Incident: Tesla Cars Experience Erratic Behavior Due to Software Update

Published Date: 2021-11-08

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident with Tesla cars behaving erratically after a software update occurred late last month [Article 120931]. Estimation: Step 1: The incident happened late last month. Step 2: The article was published on 2021-11-08. Step 3: Estimating from the published date, the incident likely occurred in October 2021.
System 1. Full Self-Driving software system [Article 120931] 2. Autopilot software system [Article 120931]
Responsible Organization 1. Tesla cars began behaving erratically after receiving an overnight software update, leading to the software failure incident [Article 120931]. 2. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was involved in investigating the incident and pressuring Tesla to issue a recall notice [Article 120931].
Impacted Organization 1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) [Article 120931] 2. Tesla (company) [Article 120931]
Software Causes 1. The software failure incident with Tesla cars was caused by a buggy software update that led to cars slamming on the brakes at highway speeds, risking collisions [120931]. 2. The incident involved false forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking events triggered by the faulty software update [120931].
Non-software Causes 1. The failure incident with Tesla cars slamming on the brakes at highway speeds was caused by a problem with the software update that was rolled out overnight [120931]. 2. Tesla unexpectedly reported the glitch to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and issued an official recall notice detailing the problem, which may have affected nearly 12,000 vehicles [120931]. 3. The incident highlighted the heightened dangers of putting software that is still a work in progress in the hands of drivers, as Tesla vehicles are being beta tested in real time on the road [120931]. 4. Tesla remotely disabled auto emergency braking and forward collision warning functions on some vehicles without notifying the owners, which was seen as an unprecedented violation of trust by auto safety experts [120931].
Impacts 1. Tesla cars began behaving erratically, slamming on the brakes at highway speeds, risking collisions, leading to an official recall notice affecting nearly 12,000 vehicles [Article 120931]. 2. The incident led to increased regulatory scrutiny from federal safety regulators, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) [Article 120931]. 3. Tesla faced criticism for failing to follow up on safety recommendations, leading to potential financial and legal ramifications for the company [Article 120931]. 4. The incident highlighted the dangers of putting software that is still a work in progress, such as the Full Self-Driving software, in the hands of drivers [Article 120931]. 5. Tesla's tweaks to safety features without notice to owners were seen as an unprecedented violation of trust and behavior that triggered the attention of federal auto safety regulators [Article 120931]. 6. The software failure incident resulted in Tesla issuing a recall notice, detailing the risks to owners and the corrective actions taken, under mounting regulatory pressure [Article 120931].
Preventions 1. Implementing thorough testing procedures before rolling out software updates to ensure they do not introduce critical issues like false braking incidents [120931]. 2. Providing clear communication to users about any changes made to their vehicles, especially safety features, to maintain trust and transparency [120931]. 3. Following up on safety recommendations from regulatory bodies, such as the NTSB, to enhance the safety and reliability of the software [120931].
Fixes 1. Rolling back the software update that caused the erratic behavior in Tesla cars [120931]. 2. Issuing an official recall notice to address the problem that affected nearly 12,000 vehicles [120931]. 3. Working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to address the software issues and ensure prompt acknowledgment and resolution of any safety defects [120931]. 4. Implementing corrective actions such as canceling the update on vehicles that had not installed it, disabling certain safety features, and reverting software to the nearest available version [120931].
References 1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) [Article 120931] 2. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) [Article 120931] 3. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg [Article 120931] 4. John Rosevear, senior auto analyst at the Motley Fool [Article 120931] 5. Kevin Smith, Tesla Model Y driver and beta tester [Article 120931] 6. Lucia Sanchez, NHTSA spokeswoman [Article 120931] 7. Carnegie Mellon University professor Philip Koopman [Article 120931] 8. Duke University professor Missy Cummings [Article 120931] 9. NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy [Article 120931]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization, multiple_organization (a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization: The article reports that Tesla experienced a software failure incident where cars began behaving erratically after receiving an overnight software update, causing them to suddenly slam on the brakes at highway speeds. This incident led to a recall of nearly 12,000 vehicles by Tesla [Article 120931]. (b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization: The article mentions that Tesla's software failure incident is not an isolated instance of criticism, as the National Transportation Safety Board has investigated multiple crashes involving Tesla's Autopilot software. Additionally, NHTSA has publicly criticized Tesla for failing to follow up on safety recommendations related to its Autopilot software [Article 120931].
Phase (Design/Operation) design, operation (a) The software failure incident in the article is related to the development phase, specifically the design aspect. Tesla cars began behaving erratically after receiving an overnight software update, which led to cars suddenly slamming on the brakes at highway speeds, risking collisions. This issue was acknowledged by CEO Elon Musk, and the update was rolled back. The glitch in the software update was reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and an official recall notice was issued detailing the problem that affected nearly 12,000 vehicles [Article 120931]. (b) The software failure incident also has elements related to the operation phase. After the software update issue, Tesla remotely disabled auto emergency braking and forward collision warning functions on some vehicles without notifying the owners. This action was considered an unprecedented violation of trust by auto safety experts, as it affected the safety features of the vehicles without any communication to the drivers. NHTSA asked Tesla for more information about this incident, indicating concerns about the operation and changes made to the vehicles without owner knowledge [Article 120931].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system, outside_system (a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is primarily within the system. The incident involved a software glitch in Tesla cars that caused them to behave erratically, such as slamming on the brakes at highway speeds after receiving an overnight software update. Tesla acknowledged the problem with the software and issued a recall notice to address the issue [Article 120931]. (b) Additionally, there are external factors contributing to the software failure incident. The incident prompted increased regulatory scrutiny from federal safety regulators like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The Biden administration has stepped up enforcement of safety regulations regarding advanced driver-assistance systems, particularly focusing on Tesla's practices of issuing software fixes without reporting underlying problems. This external pressure and regulatory attention have influenced Tesla's actions and responses to the software failure incident [Article 120931].