Incident: LED Headlight Software Configuration Issue in Audi Q3 Recall

Published Date: 2019-06-25

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident involving the incorrect software configuration in the LED headlights of Audi Q3 compact crossovers happened when the article was published on June 25, 2019 [85802].
System 1. LED headlights in 2016-2018 Audi Q3 compact crossovers [85802]
Responsible Organization 1. Audi - Audi was responsible for causing the software failure incident in the LED headlights of the 2016-2018 Q3 compact crossover vehicles [85802].
Impacted Organization 1. Vehicle owners of the 2016-2018 Audi Q3 compact crossover [85802].
Software Causes 1. The software cause of the failure incident was an "incorrect software configuration" related to the LED headlights in the 2016-2018 Audi Q3 compact crossover vehicles, which did not trigger a warning light if one of the LED front turn signals failed to work, leading to a violation of FMVSS 108 [85802].
Non-software Causes 1. The failure incident was caused by an "incorrect software configuration" related to the LED headlights in the Audi Q3 compact crossover, leading to a violation of FMVSS 108 [85802].
Impacts 1. The software failure incident in the Audi Q3 compact crossovers led to a violation of FMVSS 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices and Associated Equipment," due to the incorrect software configuration related to the LED headlights [85802]. 2. The lack of a front turn signal warning light could cause a vehicle to change lanes without suitable notification to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash [85802].
Preventions 1. Implementing thorough software testing procedures to catch configuration errors before the vehicles are released to the market [85802]. 2. Conducting regular software audits and quality checks to ensure compliance with regulations such as FMVSS 108 [85802].
Fixes 1. Audi technicians will apply a software-based fix to the recalled vehicles, which should only take about an hour to complete [85802].
References 1. Audi recall documents [85802]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring unknown (a) The software failure incident related to the Audi LED headlights is specific to Audi vehicles. There is no mention in the article of a similar incident happening again within the same organization (Audi) or with its products and services. (b) The article does not provide information about a similar incident happening again at other organizations or with their products and services.
Phase (Design/Operation) design (a) The software failure incident in the Audi recall is related to the design phase. The issue with the LED headlights was caused by an "incorrect software configuration" that did not trigger a warning light when a front turn signal failed to work. This design flaw led to the violation of FMVSS 108 standards, highlighting a failure introduced during the system development phase [85802]. (b) There is no specific information in the provided article indicating that the software failure incident was due to factors introduced by the operation or misuse of the system.
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) within_system: The software failure incident in this case is within the system. The problem with the LED headlights in the Audi vehicles is attributed to an "incorrect software configuration" as mentioned by Audi. This software issue causes a failure in the front turn signals, leading to a violation of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards [85802].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident in this case is attributed to a non-human action, specifically an "incorrect software configuration" related to the LED headlights in the Audi vehicles [85802]. This incorrect software configuration led to the failure of the warning light to illuminate if one of the LED front turn signals failed to work, resulting in a violation of FMVSS 108 standards. (b) The software failure incident is not directly attributed to human actions in this case.
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware, software (a) The software failure incident in the Audi recall is related to hardware. The issue with the LED headlights not triggering a warning light if a front turn signal fails to work is attributed to an "incorrect software configuration" [Article 85802]. This means that the software configuration related to the LED headlights is causing a hardware-related issue with the turn signals not being properly indicated, leading to the violation of FMVSS standards.
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident described in the article is non-malicious. The issue with the LED headlights in the Audi vehicles was due to an "incorrect software configuration" that did not cause a warning light to illuminate if one of the LED front turn signals failed to work. This software problem was not introduced with the intent to harm the system but rather as a result of an error in the configuration, leading to a violation of FMVSS regulations [85802].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) accidental_decisions (a) The software failure incident related to the Audi recall for the LED headlights on the 2016-2018 Q3 compact crossover was not due to poor decisions but rather an accidental decision or mistake. The problem was attributed to an "incorrect software configuration" by Audi, which did not cause a warning light to illuminate if one of the LED front turn signals failed to work. This accidental software configuration issue led to the violation of FMVSS 108 standards [85802].
