire is non-malicious. The incidents of hoverboards catching fire are attributed to issues with the internal batteries, which points to a non-malicious failure caused by a design or manufacturing flaw rather than intentional harm by humans [39696].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) unknown The software failure incident described in the article about the hoverboard catching fire ([39696]) does not directly relate to software failure caused by poor or accidental decisions. Instead, the incident is attributed to the internal batteries of the hoverboard catching fire, leading to the device malfunctioning and causing a fire hazard.
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental (a) The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to development incompetence. (b) The software failure incident of hoverboards catching fire seems to be accidental, possibly due to issues with the internal batteries. The incidents reported in the articles, including the one experienced by YouTube user BuleBritish, indicate that the fires were not intentional but rather accidental occurrences during the use of the hoverboards [39696].
Duration unknown The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to the duration of the failure being either permanent or temporary.
Behaviour crash (a) crash: The software failure incident described in the article is a crash. The hoverboard caught fire and became inoperable during a test run, indicating a failure due to the system losing state and not performing its intended functions [39696].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence unknown The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to death, harm, basic needs impact, property damage, or delays caused by the hoverboard catching fire. The incident primarily focuses on the malfunction of the hoverboard leading to a fire, with no direct consequences mentioned in terms of harm to individuals or property damage [39696]. The primary consequence discussed is the malfunction and fire caused by the internal batteries of the hoverboard.
Domain transportation (a) The failed system in the article was related to the transportation industry. The incident involved self-balancing scooters, popularly known as hoverboards, which are used for personal transportation [39696].

Sources

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