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions, human_actions (a) The software failure incident in the Tesla cars was primarily due to non-human actions, specifically a buggy software update that caused the cars to behave erratically, such as slamming on the brakes at highway speeds. This issue was acknowledged by CEO Elon Musk, and the update was rolled back to mitigate the safety risk [Article 120931]. (b) However, human actions also played a role in the incident as Tesla unexpectedly reported the glitch to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and issued an official recall notice after the software failure occurred. Additionally, there were criticisms of Tesla's handling of safety recommendations and regulatory practices related to its software updates and advanced driver-assistance systems [Article 120931].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) software (a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware: - The incident with Tesla cars behaving erratically after a software update was attributed to a problem with the software itself, leading to cars suddenly slamming on the brakes at highway speeds [120931]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to software: - The Tesla software update issue that caused cars to behave erratically, specifically slamming on the brakes at highway speeds, was acknowledged by CEO Elon Musk as a problem with the software [120931].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is non-malicious. The incident involved a software glitch in Tesla cars that caused them to behave erratically after receiving an overnight software update. The glitch led to cars suddenly slamming on the brakes at highway speeds, risking collisions. CEO Elon Musk acknowledged the problem with the software and initiated a rollback of the update to address the issue. Tesla also reported the glitch to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and issued an official recall notice detailing the problem that affected nearly 12,000 vehicles [Article 120931].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) poor_decisions (a) The intent of the software failure incident: - The incident involving Tesla cars behaving erratically after a software update was not intentional but rather a result of poor decisions or contributing factors introduced by the company. The software glitch led to cars suddenly slamming on the brakes at highway speeds, risking collisions [Article 120931]. - Tesla's decision to issue an official recall notice and roll back the update indicated a recognition of the problem caused by the software update, highlighting poor decisions in software development and deployment [Article 120931]. - The incident also shed light on Tesla's past practices of issuing software fixes without reporting underlying problems, indicating a pattern of poor decisions in handling software updates and safety concerns [Article 120931].
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) development_incompetence (a) The software failure incident reported in the articles seems to be related to development incompetence. Tesla cars began behaving erratically after receiving an overnight software update, with cars suddenly slamming on the brakes at highway speeds, risking collisions. This issue was acknowledged by CEO Elon Musk, and the update was rolled back [Article 120931]. Additionally, there were concerns raised about Tesla's Full Self-Driving software struggling to navigate roundabouts, veering towards pedestrians, and abruptly turning towards oncoming traffic, indicating potential issues with the software development [Article 120931]. (b) The software failure incident does not seem to be related to accidental factors but rather to issues stemming from the software update and development decisions made by Tesla.
Duration temporary The software failure incident reported in Article 120931 was temporary. The incident lasted for a few hours late last month when Tesla cars began behaving erratically after receiving an overnight software update. CEO Elon Musk acknowledged the problem with the software and vowed that the update was being rolled back. The glitch led to cars suddenly slamming on the brakes at highway speeds, risking collisions. Tesla took actions to mitigate the potential safety risk, including canceling the update on vehicles that had not installed it, disabling certain safety features, and reverting software to the nearest available version [120931].
Behaviour crash, omission, value, other (a) crash: The software failure incident described in the articles can be categorized as a crash. Tesla cars began behaving erratically after receiving an overnight software update, with cars suddenly slamming on the brakes at highway speeds, risking collisions [Article 120931]. (b) omission: The software failure incident can also be categorized as an omission. Tesla remotely disabled auto emergency braking and forward collision warning functions on affected vehicles without notifying the owners, which can be seen as an omission of performing these intended safety functions [Article 120931]. (c) timing: The software failure incident does not align with the timing category as the issue was not related to the system performing its intended functions too late or too early. (d) value: The software failure incident can be categorized as a value failure. The buggy software update led to false forward collision warnings and automatic emergency braking events, which could increase the risk of a rear-end collision from a following vehicle due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly [Article 120931]. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not align with the byzantine category as there were no mentions of inconsistent responses or interactions in the behavior of the system. (f) other: The other behavior exhibited by the software failure incident is the unexpected and dangerous behavior of the Tesla cars, such as veering towards pedestrians, struggling to navigate roundabouts, and abruptly turning towards oncoming traffic, as reported by drivers and seen in videos uploaded to social media [Article 120931].

IoT System Layer

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

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence harm, property, theoretical_consequence The consequence of the software failure incident described in the articles is primarily categorized as harm (b). The software failure incident led to Tesla cars behaving erratically, with reports of cars suddenly slamming on the brakes at highway speeds, risking collisions [120931]. This erratic behavior caused physical harm or the potential for physical harm to the drivers and passengers of the affected vehicles. Additionally, the software failure incident resulted in Tesla remotely disabling safety features like auto emergency braking and forward collision warning functions without informing the owners, which was considered an unprecedented violation of trust and a safety concern [120931].
Domain transportation The software failure incident reported in the news article is related to the transportation industry. The incident involved Tesla cars behaving erratically after receiving a software update, which led to cars suddenly slamming on the brakes at highway speeds, risking collisions [Article 120931]. This incident falls under the transportation industry as it directly impacts the movement of people and vehicles on the roads.

Sources

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