Incident: Faulty ABS Module Causes Hyundai Tucson Recall Due to Fire Risk

Published Date: 2020-09-11

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident involving the faulty ABS module in Hyundai Tucson SUVs from the 2019-2021 model years happened in 2020. 2. The article was published on 2020-09-11. 3. Therefore, the software failure incident likely occurred in 2020.
System The software failure incident mentioned in the article is related to a faulty ABS module in Hyundai Tucson SUVs from the 2019-2021 model years [105756].
Responsible Organization 1. Quality control at the supplier level at Hyundai responsible for missing the issue during production, leading to the faulty ABS module [105756].
Impacted Organization 1. Owners of Hyundai Tucson SUVs from the 2019-2021 model years [105756]
Software Causes 1. The software cause of the failure incident was a faulty ABS module due to residue from the soldering process at the supplier level accumulating on the component and causing an electrical short, especially in heat and humidity [105756].
Non-software Causes 1. Faulty ABS module due to residue accumulation from the soldering process at the supplier level [105756] 2. Electrical short caused by residue accumulation leading to a risk of fire [105756] 3. Missed issue during production by quality control [105756] 4. Possibility of fire due to the faulty ABS module [105756]
Impacts 1. The software failure incident in the Hyundai Tucson SUVs led to an increased risk of fire starting due to a faulty ABS module [105756]. 2. Owners of the affected vehicles may notice smoke coming from the engine compartment, a burning or melting odor, and see the ABS light illuminate on the dashboard as indicators of the issue [105756]. 3. The recall campaign initiated by Hyundai to address the software failure incident involves replacing the ABS module outright in the affected vehicles [105756].
Preventions 1. Implementing more rigorous quality control checks during the production process to detect issues like residue from the soldering process on the ABS module [105756]. 2. Conducting thorough testing and inspection of components, especially those prone to causing electrical shorts, in varying environmental conditions to ensure their reliability and safety [105756]. 3. Enhancing supplier oversight and communication to address potential defects in components before they lead to safety hazards [105756].
Fixes 1. Replacing the faulty ABS module outright by technicians could fix the software failure incident [105756].
References 1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 2. Hyundai 3. Roadshow

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) The software failure incident related to a faulty ABS module causing an electrical short and fire has happened again within the same organization, Hyundai. This is the third recall in as many years that Hyundai has issued due to a faulty ABS module. In 2018, Hyundai recalled nearly 88,000 Azera and Sonata vehicles for a similar issue, and earlier in the same year as this article, Hyundai recalled 229,000 Kia Sorento and Sedona vehicles for the same reason. Hyundai confirmed that the ABS modules from the previous two recalls were from different suppliers and covered separate potential defects [105756].
Phase (Design/Operation) design (a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the article where Hyundai issued a recall for 180,000 Tucson SUVs due to a faulty ABS module that increases the risk of a fire starting. The issue was traced back to residue from the ABS module's soldering process at the supplier level, which can accumulate on the component and cause an electrical short, especially in heat and humidity. This indicates a failure in the design or manufacturing process that led to the potential defect in the ABS module [105756]. (b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is not explicitly mentioned in the provided article.
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the faulty ABS module in Hyundai Tucson SUVs is within the system. The issue was caused by residue from the ABS module's soldering process at the supplier level accumulating on the component and causing an electrical short, especially in heat and humidity. This indicates an internal system failure within the ABS module component itself [105756]. (b) outside_system: There is no information in the article suggesting that the software failure incident was due to contributing factors originating from outside the system.
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions, human_actions (a) The software failure incident in this case is not related to non-human actions. The issue with the faulty ABS module causing a fire in Hyundai Tucson SUVs was attributed to a manufacturing defect where residue from the ABS module's soldering process at the supplier level could accumulate and cause an electrical short [105756]. (b) The software failure incident in this case is related to human actions. Hyundai mentioned that quality control missed the issue during production, indicating a human error in the manufacturing process that led to the faulty ABS module causing the potential fire risk in the vehicles [105756].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware (a) The software failure incident in the Hyundai Tucson SUVs was due to hardware issues. Specifically, the faulty ABS module was identified as the root cause of the problem, leading to an increased risk of fire starting in the vehicles. The issue was traced back to the residue from the ABS module's soldering process at the supplier level, which could accumulate on the component and cause an electrical short, especially in heat and humidity [Article 105756].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident in this case is non-malicious. The failure is attributed to a faulty ABS module in Hyundai Tucson SUVs, which increases the risk of a fire starting. The issue was identified as residue from the ABS module's soldering process at the supplier level accumulating on the component and causing an electrical short, especially in heat and humidity. Hyundai mentioned that this issue was missed during production due to quality control oversight [105756].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) unknown The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to poor decisions or accidental decisions. Therefore, the intent of the software failure incident in this case is unknown.
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental (a) The software failure incident in the Hyundai Tucson SUVs was not directly related to development incompetence. The issue stemmed from a faulty ABS module caused by residue from the soldering process at the supplier level, leading to an electrical short and fire risk. Hyundai mentioned that the ABS modules from the previous recalls were from different suppliers, indicating that the issue was not due to incompetence but rather a manufacturing defect [105756]. (b) The software failure incident in the Hyundai Tucson SUVs was accidental in nature, as it was caused by the accumulation of residue from the ABS module's soldering process at the supplier level, which was not intentionally introduced but occurred accidentally. The issue of electrical short and fire risk was not a deliberate act but a consequence of the manufacturing process [105756].
Duration unknown The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to the Hyundai Tucson recall. Therefore, the duration of the software failure incident in this case is unknown.
Behaviour other (a) crash: The software failure incident in the article does not directly involve a system crash where the system loses state and stops performing its intended functions [Article 105756]. (b) omission: The software failure incident does not involve the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s) [Article 105756]. (c) timing: The software failure incident is not related to the system performing its intended functions too late or too early [Article 105756]. (d) value: The software failure incident is not due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly [Article 105756]. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not involve the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions [Article 105756]. (f) other: The software failure incident described in the article is related to a hardware issue, specifically a faulty ABS module in Hyundai Tucson SUVs, which increases the risk of a fire starting. This issue is caused by residue from the ABS module's soldering process accumulating on the component and causing an electrical short, especially in heat and humidity. Owners may notice smoke, burning odors, and dashboard warnings related to the ABS system. The solution involves replacing the ABS module outright [Article 105756].

IoT System Layer

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

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence property, theoretical_consequence The consequence of the software failure incident related to the faulty ABS module in Hyundai Tucson SUVs is primarily in the category of (d) property. The software failure led to a risk of fire starting due to an electrical short caused by residue from the ABS module's soldering process, potentially impacting people's material goods (vehicles) [105756]. There were no reported consequences of death, harm, basic needs, delays, or non-human entities being impacted. The article discusses potential consequences of fires related to the recall but does not disclose any specific incidents of harm or death resulting from the software failure [105756].
Domain transportation The software failure incident reported in Article 105756 is related to the transportation industry. The article discusses a recall issued by Hyundai for 180,000 Tucson SUVs due to a faulty ABS module that increases the risk of a fire starting. This issue affects the transportation of people using these vehicles [105756].

Sources

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