Incident: Defective Rear Window Defroster Circuit in GM Trucks.

Published Date: 2019-07-12

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident involving the power sliding rear window in General Motors trucks occurred in 2019 [87862]. 2. The incident likely occurred before the article was published on July 12, 2019. 3. Estimated timeline: The software failure incident likely occurred in the first half of 2019.
System 1. Rear window defroster circuit overseeing system in trucks equipped with a power sliding rear window [87862].
Responsible Organization 1. General Motors [87862]
Impacted Organization 1. Owners of the affected General Motors trucks in Canada were impacted by the software failure incident [87862].
Software Causes 1. The software cause of the failure incident was related to the rear window defroster circuit in trucks equipped with a power sliding rear window. The circuit overseeing the rear window defroster might overheat, leading to potential smoke, component melting, or even fire [87862].
Non-software Causes 1. Mechanical stress from opening and closing the rear power window 2. Intrusion of debris 3. High usage of the rear defroster 4. High electric resistance on the rear defrost circuit caused by the above factors [87862]
Impacts 1. The software failure incident in the General Motors trucks equipped with a power sliding rear window led to the risk of overheating of the circuit overseeing the rear window defroster, potentially causing smoke, melting of components, or even starting a fire, posing a risk of injury to the vehicle occupants [87862].
Preventions 1. Implementing thorough testing procedures during the design and development phase to identify potential issues with the rear window defroster circuit [87862]. 2. Conducting regular inspections and maintenance checks on the rear window defroster circuit to detect any signs of overheating or malfunction before it escalates to a critical level [87862]. 3. Utilizing advanced monitoring systems that can detect abnormal behavior in the rear defrost circuit and trigger automatic safety measures to prevent overheating or fire incidents [87862].
Fixes 1. General Motors is working on a final corrective action, which will likely involve some degree of part replacement [87862].
References 1. General Motors (GM) spokesperson [87862]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring unknown (a) The software failure incident related to the power sliding rear window overheating issue in GM trucks has not happened again within the same organization as of the latest information provided in the article [87862]. (b) The software failure incident related to the power sliding rear window overheating issue in GM trucks has not been reported to have happened at other organizations or with their products and services as of the latest information provided in the article [87862].
Phase (Design/Operation) design (a) The software failure incident in the GM trucks was related to the design phase. The issue stemmed from trucks equipped with a power sliding rear window where the circuit overseeing the rear window defroster might overheat, potentially leading to smoke, melted components, or even a fire. This problem was attributed to areas of high electric resistance on the rear defrost circuit caused by mechanical stress from opening and closing the rear power window, intrusion of debris, and high usage of the rear defroster [87862]. (b) There is no specific information in the articles 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 primarily within the system. The issue stems from trucks equipped with a power sliding rear window where the circuit overseeing the rear window defroster might overheat, potentially leading to smoke, component melting, or even a fire [87862]. General Motors is working on a final corrective action, likely involving part replacement, to address this internal system issue.
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident in this case is primarily attributed to non-human actions rather than human actions. The issue stems from trucks equipped with a power sliding rear window, where the circuit overseeing the rear window defroster might overheat, potentially leading to smoke, component melting, or even a fire. This issue is described as being caused by areas of high electric resistance on the rear defrost circuit, which can be influenced by mechanical stress from opening and closing the rear power window, intrusion of debris, and high usage of the rear defroster. These factors can generate heat that may result in the mentioned consequences [87862].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware (a) The software failure incident in this case is related to hardware. The issue stems from trucks equipped with a power sliding rear window, where the circuit overseeing the rear window defroster might overheat, potentially leading to smoke, component melting, or even a fire. This issue is attributed to high electric resistance on the rear defrost circuit, caused by factors like mechanical stress from opening and closing the rear power window, intrusion of debris, and high usage of the rear defroster [Article 87862].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident described in the article is non-malicious. The issue stems from trucks equipped with a power sliding rear window where the circuit overseeing the rear window defroster might overheat, potentially leading to smoke, melted components, or even a fire. General Motors initiated a recall due to the risk of injury associated with this defect. GM is working on a corrective action, likely involving part replacement, and in the meantime, owners have been instructed to take their trucks to dealerships for a temporary fix [87862].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) unknown The software failure incident related to the GM truck recall was not directly attributed to poor or accidental decisions. The issue stemmed from a circuit overseeing the rear window defroster in trucks equipped with a power sliding rear window, where the circuit might overheat, potentially leading to smoke, component melting, or even a fire. General Motors initiated the recall due to the risk of injury associated with this defect. The manufacturer is still investigating the issue and working on a final corrective action, which may involve part replacement. Owners have been instructed to take their trucks to dealerships for a temporary fix until a permanent solution is found [87862].
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental (a) The software failure incident in this case is not related to development incompetence but rather to a technical issue with the power sliding rear window circuit in the trucks, which could overheat and potentially cause a fire [87862]. (b) The software failure incident appears to be accidental, as it is described as a technical issue with the circuit overseeing the rear window defroster that might overheat, leading to smoke, melted components, or even a fire. The issue is attributed to factors such as mechanical stress from opening and closing the rear power window, intrusion of debris, and high usage of the rear defroster [87862].
Duration temporary The software failure incident related to the power sliding rear window defroster in General Motors trucks is temporary. General Motors is still working on a final corrective action, which will likely involve some degree of part replacement. In the meantime, owners have been instructed to take their trucks to dealerships, where technicians will pull the defroster's fuse, rendering it inoperable as a stopgap measure until a permanent fix is found [87862].
Behaviour other (a) crash: The software failure incident in this case does not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. The issue with the trucks' power sliding rear window defroster circuit overheating does not lead to a complete system crash but rather a potential fire hazard and the need for a recall [87862]. (b) omission: The failure is not due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). The issue with the rear window defroster circuit overheating is a specific fault related to the defroster function, rather than a complete omission of functions [87862]. (c) timing: The failure is not due to the system performing its intended functions correctly, but too late or too early. The issue with the rear window defroster circuit overheating is not related to timing but rather to a potential safety hazard arising from the circuit overheating [87862]. (d) value: The failure is not due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The issue with the rear window defroster circuit overheating is not about incorrect performance but rather about a potential safety risk associated with the circuit overheating [87862]. (e) byzantine: The failure is not due to the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The issue with the rear window defroster circuit overheating is a specific fault related to the circuit overheating and the potential safety risks associated with it, rather than inconsistent responses or interactions [87862]. (f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident in this case is related to a specific fault in the rear window defroster circuit of the trucks, leading to overheating and potential fire hazards. The response from General Motors involves a recall and temporary fix until a permanent solution is found, highlighting the seriousness of the issue and the steps being taken to address it [87862].