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental (a) The software failure incident in the article is not attributed to development incompetence. The issue with the LED headlights in the Audi vehicles was specifically mentioned as an "incorrect software configuration," which implies a mistake or error in the software setup rather than incompetence in development [85802]. (b) The software failure incident in the article is categorized more as an accidental failure. The problem with the LED headlights not triggering a warning light when a front turn signal fails to work was described as an "incorrect software configuration," indicating an accidental misconfiguration rather than intentional incompetence [85802].
Duration temporary The software failure incident related to the Audi recall for the LED headlights is temporary. The issue with the LED headlights not triggering a warning light when a front turn signal fails to work is due to an "incorrect software configuration" [Article 85802]. This indicates that the failure is specific to the software configuration in these vehicles and can be rectified through a software-based fix applied by Audi technicians.
Behaviour omission (a) crash: The software failure incident in the article does not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. The issue with the LED headlights in Audi vehicles is related to a warning light not illuminating if one of the LED front turn signals fails to work, which could lead to a safety risk but does not result in a system crash [Article 85802]. (b) omission: The software failure incident can be categorized as an omission. The problem with the LED headlights is due to an "incorrect software configuration" that may not cause a warning light to illuminate if a front turn signal fails to work. This omission of the warning light notification is the key issue leading to the recall of the vehicles [Article 85802]. (c) timing: The software failure incident is not related to timing issues where the system performs its intended functions but at the wrong time. The problem with the LED headlights in Audi vehicles is more about the omission of the warning light rather than a timing issue [Article 85802]. (d) value: The software failure incident is not about the system performing its intended functions incorrectly in terms of the value provided. The issue with the LED headlights is more about the lack of a warning light notification for a failed front turn signal, which is a safety concern, rather than the system providing incorrect value [Article 85802]. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident is not characterized by a byzantine behavior where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The issue with the LED headlights is more straightforward, involving a specific failure related to the warning light for the front turn signal [Article 85802]. (f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident in the article can be categorized as an omission, where the system omits to perform its intended function of illuminating a warning light if a front turn signal fails to work. This omission leads to a safety risk and necessitates a recall of the affected vehicles [Article 85802].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception sensor, embedded_software (a) sensor: The software failure incident in the article is related to the LED headlights in Audi vehicles. The issue was caused by an "incorrect software configuration" that failed to illuminate a warning light if one of the LED front turn signals malfunctioned. This failure in the sensor (LED headlights) could lead to a lack of notification to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash [85802]. (e) embedded_software: The software failure incident specifically mentions that the problem with the LED headlights was due to an "incorrect software configuration." This indicates that the failure was related to the embedded software controlling the LED headlights in the vehicles [85802].
Communication unknown The software failure incident reported in Article 85802 was not related to the communication layer of the cyber physical system. The issue stemmed from an "incorrect software configuration" in the LED headlights of Audi vehicles, specifically related to the front turn signals not illuminating properly, which led to a violation of FMVSS 108 standards. The fix for this issue involved applying a software-based fix by Audi technicians, indicating that the failure was not at the link_level or connectivity_level of the cyber physical system.
Application TRUE The software failure incident described in Article 85802 was related to the application layer of the cyber physical system. The failure was attributed to an "incorrect software configuration" in the LED headlights of the Audi vehicles, which caused a violation of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) related to lamps and reflective devices. This issue was specifically mentioned as a software problem that required a software-based fix by Audi technicians [85802].

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence harm The consequence of the software failure incident related to the LED headlights in Audi vehicles was the potential harm to individuals due to the lack of a front turn signal and its subsequent warning light. This could cause a vehicle to change lanes without suitable notification to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash [85802].
Domain transportation (a) The failed system in this incident is related to the transportation industry. The software failure incident occurred in Audi vehicles, specifically the 2016-2018 Q3 compact crossover models, which are used for transportation purposes on the road [85802]. The issue with the LED headlights and the incorrect software configuration could potentially impact the safety of the vehicle on the road, highlighting its connection to the transportation industry.

Sources

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