Published Date: 2019-07-22
| Postmortem Analysis | |
|---|---|
| Timeline | 1. The software failure incident involving more than 500,000 Volvo cars being recalled due to a fire risk in the engine happened in 2019. [86910] |
| System | unknown |
| Responsible Organization | unknown |
| Impacted Organization | 1. Volvo - More than 500,000 Volvo cars are being recalled worldwide due to a fire risk in the engine [86910]. |
| Software Causes | unknown |
| Non-software Causes | 1. A plastic part in the engine of Volvo cars was liable to melt and deform, leading to a possible engine fire [86910]. 2. Fault in the fuel lines of Volvo diesel vehicles in the UK that could have led to cracks and possible fires [86910]. 3. Fire risk in Vauxhall Zafira cars due to a fault that led to more than 300 cars catching fire, resulting in recalls [86910]. |
| Impacts | 1. The software failure incident in Volvo cars led to a recall of more than 500,000 vehicles worldwide, including 70,000 in the UK, due to a fire risk in the engine [86910]. 2. The affected models with four-cylinder diesel engines from 2014-2019 were identified, causing potential safety concerns for the owners [86910]. 3. The incident resulted in a few reported fires, although there were no reports of injuries at the time of the article [86910]. 4. Owners were advised to watch for symptoms in their cars, such as lack of power and engine warning lights, indicating a possible issue [86910]. 5. Volvo took full responsibility for the situation, working on a fix for the affected cars to ensure the highest quality and safety standards [86910]. |
| Preventions | 1. Implementing rigorous testing procedures during the software development phase to identify any potential vulnerabilities or weaknesses that could lead to a fire risk in the engine [86910]. 2. Conducting thorough risk assessments and quality control checks on all components, including plastic parts in the engine, to ensure they meet safety standards and are not prone to melting or deforming [86910]. 3. Regularly monitoring and analyzing data from vehicles in the field to detect any early signs of issues such as lack of power or engine warning lights, which could indicate a potential problem with the software or components [86910]. |
| Fixes | 1. The software failure incident in the Volvo cars, which poses a fire risk due to a plastic part in the engine melting and deforming, could potentially be fixed by a software update or reprogramming to address the issue and prevent engine fires [86910]. | References | 1. Volvo spokesperson 2. Volvo statement 3. Letters sent to owners of affected cars 4. Manufacturer's plans to contact owners again 5. Previous recalls by Volvo and Vauxhall 6. Number of fires reported 7. Symptoms of the potential problem in the cars 8. Details about the affected models and years 9. Safety measures advised to drivers 10. Actions taken by Volvo to address the issue [Cited from Article 86910] |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring | unknown | The articles do not mention any software failure incidents related to either one_organization or multiple_organization. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) | design | Unknown |
| Boundary (Internal/External) | unknown | <Article 86910> does not mention any software failure incident related to the Volvo cars being recalled due to a fire risk in the engine. The article focuses on the physical issue with a plastic part in the engine that could lead to a fire risk. Therefore, the boundary of the software failure incident is unknown based on this article.</Article 86910> |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) | non-human_actions | (a) The software failure incident in this case is not directly related to non-human actions but rather to a plastic part in the engine of Volvo cars being liable to melt and deform, leading to a possible engine fire. This issue is a result of a manufacturing fault in the engine component, which is not attributed to non-human actions [86910]. (b) The software failure incident is not attributed to human actions but rather to a manufacturing fault in the engine component of Volvo cars. The issue of the plastic part in the engine being prone to melting and deforming, potentially causing engine fires, is not a result of human actions but rather a flaw in the design or production process [86910]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) | hardware | (a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware: - The article mentions a plastic part in the engine that has been liable to melt and deform, resulting in a possible engine fire in more than 500,000 Volvo cars worldwide [Article 86910]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to software: - The article does not mention any specific software-related contributing factors that led to the failure incident. Therefore, it is unknown if the failure originated in the software. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) | unknown | unknown |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) | unknown | Unknown |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) | unknown | The news article does not mention any software failure incident related to development incompetence or accidental factors. Therefore, the information regarding the software failure incident related to these options is unknown. |
| Duration | unknown | <Article 86910> does not mention any software failure incident related to the Volvo cars being recalled due to a fire risk in the engine. Therefore, the duration of the software failure incident related to this specific case is unknown. |
| Behaviour | other | (a) crash: The software failure incident in the article does not directly mention a system crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions [86910]. (b) omission: The article does not mention a failure due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s) [86910]. (c) timing: The software failure incident does not relate to a failure due to the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early [86910]. (d) value: The article does not specify a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly [86910]. (e) byzantine: The article does not describe a failure due to the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions [86910]. (f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident in the article is related to a potential fire risk in Volvo cars due to a plastic part in the engine melting and deforming, leading to a possible engine fire. This can be categorized as a hardware-related issue rather than a software failure incident [86910]. |
| Layer | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Perception | None | None |
| Communication | None | None |
| Application | None | None |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Consequence | theoretical_consequence | The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to death, harm, basic needs, property damage, or delays. The articles focus on the recall of Volvo cars due to a fire risk in the engine caused by a plastic part melting and deforming, which could potentially lead to an engine fire. The consequence mentioned is the risk of a fire occurring in the affected vehicles. There were no reports of injuries related to this issue, and Volvo is working on finalizing a fix for the affected cars to ensure safety standards are met [86910]. |
| Domain | unknown | <Article 86910> does not mention any software failure incident related to the Volvo cars being recalled due to a fire risk in the engine. Therefore, the information about the industry that the failed system was intended to support is unknown.</Article 86910> |
Article ID: 86910