Incident: Software Update Causes Electronic Brake Assist Failure in GM Trucks

Published Date: 2020-02-10

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident with the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 light-duty trucks occurred in February 2020 as per the article published on February 10, 2020 [Article 95743].
System 1. Electronic brake assist system in certain Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 light-duty trucks [95743]
Responsible Organization 1. General Motors was responsible for causing the software failure incident by issuing a faulty software update that may disable the electronic brake assist system in certain Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 light-duty trucks [Article 95743].
Impacted Organization 1. Owners of Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 light-duty trucks were impacted by the software failure incident [95743].
Software Causes 1. The software update may cause the failure of the electronic brake assist system in certain Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 light-duty trucks, leading to the disablement of the brake assist when the vehicles are started remotely or when a driver enters the vehicle and waits longer than five minutes to start it [95743].
Non-software Causes 1. The failure incident was caused by a previous brake issue that the trucks were recalled for [Article 95743].
Impacts 1. The software failure incident in certain Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks caused the electronic brake assist system to fail, potentially disabling the brake assist functionality [95743]. 2. The failure of the electronic brake assist system led to the illumination of dashboard warning lights such as "Service Brake Assist," "Service ESC," and "Brake System Failure," indicating a malfunction in the braking system [95743]. 3. Owners of the affected vehicles experienced close calls and instances where their trucks unexpectedly lost power assist due to the software issue, posing a safety risk [95743]. 4. As a precautionary measure, affected owners were advised not to drive their vehicles if the warning lights illuminated until they received the new software update to address the issue [95743].
Preventions 1. Implementing thorough software testing procedures before releasing updates to ensure that the electronic brake assist system functions correctly in all scenarios [95743]. 2. Conducting comprehensive quality assurance checks to identify and address potential bugs or glitches that could impact critical safety systems like the brake assist [95743]. 3. Providing clear and timely communication to vehicle owners about the potential risks associated with the software update and advising them on proper actions to take if warning lights illuminate [95743].
Fixes 1. A software update provided by General Motors to address the buggy software causing the failure of the electronic brake assist system in certain Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 light-duty trucks [Article 95743].
References 1. General Motors (GM) [Article 95743] 2. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) [Article 95743] 3. Detroit Free Press [Article 95743] 4. Consumer Reports [Article 95743]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) The software failure incident has happened again at one_organization: The incident of a software update causing the failure of the electronic brake assist system in Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks is not the first time such an issue has occurred. The trucks were previously recalled for another brake issue, indicating a recurrence of software-related problems within General Motors' products [Article 95743]. (b) The software failure incident has happened again at multiple_organization: There is no information in the provided article suggesting that a similar incident has happened at other organizations or with their products and services.
Phase (Design/Operation) design (a) The software failure incident in the reported articles is related to the design phase. The failure was caused by a software update that introduced a bug affecting the electronic brake assist system in certain Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks. The buggy software disabled the brake assist when the vehicles were started remotely using the mobile app or when a driver entered the vehicle and waited longer than five minutes to start it. This issue was specifically attributed to the software update, indicating a failure introduced during the design or development phase of the system [Article 95743]. (b) The articles do not provide information indicating that the software failure incident was related to the operation phase or misuse of the system.
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) within_system: The software failure incident in the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks was caused by a software update that may disable the electronic brake assist system. This issue arises when the vehicles are started remotely using their mobile app or when a driver enters the vehicle and waits longer than five minutes to start it. The failure is internal to the system as it is related to the software update affecting the brake assist functionality [Article 95743].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident in the General Motors trucks was due to non-human actions. The failure was caused by a software update that introduced a bug, potentially disabling the electronic brake assist system when the vehicles were started remotely using the mobile app or when a driver entered the vehicle and waited longer than five minutes to start it. This issue led to the illumination of warning lights on the dashboard, indicating a brake system failure [Article 95743].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) software (a) The software failure incident reported in Article 95743 is attributed to a software update that may cause the failure of the electronic brake assist system in certain Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 light-duty trucks. The buggy software update can disable the brake assist system when the vehicles are started remotely using their mobile app or when a driver enters the vehicle and waits longer than five minutes to start it. This issue results in the illumination of dashboard warning lights indicating "Service Brake Assist," "Service ESC," and "Brake System Failure" [95743]. (b) The software failure incident in Article 95743 is specifically related to a software update that introduces a bug causing the electronic brake assist system to fail in the mentioned trucks. The failure originates in the software update that was installed in the vehicles, leading to the disabling of the brake assist system under certain conditions [95743].