| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to disabling the side air bag and deployment seat of belt pretensioners in Fiat Chrysler pickup trucks has happened again within the same organization. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCA) recalled more than 1.25 million pickup trucks worldwide to address a software error linked to reports of one crash death and two injuries caused by the erroneous code [Article 59172, Article 59726].
(b) The software failure incident related to a software defect preventing air bags from deploying during a crash has also occurred at another organization. General Motors Co. recalled nearly 4.3 million vehicles worldwide due to a similar software defect that can prevent air bags from deploying during a crash, which was already linked to one death and three injuries [Article 59172, Article 59726]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident in the articles is related to the design phase. The recall of more than 1.25 million pickup trucks by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV was due to a software error that could disable the side airbag and seat belt pretensioners during a vehicle rollover caused by underbody impact. The company mentioned reprogramming computer modules in the affected vehicles to address this error, indicating that the failure was due to contributing factors introduced during system development or updates [59172, 59726].
(b) The articles do not provide information indicating that the software failure incident was related to the operation phase. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the recall of more than 1.25 million Fiat Chrysler pickup trucks was due to a software error within the system. The erroneous code in the computer modules could temporarily disable the side airbag and deployment seat of belt pretensioners during a vehicle rollover, leading to safety concerns [Article 59172, Article 59726].
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident was also influenced by factors outside the system, such as significant underbody impacts like striking on-road debris or driving off-road, which could trigger the software error causing the safety features to be disabled [Article 59172, Article 59726]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the articles was due to non-human_actions. The recall of more than 1.25 million pickup trucks by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV was linked to a software error that could temporarily disable the side airbag and deployment seat of belt pretensioners during a vehicle rollover caused by a significant underbody impact. This error was not definitively proven to be involved in accidents but was addressed proactively through reprogramming computer modules in the affected vehicles [59172, 59726].
(b) The articles do not mention any contributing factors introduced by human actions leading to the software failure incident. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is related to a software error. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCA) announced a recall of more than 1.25 million pickup trucks worldwide to address a software error that could disable the side airbag and seat belt pretensioners during a vehicle rollover caused by a significant underbody impact [59172, 59726].
(b) The software failure incident is specifically attributed to an erroneous code in the software that controls the side airbag and seat belt pretensioners. The company mentioned reprogramming computer modules in the affected vehicles to address this software error [59172, 59726]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident related to the recall of more than 1.25 million Fiat Chrysler pickup trucks was non-malicious. The error in the software code was linked to reports of one crash death and two injuries, and it could temporarily disable the side airbag and deployment seat of belt pretensioners during a vehicle rollover caused by a significant underbody impact. Fiat Chrysler stated that there was no definitive proof the error was involved in the accidents, but they were conducting the recall proactively to address the issue [Article 59172, Article 59726]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
The software failure incident related to the recall of more than 1.25 million Fiat Chrysler pickup trucks was due to accidental_decisions. The error in the software code that could disable the side airbags and seat belt pretensioners during a rollover crash was not intentionally introduced but was a mistake or unintended consequence of the software programming [59172, 59726]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident in the articles seems to be more related to development incompetence rather than accidental factors. The recall of more than 1.25 million pickup trucks by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV was due to a software error that could disable critical safety features like side airbags and seat belt pretensioners during a rollover caused by underbody impact. The erroneous code was identified as the root cause, and the company mentioned reprogramming computer modules in the affected vehicles to address this error [59172, 59726]. This indicates that the failure was a result of a mistake or lack of professional competence during the software development process. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident mentioned in the articles is categorized as a temporary failure. The erroneous code in the software could temporarily disable the side airbag and deployment seat of belt pretensioners during a specific circumstance, such as a vehicle rollover spurred by a significant underbody impact. The problem could be temporarily addressed by turning the vehicle off and then on if the error code appears during operation [59172, 59726]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the articles can be categorized as a crash. The erroneous code in the software could temporarily disable the side airbag and deployment seat of belt pretensioners during a vehicle rollover, leading to a crash death and injuries [59172, 59726].
(b) omission: The software failure incident can also be categorized as an omission. The software omitted to perform its intended functions of deploying the airbag and seat belt pretensioners during impacts, which resulted in the failure to protect the occupants during a rollover crash [59172, 59726].
(c) timing: The software failure incident does not align with the timing category as the issue was not related to the system performing its intended functions too late or too early [59172, 59726].
(d) value: The software failure incident can be categorized under the value type of failure. The system performed its intended functions incorrectly by temporarily disabling critical safety features like the side airbag and seat belt pretensioners during a rollover crash, leading to fatalities and injuries [59172, 59726].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not align with the byzantine category as there were no mentions of inconsistent responses or interactions by the system in the articles [59172, 59726].
(f) other: The other behavior of the software failure incident is that it required a specific sequence of events to cause an incident, and the likelihood of an incident was considered very low. The error in the software could be temporarily addressed by turning the vehicle off and then on, indicating a temporary workaround for the issue [59172, 59726]. |