| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to touchscreen failures in Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles has happened again within the same organization (Tesla). The incident has been ongoing and has led to an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, resulting in a request for Tesla to recall approximately 158,000 affected vehicles [Article 109816].
(b) The software failure incident related to touchscreen failures in vehicles has also affected other Tesla models, specifically the 2012-2018 Model S sedans and 2016-2018 Model X crossovers. This indicates that similar incidents have occurred with different models of Tesla vehicles [Article 107428]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase is evident in the articles. The touchscreen failures in Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles were attributed to issues with the media control unit (MCU) and the touchscreen itself. The failures were linked to the Nvidia Tegra 3 processors with integrated memory cards, where the hardware failed when the storage capacity was reached, leading to MCU failure [109816]. Additionally, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) highlighted that Tesla had implemented Over-The-Air (OTA) updates to mitigate the effects of MCU failure, indicating a design-related issue that required software updates to address [107428].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is also apparent in the articles. Users reported various issues with the touchscreens in Tesla vehicles, ranging from complete failures to longer boot-up times and increased latency of response [107428]. Furthermore, NHTSA mentioned that the touchscreens in the affected Tesla models were central control hubs for most vehicle functions, indicating that operational use of the touchscreens was critical for the proper functioning of various vehicle systems [107428]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system:
- The software failure incident related to touchscreen failures on Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles is primarily within the system. The failure is attributed to issues with the media control unit (MCU) and the touchscreen itself, affecting various vehicle functions like the rearview camera, defogger, turn signal chimes, and Autopilot [107428, 109816].
- The failure is specifically linked to the memory card's cell hardware within the touchscreen, which fails when the storage capacity is reached, leading to MCU failure [109816].
(b) outside_system:
- There is no explicit mention in the articles of the software failure incident being caused by contributing factors originating from outside the system. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions:
- The touchscreen failures in Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles were attributed to issues with the media control unit (MCU) and the Nvidia Tegra 3 processors with integrated memory cards. These hardware components were reported to fail when reaching storage capacity, leading to the failure of the MCU [109816].
- The failure rates in the investigation were noted to be significantly greater than those in prior recalls involving similar behavior, indicating a non-human factor contributing to the software failure incident [109816].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions:
- Tesla owners reported issues with the touchscreen, including complete failures, longer boot-up times, and increased latency of response. This suggests that user interactions and demands for changes to the main computer unit (MCU) could have contributed to the software failure incident [107428].
- NHTSA mentioned that Tesla had implemented Over-The-Air (OTA) updates to mitigate the effects of MCU failure, but complaints indicated that Tesla required owners to pay for a new MCU when the part was out of warranty. This decision by Tesla could be considered a human action contributing to the software failure incident [107428]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware:
- The touchscreen failures in Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles were attributed to the media control unit (MCU) failures, specifically related to the Nvidia Tegra 3 processors with an integrated 8GB memory card. The failure was explained as the memory card's cell hardware failing when the storage capacity is reached, resulting in the failure of the MCU [109816].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to software:
- The software failure incident in Tesla vehicles was related to touchscreen failures that impacted various vehicle functions. Users reported issues ranging from complete touchscreen failure to longer boot-up times and increased latency of response. Tesla implemented Over-The-Air updates to mitigate the effects of MCU failure, but NHTSA mentioned that these updates were deemed "substantively insufficient" [107428, 109816]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The articles do not mention any indication of the software failure incident being malicious, i.e., caused by contributing factors introduced by humans with the intent to harm the system [107428, 109816].
(b) The software failure incident discussed in the articles is non-malicious. It is related to touchscreen failures in Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles, specifically affecting the media control unit (MCU) and resulting in the loss of rearview camera and other safety-related vehicle functions. The failure is attributed to issues with the Nvidia Tegra 3 processors and the integrated memory card, which fail when the storage capacity is reached, leading to MCU failure. Tesla has attempted to address the problem through over-the-air updates, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found these updates to be insufficient, prompting the request for a recall [107428, 109816]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the touchscreen failures in Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles can be attributed to poor decisions made in the design and implementation of the media control unit (MCU) and touchscreen system. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation revealed that the touchscreen failures were caused by the memory card's cell hardware failing when the storage capacity is reached, leading to the failure of the MCU [109816]. Additionally, Tesla's use of Nvidia Tegra 3 processors with integrated 8GB memory cards in the touchscreens contributed to the high failure rate observed in these vehicles [109816].
Furthermore, Tesla's response to the issue, including distributing over-the-air updates that were deemed "substantively insufficient" by NHTSA, indicates a lack of effective measures taken by the company to address the root cause of the problem [109816]. This suggests that poor decisions in the design, components, and software updates of the touchscreen system played a significant role in the software failure incident. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is evident in the articles through the touchscreen failures on Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) highlighted that the failure was due to media control unit (MCU) failures, resulting in the loss of rearview camera and other safety-related vehicle functions [107428, 109816]. The failure was attributed to the memory card's cell hardware reaching its storage capacity, leading to the failure of the MCU [109816]. Additionally, NHTSA mentioned that Tesla had implemented over-the-air updates to mitigate the effects of MCU failure, but these updates were deemed "substantively insufficient" [109816].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is seen in the articles where users reported various issues with the touchscreen, ranging from complete failure to longer boot-up times and increased latency of response [107428]. These issues were not intentional but rather accidental consequences of the touchscreen failures experienced by Tesla vehicle owners. |
| Duration |
permanent |
(a) The software failure incident related to touchscreen failures in Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles appears to be more of a permanent nature. The articles mention that the touchscreen failures can trigger the loss of the rearview camera, affect defogger functions, chimes for turn signals, and Autopilot [107428, 109816]. The failure rates were noted to be over 30% in certain build months, and there were accelerating failure trends after 3 to 4 years in service [107428]. Additionally, Tesla has received over 10,000 owner requests to change out the main computer unit (MCU) due to issues with the touchscreen, indicating a significant and ongoing problem [107428].
(b) The software failure incident does not seem to be temporary as the failure rates were noted to be significant over certain build months and after a few years in service, indicating a persistent issue [107428]. Tesla's attempts to mitigate the effects of MCU failure through over-the-air updates were deemed "substantively insufficient" by NHTSA [109816], further suggesting that the problem is not easily resolved or temporary. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the Tesla vehicles resulted in touchscreen failures, leading to the loss of rearview camera, affecting defogger functions, turn signal chimes, and Autopilot functionality [107428, 109816].
(b) omission: The touchscreen failures in the Tesla vehicles caused the omission of critical functions such as the rearview camera, defogger, turn signal chimes, and Autopilot features [107428, 109816].
(c) timing: The software failure incident did not specifically mention timing issues where the system performed its intended functions too late or too early.
(d) value: The failure of the touchscreen in the Tesla vehicles led to incorrect performance of functions such as the rearview camera, defogger, turn signal chimes, and Autopilot system [107428, 109816].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident did not exhibit behaviors of inconsistent responses or interactions that would classify it as a byzantine failure.
(f) other: The software failure incident also involved longer boot-up times and increased latency of response in addition to complete touchscreen failure [107428]. |