Incident: BMW Vehicle Fires: Mysterious Fires in Parked BMWs Impact Owners

Published Date: 2017-05-11

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident involving BMW cars catching fire in parked conditions has been reported over the past five years in the US, with incidents also noted in Sweden, China, India, and South Korea [Article 59044]. 2. The incident involving a BMW X5 in Sweden occurred in April 2014 [Article 59044]. 3. In January 2014, a BMW E36 M3 caught fire in Brookhaven, Georgia [Article 59044]. 4. Tar Zaide's 2011 BMW 328 caught fire in October 2016 in Oshwa, Canada [Article 59044]. Therefore, the software failure incidents related to BMW cars catching fire have occurred over a span of at least five years, with specific incidents noted in April 2014, January 2014, and October 2016.
System unknown
Responsible Organization unknown
Impacted Organization 1. BMW owners, including individuals like Bill Macko and Tar Zaide, who experienced their BMW vehicles catching fire [59044].
Software Causes unknown
Non-software Causes 1. Improper maintenance by unauthorized mechanics [Article 59044] 2. Aftermarket modifications [Article 59044] 3. Rodent nesting [Article 59044] 4. Arson [Article 59044]
Impacts 1. Dozens of BMW vehicles caught fire while parked, leading to significant property damage and loss for the owners [59044]. 2. At least one individual became homeless after a BMW fire in his garage burned down his home [59044]. 3. The incidents raised concerns over the safety of BMW cars, impacting the reputation of the luxury brand [59044]. 4. The fires resulted in recalls and investigations by government authorities in countries like South Korea [59044]. 5. The incidents led to legal actions against BMW, with some owners suing the company over the fires [59044].
Preventions 1. Implementing thorough software testing procedures to detect any potential faults or bugs before the software is deployed [59044]. 2. Regularly monitoring and analyzing data from vehicles to identify any anomalies or patterns that could indicate a potential issue with the software [59044]. 3. Enhancing communication channels between customers and the company to ensure prompt reporting and investigation of any software-related incidents [59044].
Fixes 1. Conduct a thorough investigation into the root cause of the fires in parked BMW vehicles to identify any potential software bugs, faults, or defects that may be contributing to the incidents [59044]. 2. Implement a comprehensive quality control process to ensure that all software components in BMW vehicles are functioning correctly and do not pose a risk of causing fires [59044]. 3. Enhance communication channels between BMW and vehicle owners to promptly address any safety concerns or incidents related to software failures [59044]. 4. Collaborate with regulatory authorities such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to monitor and address any safety issues related to software failures in BMW vehicles [59044].
References 1. BMW spokesperson - BMW denies finding any pattern related to quality or component failure [Article 59044]. 2. New Jersey attorney Joseph Santoli - Has sued BMW in the past and has heard from BMW owners about their cars catching fire [Article 59044]. 3. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - Encourages motorists to report safety issues, including strange and unexplainable incidents involving their vehicles [Article 59044].

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring multiple_organization (a) In the provided news article about BMW cars catching fire, there is no mention of a software failure incident specifically related to BMW vehicles. The reported incidents mainly focus on mysterious fires breaking out in parked BMW cars, with potential causes such as fuel leaks, external factors, and quality issues. Therefore, there is no indication of a software failure incident within the same organization (BMW) [59044]. (b) The article briefly mentions the Volkswagen 'Dieselgate' emissions testing scandal from 2015, where it was found that the German company had used vehicle software to intentionally trick emissions tests. This scandal is highlighted as a previous issue faced by a German car manufacturer in the US market, indicating a software-related incident at another organization (Volkswagen) [59044].
Phase (Design/Operation) design Unknown
Boundary (Internal/External) outside_system (a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the BMW fires does not seem to be directly attributed to software issues within the system. The incidents of BMW cars catching fire are more related to potential mechanical or electrical failures within the vehicles themselves, such as fuel leaks or other component malfunctions [59044]. (b) outside_system: The incidents of BMW cars catching fire could be attributed to factors originating from outside the system, such as external reasons unrelated to product defects. BMW mentioned that fires could result from various external factors like improper maintenance by unauthorized mechanics, aftermarket modifications, rodent nesting, and even arson, which are not directly related to software issues within the system [59044].
Nature (Human/Non-human) unknown (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: - The article does not mention any specific software failure incident related to non-human actions. Therefore, it is unknown. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: - The article does not mention any specific software failure incident related to human actions. Therefore, it is unknown.
Dimension (Hardware/Software) unknown (a) The articles do not mention any specific incidents or issues related to software failure due to contributing factors originating in hardware. (b) The reported incidents of BMW cars catching fire do not point to software failure as the contributing factor. The focus of the incidents is on potential issues related to fuel leaks, external factors like improper maintenance, aftermarket modifications, rodent nesting, and even arson as possible causes of the fires. The company denied any pattern related to quality or component failure and mentioned that vehicle fires can result from a wide variety of external reasons unrelated to product defect. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration encouraged motorists to report any safety issues, including strange and unexplainable incidents involving their vehicles, through the agency's website [59044].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The articles do not mention any malicious software failure incidents related to the BMW fires reported. (b) The software failure incidents related to the BMW fires are non-malicious. The fires in the BMW vehicles were not attributed to any intentional malicious actions but rather to factors such as fuel leaks, external reasons unrelated to product defects, improper maintenance, aftermarket modifications, rodent nesting, and even arson. BMW denied finding any pattern related to quality or component failure that could explain the fires and suggested that vehicle fires can result from a wide variety of external reasons unrelated to product defect [59044].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) unknown The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to poor_decisions or accidental_decisions.
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) unknown The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to development incompetence or accidental factors.
Duration unknown The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to either permanent or temporary duration.
Behaviour other (a) crash: The articles do not mention any instances of software failure incidents related to a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. (b) omission: The articles do not specifically mention any instances of software failure incidents related to omission where the system omits to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). (c) timing: The articles do not specifically mention any instances of software failure incidents related to timing where the system performs its intended functions correctly, but too late or too early. (d) value: The articles do not specifically mention any instances of software failure incidents related to value where the system performs its intended functions incorrectly. (e) byzantine: The articles do not specifically mention any instances of software failure incidents related to a byzantine behavior where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. (f) other: The behavior of the software failure incidents reported in the articles seems to be related to mysterious fires breaking out in parked BMW vehicles, leading to significant property damage and posing safety risks to individuals. The cause of these fires is not definitively attributed to a software failure but rather to potential issues such as fuel leaks, external factors, improper maintenance, aftermarket modifications, rodent nesting, and even arson as suggested by BMW and legal representatives [59044].

IoT System Layer

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

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence property, non-human The consequence of the software failure incident related to the BMW fires can be categorized as follows: (d) property: People's material goods were impacted due to the software failure. Several incidents were reported where BMW vehicles parked for various durations burst into flames, resulting in the destruction of the vehicles and, in some cases, causing significant property damage. For example, in one case in Maryland, a BMW X5 parked in a garage led to a fire that ultimately engulfed and gutted the homeowner's house [59044]. (f) non-human: Non-human entities were impacted due to the software failure. The BMW vehicles themselves were non-human entities that were directly impacted by the fires. The incidents described in the articles involved the sudden ignition of parked BMW cars, leading to significant damage to the vehicles [59044].
Domain unknown The software failure incident reported in the news article does not directly mention any specific industry that the failed system was intended to support. The focus of the article is on the safety concerns and mysterious fires in BMW vehicles, rather than on a software failure incident related to a particular industry. Therefore, the information provided does not align with any of the industries listed in the question. Hence, the answer to the question is 'unknown'.

Sources

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