IoT System Layer

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

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence harm, property (a) death: People lost their lives due to the software failure (b) harm: People were physically harmed due to the software failure (c) basic: People's access to food or shelter was impacted because of the software failure (d) property: People's material goods, money, or data was impacted due to the software failure (e) delay: People had to postpone an activity due to the software failure (f) non-human: Non-human entities were impacted due to the software failure (g) no_consequence: There were no real observed consequences of the software failure (h) theoretical_consequence: There were potential consequences discussed of the software failure that did not occur (i) other: Was there consequence(s) of the software failure not described in the (a to h) options? What is the other consequence(s)? Based on the provided article, the consequence of the software failure incident related to the power sliding rear window in General Motors trucks was primarily focused on the potential harm and property damage caused by the defect. The defect in the rear window defroster circuit could lead to overheating, smoke, melting of components, and even the possibility of a fire. While there were no reported deaths or physical harm mentioned in the article, the risk of injury associated with the defect prompted a recall to prevent potential harm to the vehicle owners [87862].
Domain transportation (a) The failed system in the reported incident is related to the transportation industry. General Motors issued a recall for trucks in Canada due to a defect in the power sliding rear window circuit, which could overheat and potentially cause a fire, posing a risk to the safety of the vehicle occupants [Article 87862].

Sources

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