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident described in Article 95743 is categorized as non-malicious. The failure was caused by a software update that inadvertently disabled the electronic brake assist system in certain Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks. This issue occurred when the vehicles were started remotely using a mobile app or when a driver entered the vehicle and waited longer than five minutes to start it. The failure was not intentional but rather a result of a buggy software update that led to the disabling of the brake assist system [95743].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) poor_decisions (a) The software failure incident related to the recall of certain Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks was primarily due to poor decisions made during the software update process. The buggy software update introduced a flaw that could disable the electronic brake assist system in specific scenarios, such as when the vehicles are started remotely using the mobile app or when a driver enters the vehicle and waits longer than five minutes to start it. This poor decision in the software update process led to the potential failure of the brake assist system, triggering warning lights and creating safety risks for the vehicle owners [Article 95743].
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental (a) The software failure incident in this case was not due to development incompetence but rather due to a software update that introduced a bug causing the failure of the electronic brake assist system in certain Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks [Article 95743]. (b) The software failure incident was accidental, as it was caused by a buggy software update that disabled the brake assist system when the vehicles were started remotely or when a driver entered the vehicle and waited longer than five minutes to start it. This accidental introduction of the bug led to the illumination of warning lights and potential safety risks for the truck owners [Article 95743].
Duration temporary The software failure incident related to the electronic brake assist system in certain Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks can be categorized as a temporary failure. The failure occurs under specific circumstances, such as when the vehicles are started remotely using the mobile app or when a driver enters the vehicle and waits longer than five minutes to start it. The issue is not a permanent one affecting the vehicles at all times but rather triggered by certain actions or conditions ([95743]).
Behaviour omission, value, other (a) crash: The software update in certain Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks may cause the failure of their electronic brake assist system, leading to the disablement of the brake assist when the vehicles are started remotely or when a driver enters the vehicle and waits longer than five minutes to start it. This results in the illumination of dashboard warning lights indicating "Service Brake Assist,” “Service ESC,” and “Brake System Failure” [Article 95743]. (b) omission: The software failure incident in the trucks results in the omission of the brake assist system's intended function, which is to provide power assist for braking [Article 95743]. (c) timing: The software failure incident is related to timing as it occurs when the vehicle is started remotely or when a driver enters the vehicle and waits longer than five minutes to start it, leading to the failure of the brake assist system [Article 95743]. (d) value: The software failure incident involves the system performing its intended functions incorrectly, specifically causing the electronic brake assist system to fail to provide the necessary power assist for braking [Article 95743]. (e) byzantine: There is no indication in the article that the software failure incident exhibited byzantine behavior, which involves inconsistent responses and interactions. (f) other: The software failure incident also results in the illumination of warning lights on the dashboard, indicating the specific nature of the failure ("Service Brake Assist,” “Service ESC,” and “Brake System Failure”) [Article 95743].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception sensor (a) The failure was related to the perception layer of the cyber physical system that failed due to contributing factors introduced by sensor error. The software update in certain Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 trucks caused the failure of the electronic brake assist system when the vehicles were started remotely using their mobile app or when a driver entered the vehicle and waited longer than five minutes to start it. This led to the illumination of dashboard warning lights indicating issues with the brake system [Article 95743].
Communication unknown The software failure incident reported in Article 95743 was not related to the communication layer of the cyber-physical system that failed. The issue was specifically related to a software update that caused the failure of the electronic brake assist system in certain Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 light-duty trucks. The failure occurred when the vehicles were started remotely using their mobile app or when a driver entered the vehicle and waited longer than five minutes to start it, leading to the illumination of specific dashboard warning lights. The failure was not attributed to issues at the communication layer of the cyber-physical system but rather to a software bug affecting the brake assist system.
Application TRUE The software failure incident reported in Article 95743 was related to the application layer of the cyber physical system. The failure was caused by a buggy software update that led to the failure of the electronic brake assist system in certain Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 light-duty trucks. The issue occurred when the vehicles were started remotely using their mobile app or when a driver entered the vehicle and waited longer than five minutes to start it. These scenarios triggered warning lights indicating "Service Brake Assist,” “Service ESC,” and “Brake System Failure,” which were caused by the software glitch [95743].

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence no_consequence (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)? The articles do not mention any consequences such as death, physical harm, impact on access to food or shelter, impact on material goods, money, or data, or any delays caused by the software failure incident. There were also no observed real consequences mentioned, and no theoretical consequences discussed that did not occur. Therefore, the consequence of the software failure incident in this case seems to be 'no_consequence' [95743].
Domain transportation (a) The software failure incident reported in Article 95743 is related to the transportation industry. General Motors is issuing a recall for certain Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 light-duty trucks due to a software update that may cause the failure of their electronic brake assist system, affecting the transportation of these vehicles [95743].

Sources

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