Incident: Brake Hose Rupture Investigation in Ford and Lincoln Vehicles

Published Date: 2022-08-12

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident involving the brake system issues in Ford and Lincoln vehicles was reported on August 12, 2022 [131764]. Therefore, the software failure incident happened in the past, specifically between 2013 and 2018 when the affected Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ sedans were manufactured.
System unknown
Responsible Organization unknown
Impacted Organization unknown
Software Causes unknown
Non-software Causes 1. Suspension and steering movements causing the internal reinforcement of the front brake hoses to fail [Article 131764].
Impacts 1. The software failure incident involving the brake system in Ford and Lincoln vehicles led to the rupture and leakage of brake fluid from the front brake hoses, potentially compromising the braking performance of the affected vehicles [131764]. 2. The failure of the brake hoses resulted in a report of a vehicle crash, although fortunately, there were no injuries in that particular incident [131764].
Preventions 1. Implementing thorough testing procedures during the software development process to detect any potential issues with the brake system software [131764]. 2. Conducting regular maintenance and inspections of the software controlling the brake system to identify and address any vulnerabilities or weaknesses before they lead to failures [131764]. 3. Enhancing the monitoring and alert systems within the software to provide early warnings of any anomalies or malfunctions in the brake system, allowing for proactive maintenance and intervention [131764].
Fixes 1. Replacing the front brake hoses with an improved version [131764]
References 1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) [Article 131764]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) In the provided article [131764], there is no mention of a software failure incident happening again at the same organization (Ford and Lincoln) related to brake hose issues. The focus is on the investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into brake system problems in Ford and Lincoln vehicles. (b) The article [131764] does mention a similar incident happening before in 2020, where Ford and Lincoln issued a recall for front brake hose issues in certain SUV models. This previous incident involved the front brake hoses failing due to suspension and steering movements, leading to a recall and remedy process.
Phase (Design/Operation) unknown (a) The article does not mention any software failure incident related to the design phase. (b) The article does not mention any software failure incident related to the operation phase.
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system The software failure incident related to the brake system issues in Ford and Lincoln vehicles mentioned in Article 131764 is within_system. The article discusses complaints about the brake system, specifically mentioning that the front brake hoses are rupturing and leaking brake fluid with little or no warning. The failure is attributed to issues within the brake system of the vehicles, leading to potential safety concerns and the need for investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [131764].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident in this case is not related to non-human actions but rather to a mechanical issue with the brake system in Ford and Lincoln vehicles. The failure is attributed to the front brake hoses rupturing and leaking brake fluid, which is a mechanical component failure rather than a software-related issue [131764].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) unknown (a) The article does not mention any software or hardware failure incidents related to the brake issues in Ford and Lincoln vehicles. Therefore, it is unknown whether the failure was due to contributing factors originating in hardware or software.
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) unknown <Article 131764> does not mention any software failure incident related to a malicious or non-malicious objective. Therefore, the information to determine the nature of the software failure incident is unknown based on this article.
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) unknown Unknown
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental Unknown
Duration unknown The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to the duration of the failure being permanent or temporary.
Behaviour crash, omission, value (a) crash: The article mentions a report of one vehicle crash resulting from a failed brake hose [131764]. (b) omission: The reported issue involves the brake hoses rupturing and leaking brake fluid with little or no warning, indicating an omission in the system's function to provide timely warnings about the brake system's failure [131764]. (c) timing: There is no specific mention of timing-related failures in the article. (d) value: The reported issue involves the brake hoses failing, leading to the incorrect functioning of the brake system [131764]. (e) byzantine: There is no mention of inconsistent responses or interactions in the article. (f) other: The article does not provide information on other types of software failure behaviors.

IoT System Layer

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

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence no_consequence, unknown The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to consequences such as death, harm, basic needs impact, property loss, delay, non-human impact, observed consequences, or theoretical consequences. Therefore, the consequence of the software failure incident is unknown.
Domain other (a) The failed system was not directly related to the production and distribution of information. (b) The failed system was not directly related to transportation. (c) The failed system was not directly related to extracting materials from Earth. (d) The failed system was not directly related to sales. (e) The failed system was not directly related to construction. (f) The failed system was not directly related to manufacturing. (g) The failed system was not directly related to utilities. (h) The failed system was not directly related to finance. (i) The failed system was not directly related to knowledge. (j) The failed system was not directly related to health. (k) The failed system was not directly related to entertainment. (l) The failed system was not directly related to government. (m) The failed system was related to the automotive industry, specifically affecting Ford and Lincoln vehicles with brake system issues [131764].

Sources

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