Incident: Recall Due to Electrical Component Damage in Mercedes-Benz GLB250.

Published Date: 2021-06-09

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The article does not mention any specific time frame or date related to the software failure incident. 2. Published on 2021-06-09. 3. Unknown.
System 1. Electrical components in the 2020 GLB250 small SUV [115450] 2. Front passenger airbag inflator and cushion in the 2020 GLB250 small SUV [115450] 3. Side-curtain airbag in the 2020 GLB250 small SUV [115450]
Responsible Organization 1. The software failure incident in the Mercedes-Benz GLB250 recalls was caused by a water-intrusion issue that could damage electrical components, potentially leading to various issues like engine stall, failure to start, or faulty instrument cluster performance. This issue was identified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) [115450].
Impacted Organization unknown
Software Causes unknown
Non-software Causes 1. Water-intrusion issue leading to potential damage to electrical components in the front passenger seat's footwell [Article 115450]. 2. Potentially faulty airbag installation in the front passenger airbag inflator and cushion [Article 115450]. 3. Faulty side-curtain airbag issue due to a deviation in the production process leading to incorrect installation of certain unapproved curtain airbag variants [Article 115450].
Impacts 1. The software failure incident in the Mercedes-Benz GLB250 small SUVs led to potential damage to electrical components due to water intrusion, resulting in issues such as engine stall incidents, failure to start, and faulty instrument cluster performance [115450]. 2. The faulty airbag installation in some GLB250 models could lead to the airbag tearing when deployed in an accident, increasing the risk of injury or death [115450]. 3. The software failure related to the side-curtain airbags in certain GLB250 SUVs may cause these safety devices not to deploy correctly in a crash, posing a risk to occupants [115450].
Preventions 1. Implementing thorough testing procedures during the software development phase to detect and address any potential issues related to the electrical components, airbag systems, or other software-controlled functionalities [115450]. 2. Conducting regular quality assurance checks and audits to ensure that all software components are functioning correctly and are installed properly within the vehicle systems [115450]. 3. Enhancing the monitoring and feedback mechanisms to quickly identify any anomalies or deviations in the production process that could lead to software-related failures in safety-critical systems [115450].
Fixes 1. Inspecting and resealing the fender area to address the water-intrusion issue that could damage electrical components [115450]. 2. Inspecting the front passenger airbag module and replacing it if necessary to correct the potentially faulty airbag installation [115450]. 3. Replacing the side-curtain airbag to ensure correct deployment in a crash due to a faulty installation issue [115450].
References 1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notice [115450] 2. NHTSA filing [115450]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring unknown The news article [115450] does not mention any software failure incident related to Mercedes-Benz or its GLB250 small SUV recalls. Therefore, there is no information available to address the question about the software failure incident happening again at one organization or multiple organizations.
Phase (Design/Operation) design (a) The software failure incident related to the design phase is evident in the article. The recalls issued by Mercedes-Benz for its 2020 GLB250 small SUV include issues such as water intrusion that could damage electrical components, a potentially faulty airbag due to incorrect installation, and a faulty side-curtain airbag issue due to a deviation in the production process. These issues point to contributing factors introduced during the system development or production phases [115450]. (b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is not explicitly mentioned in the provided article. Therefore, it is unknown if any failures were specifically due to contributing factors introduced by the operation or misuse of the system.
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) The software failure incidents reported in the article are primarily within_system. The recalls issued by Mercedes-Benz for its 2020 GLB250 small SUV are related to internal issues within the vehicles' systems. These issues include a water-intrusion problem that could damage electrical components, a potentially faulty airbag installation, and a faulty side-curtain airbag issue. These failures originate from within the system of the vehicles themselves, leading to safety concerns for the owners [115450].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions, human_actions (a) The software failure incident related to non-human actions in this case is the water-intrusion issue that could damage electrical components in the 2020 GLB250 small SUVs. Water leaking into the front passenger seat's footwell from the wheel well area can potentially damage electrical components, leading to various issues such as engine stall incidents, failure to start, or faulty instrument cluster performance [115450]. (b) The software failure incident related to human actions in this case is the potentially faulty airbag issue in the 2020 GLB250 SUVs. The front passenger airbag inflator and cushion may not have been installed correctly within the airbag module, which could lead to the airbag tearing when deployed in an accident, increasing the risk of injury or death. This issue was likely introduced during the installation process by human actions [115450].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware (a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware: - The article mentions a water-intrusion issue in the Mercedes-Benz GLB250 SUV that could damage electrical components. Water can leak into the front passenger seat's footwell from the wheel well area, potentially damaging electrical components, leading to issues such as engine stall incidents, failure to start, or faulty instrument cluster performance [115450]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to software: - The article does not specifically mention a software failure incident originating from software-related contributing factors. Therefore, information about a software failure incident due to software factors is unknown.
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious From the provided article [115450], there is no mention of a software failure incident related to a malicious or non-malicious objective. The recalls mentioned in the article are related to hardware and safety issues such as water intrusion affecting electrical components, faulty airbag installation, and faulty side-curtain airbags. Therefore, the information needed to determine whether the software failure incident was malicious or non-malicious is not present in this article.
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 articles do not mention any software failure incident related to development incompetence. (b) The software failure incidents mentioned in the articles are related to accidental factors such as water-intrusion causing damage to electrical components, potentially faulty airbag installation, and faulty side-curtain airbag issue. These incidents were not attributed to development incompetence but rather to accidental issues in the manufacturing or installation processes [115450].
Duration unknown The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to the Mercedes-Benz GLB250 recalls. Therefore, the duration of the software failure incident is unknown.
Behaviour crash, other (a) crash: The article mentions that the software failure incident could lead to an engine stall incident or a failure to start, indicating a crash scenario where the system loses state and does not perform its intended functions [115450]. (b) omission: The article does not specifically mention any instances of the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). (c) timing: The article does not mention any instances of the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. (d) value: The article does not mention any instances of the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. (e) byzantine: The article does not mention any instances of the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. (f) other: The other behavior described in the article is related to potential faults in the airbag system, such as the front passenger airbag inflator and cushion not being installed correctly within the airbag module, which could lead to the airbag tearing when deployed in an accident, increasing the risk of injury or death [115450].

