| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to the BMW 7 Series luxury sedans rolling away due to a software problem with the automatic transmission shifting to neutral instead of park has happened again within the same organization. BMW had previously recalled many of the same 7 Series sedans for a different software problem related to the doors not latching properly [15291]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident in the BMW 7 Series luxury sedans was related to the design phase. The flaw that caused the parked vehicle to roll away was attributed to a software problem in cars equipped with keyless ignition and the Comfort Access option. The issue arose when the automatic transmissions did not remain in the "park" position as intended, leading to the potential risk of the vehicle rolling away if the driver exited the vehicle with the transmission in Neutral and the parking brake not applied. This flaw was a result of a software problem introduced during the development of the system [15291].
(b) Additionally, the article mentioned that the doors of the same 7 Series sedans may not latch due to a software problem on cars equipped with Comfort Access and Soft Close Automatic options. This issue could also be linked to the operation phase, as it pertains to the operation or misuse of the system. However, the specific details provided in the article primarily focus on the design-related software problem causing the parked vehicle to roll away [15291]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article is within_system. The issue causing the parked vehicle to roll away is attributed to a software problem specifically related to the automatic transmissions and keyless ignition system on the BMW 7 Series luxury sedans [15291]. The flaw in the software causes the transmission to shift to neutral instead of park under certain conditions, leading to the potential risk of the vehicle rolling away when the driver exits without applying the parking brake. This issue originates from within the system design and software implementation. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions:
- The software problem causing the automatic transmissions in BMW 7 Series luxury sedans to not remain in the "park" position was identified as a flaw that could cause a parked vehicle to roll away. This flaw was attributed to a software problem on cars equipped with keyless ignition and the Comfort Access option [15291].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
- The article does not mention any specific human actions contributing to the software failure incident. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident in the BMW 7 Series luxury sedans was due to a hardware-related issue. The article mentions that the flaw causing the parked vehicle to roll away was due to a software problem on cars equipped with keyless ignition and the Comfort Access option. The issue arose when the driver pressed the Stop/Start button multiple times, causing the system to shift the transmission to neutral instead of park, leading to the potential risk of the vehicle rolling away if the parking brake was not applied [15291].
(b) The software failure incident was also due to contributing factors originating in the software itself. The article specifically mentions that the flaw causing the transmission to shift to neutral instead of park was a software problem. BMW stated that the automatic transmissions may not remain in the "park" position due to a software problem on the affected cars [15291]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the article is non-malicious. The issue with the BMW 7 Series luxury sedans from model years 2005-2008 was due to a flaw in the software that caused the automatic transmissions not to remain in the "park" position, leading to the risk of a parked vehicle rolling away. This flaw was attributed to a software problem on cars equipped with keyless ignition and the Comfort Access option. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration highlighted that if the driver exits the vehicle with the transmission in Neutral and the parking brake is not applied, the vehicle may roll away, indicating an unintentional flaw in the software [15291]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the BMW 7 Series luxury sedans was not due to poor decisions but rather a flaw in the software that could cause a parked vehicle to roll away. The issue was specifically related to the automatic transmissions not remaining in the "park" position due to a software problem on cars equipped with keyless ignition and the Comfort Access option. This flaw led to the system shifting the transmission to neutral instead of park in some cases, potentially causing the vehicle to roll away if the driver exited without applying the parking brake [15291]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to the BMW 7 Series luxury sedans rolling away when parked was due to a flaw caused by a software problem on cars equipped with keyless ignition and the Comfort Access option. The issue arose because the automatic transmissions may not remain in the "park" position as intended when the driver presses the Stop/Start button to shut off the engine. This flaw was attributed to a software problem, indicating a failure due to contributing factors introduced due to a lack of professional competence by humans or the development organization [15291].
(b) The software failure incident leading to the BMW 7 Series sedans' doors not latching properly was also due to a software problem on cars equipped with both Comfort Access and Soft Close Automatic options. This issue was identified as a software problem that caused the doors not to latch correctly, indicating a failure due to contributing factors introduced accidentally [15291]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident described in the article is temporary. The article mentions that the flaw causing the automatic transmissions to not remain in the "park" position is due to a software problem on cars equipped with keyless ignition and the Comfort Access option. This specific circumstance of pressing the Stop/Start button multiple times in succession leads to the system shifting the transmission to neutral instead of park, resulting in the potential for the vehicle to roll away. Additionally, the article states that dealers will not be able to correct the software until March, indicating that the issue is temporary and can be resolved through a software update [15291]. |
| Behaviour |
omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software problem in the BMW 7 Series luxury sedans caused the automatic transmissions to not remain in the "park" position, leading to a situation where the vehicle may roll away when the driver exits the vehicle with the transmission in Neutral and the parking brake is not applied [15291].
(b) omission: The software issue resulted in the system omitting to correctly shift the transmission to park when the driver pressed the Stop/Start button to shut off the engine. If the driver pressed the button two or three times in succession, the system may shift the transmission to neutral instead of park, leading to the potential for the vehicle to roll away [15291].
(c) timing: There is no specific mention of a timing-related failure in the provided article.
(d) value: The software failure incident in the BMW 7 Series sedans led to the system performing its intended function of shifting the transmission incorrectly. Instead of shifting to park, the system would shift to neutral under certain conditions, causing the potential for the vehicle to roll away [15291].
(e) byzantine: The article does not indicate any byzantine behavior related to inconsistent responses or interactions in the software failure incident.
(f) other: The software issue also caused problems with the doors of the BMW 7 Series sedans, where the doors may not latch due to a software problem on cars equipped with certain options, leading to additional safety concerns [15291]. |