Incident: Ford Bronco Engine Failures Investigation: Valve Defect Impact.

Published Date: 2022-06-03

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident involving Ford Bronco engine failures happened in 2021 [128921]. The incident occurred in 2021.
System 1. Ford Bronco 2021 SUV equipped with the automaker's 2.7-liter, twin-turbo, V6 gas engine [128921]
Responsible Organization 1. The software failure incident in this case was caused by a faulty valve in the engine of the 2021 Ford Bronco SUV, potentially due to a bad batch of valves made it into production engines [128921].
Impacted Organization 1. Ford Bronco owners [Article 128921]
Software Causes 1. The software causes of the failure incident were related to a faulty valve in the engine, potentially due to a bad batch of valves made it into production engines, leading to catastrophic engine failure [128921].
Non-software Causes 1. The engine failures in the Ford Bronco were caused by a faulty valve, potentially due to a bad batch of valves made it into production engines, becoming brittle under the stresses of the combustion chamber [128921].
Impacts 1. The software failure incident in the Ford Bronco engine led to a loss of motive power for drivers, potentially causing safety concerns [128921].
Preventions 1. Implementing rigorous quality control measures during the manufacturing process to detect and prevent the inclusion of faulty components like the valves that led to the engine failures in the Ford Bronco [128921].
Fixes 1. The software failure incident related to the Ford Bronco engine failures could potentially be fixed by identifying and replacing the faulty valves in the affected vehicles [128921].
References 1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) [Article 128921] 2. Ford spokesperson [Article 128921] 3. Motor1 [Article 128921]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring unknown <Article 128921> The article does not mention any software failure incident related to either one_organization or multiple_organization. Therefore, the information about the software failure incident happening again at a specific organization or across multiple organizations is unknown in this context.</Article>
Phase (Design/Operation) unknown The article does not mention any software failure incident related to the development phases of design or operation. Therefore, it is unknown whether the reported Ford Bronco engine failures were due to contributing factors introduced during system development, system updates, procedures to operate, or maintain the system ([128921]).
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system The software failure incident related to the Ford Bronco engine failures is within_system. The issue is specifically related to a faulty valve within the engine, which is a component of the system itself. The failure is attributed to a potential supplier issue where a bad batch of valves made it into production engines, leading to engine failures [128921].
Nature (Human/Non-human) unknown The article does not mention any software failure incident related to non-human actions or human actions. Therefore, the information related to software failure incidents in the article is unknown.
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware (a) The software failure incident related to the Ford Bronco engine failures is not directly attributed to hardware issues but rather to a faulty valve that can lead to catastrophic engine failure. The issue is specifically mentioned as a potential supplier problem where a bad batch of valves made it into production engines, which can become brittle under the stresses of the combustion chamber [128921]. (b) The software failure incident is not explicitly mentioned to be originating from software issues in the articles provided. The focus is on the faulty valve causing engine failures rather than any software-related contributing factors.
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious The software failure incident related to the Ford Bronco engine failures mentioned in Article 128921 is non-malicious. The issue is attributed to a faulty valve in the engine, specifically a bad batch of valves that can become brittle under the stresses of the combustion chamber. This problem is likely a supplier issue, indicating a non-malicious failure caused by a manufacturing defect rather than intentional harm to the system [128921].
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) unknown The article does not mention any software failure incident related to development incompetence or accidental factors. Therefore, the information related to these specific types of software failure incidents is unknown in this context.
Duration unknown The software failure incident reported in the article is not related to a permanent or temporary software failure. Instead, it is related to engine failures in Ford Bronco vehicles due to a faulty valve issue [128921].
Behaviour other (a) crash: The software failure incident in this case is not related to a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. The issue reported is related to engine failures in Ford Bronco vehicles, specifically a loss of power due to a faulty valve [Article 128921]. (b) omission: The software failure incident is not due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). The reported issue is specifically related to engine failures in Ford Bronco vehicles, caused by a faulty valve leading to a loss of power [Article 128921]. (c) timing: The software failure incident is not due to the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. The issue reported is related to engine failures in Ford Bronco vehicles, specifically a loss of power due to a faulty valve [Article 128921]. (d) value: The software failure incident is not due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The reported issue is related to engine failures in Ford Bronco vehicles, specifically a loss of power due to a faulty valve [Article 128921]. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident is not related to the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The issue reported is specifically related to engine failures in Ford Bronco vehicles, caused by a faulty valve leading to a loss of power [Article 128921]. (f) other: The software failure incident in this case is related to a hardware issue involving a faulty valve in the engine of Ford Bronco vehicles, leading to a loss of power. It is not directly attributed to a software failure [Article 128921].

IoT System Layer

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

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence no_consequence The articles do not mention any consequences related to death, harm, basic needs, property loss, or delays caused by the software failure incident. The focus of the investigation is on engine failures in Ford Bronco vehicles due to a faulty valve, with potential consequences being related to loss of power and engine issues. The article does not mention any non-human entities being impacted by the software failure incident, and there are no theoretical consequences discussed. Therefore, the most relevant option based on the information provided is 'no_consequence' as there were no real observed consequences of the software failure incident mentioned in the article [128921].
Domain transportation The software failure incident reported in Article 128921 is related to the transportation industry. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into Ford and the 2021 Bronco SUV due to reports of engine failures, specifically a loss of motive power related to a faulty valve [Article 128921]. The investigation covers 25,538 examples of the 2021 Ford Bronco equipped with a 2.7-liter, twin-turbo, V6 gas engine [Article 128921]. This incident directly impacts the transportation industry as it involves a popular SUV model experiencing engine failures that could potentially affect the movement of people and goods.

Sources

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