IoT System Layer

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

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence harm, property, non-human, theoretical_consequence (a) death: There is no mention of any deaths resulting from the software failure incidents reported in the articles [115450]. (b) harm: The faulty airbag issue could potentially lead to an increased risk of injury or death if the airbag tears when deployed in an accident [115450]. (c) basic: There is no indication that people's access to food or shelter was impacted by the software failure incidents [115450]. (d) property: The software failure incidents could lead to various issues such as engine stall, failure to start, faulty instrument cluster performance, and faulty airbag deployment, impacting the material goods (vehicles) of the affected owners [115450]. (e) delay: There is no mention of any activities being postponed due to the software failure incidents [115450]. (f) non-human: The faulty side-curtain airbag issue could impact the safety devices in the vehicles, which are non-human entities [115450]. (g) no_consequence: There were observed consequences of the software failure incidents reported in the articles [115450]. (h) theoretical_consequence: The articles mention potential consequences such as engine stall, failure to start, faulty instrument cluster performance, and faulty airbag deployment, which could have occurred due to the software failures [115450]. (i) other: There are no other consequences mentioned in the articles beyond those related to harm, property, and non-human entities [115450].
Domain transportation (a) The software failure incident reported in the article is related to the transportation industry. Mercedes-Benz issued recalls for its 2020 GLB250 small SUV due to various safety concerns, including issues with water intrusion, faulty airbags, and faulty side-curtain airbags [Article 115450]. These safety concerns directly impact the transportation of people using the affected vehicles.

Sources

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