Incident: Tesla Recalls Vehicles Due to Window Automatic Reversal Software Failure

Published Date: 2022-09-22

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident of the Tesla vehicles' window automatic reversal system happened in September 2022 [132509].
System 1. Window automatic reversal system in Tesla vehicles [132509]
Responsible Organization 1. Tesla (Article 132509)
Impacted Organization 1. Customers who own the affected Tesla vehicles were impacted by the software failure incident as they were at risk of injury due to the window automatic reversal system not reacting correctly [132509].
Software Causes 1. The software cause of the failure incident was identified as the automatic window reversal system not reacting correctly after detecting an obstruction, leading to an increased risk of injury [132509].
Non-software Causes 1. The window automatic reversal system in Tesla vehicles may not react correctly after detecting an obstruction, leading to an increased risk of injury [132509].
Impacts 1. The software failure incident in Tesla vehicles led to a recall of nearly 1.1 million U.S. vehicles due to the window automatic reversal system not reacting correctly after detecting an obstruction, increasing the risk of injury [132509]. 2. The failure resulted in Tesla performing an over-the-air software update of the automatic window reversal system to address the issue and enhance the calibration of the system's behavior [132509]. 3. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) highlighted that the vehicles failed to comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards on power windows, indicating a regulatory impact of the software failure incident [132509]. 4. The software failure incident also prompted Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk to criticize the description of the recall, emphasizing that it was a minor software update and stating that there had been no injuries reported due to the issue [132509].
Preventions 1. Implementing more rigorous and thorough testing procedures during the development phase to ensure the proper functioning of the automatic window reversal system [132509]. 2. Conducting comprehensive quality assurance checks to verify that the pinch detection and retraction performance of the system meet the required standards before vehicle production and delivery [132509]. 3. Regularly monitoring and analyzing field reports, warranty claims, and customer feedback to proactively identify any potential issues with the software system and address them promptly [132509].
Fixes 1. Performing an over-the-air software update of the automatic window reversal system [132509] 2. Enhancing the calibration of the vehicle's automatic window reversal system behavior through a software update [132509]
References 1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) [132509] 2. Tesla Inc [132509]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) The software failure incident related to the automatic window reversal system in Tesla vehicles has happened again within the same organization. Tesla is recalling nearly 1.1 million U.S. vehicles due to the issue with the window automatic reversal system not reacting correctly after detecting an obstruction. The company mentioned that during product testing, employees identified performance variations in response to pinch detection, leading to the software update to enhance the calibration of the automatic window reversal system behavior [132509]. Elon Musk also commented on Twitter, stating that the terminology of "recall" was outdated and inaccurate, emphasizing that it was a small over-the-air software update [132509]. (b) There is no information in the provided article indicating that a similar software failure incident has happened at other organizations or with their products and services.
Phase (Design/Operation) design (a) The software failure incident in this case is related to the design phase. Tesla is recalling nearly 1.1 million U.S. vehicles due to a software issue with the window automatic reversal system. The company identified during product testing that there were greater than expected variations in response to pinch detection, indicating a design flaw in the system's performance [132509]. Tesla addressed this issue by performing an over-the-air software update to enhance the calibration of the automatic window reversal system behavior, indicating that the failure was introduced during the development phase of the system [132509].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) The software failure incident related to the Tesla vehicles' window automatic reversal system is within_system. Tesla identified variations in response to pinch detection during product testing, leading to the realization that the vehicles' pinch detection and retraction performance did not meet automatic reversal system requirements. As a response, Tesla implemented a software update to enhance the calibration of the automatic window reversal system behavior [132509].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident in this case was due to non-human_actions. The failure was related to the automatic window reversal system in Tesla vehicles not reacting correctly after detecting an obstruction, leading to an increased risk of injury. Tesla identified variations in response to pinch detection during product testing, indicating a software performance issue that did not meet the automatic reversal system requirements. As a response, Tesla implemented an over-the-air software update to enhance the calibration of the automatic window reversal system behavior [132509].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware (a) The software failure incident in the article is related to hardware. Tesla is recalling nearly 1.1 million U.S. vehicles because the window automatic reversal system may not react correctly after detecting an obstruction, which is a hardware-related issue [132509].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident related to the Tesla vehicles' window automatic reversal system was non-malicious. The failure was due to variations in response to pinch detection, which led to the system not meeting the automatic reversal system requirements. Tesla addressed the issue by performing an over-the-air software update to enhance the calibration of the automatic window reversal system behavior [132509].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) accidental_decisions (a) The software failure incident related to the Tesla recall for the window automatic reversal system was not due to poor decisions but rather due to variations in response to pinch detection during product testing. Tesla identified that the vehicles' pinch detection and retraction performance did not meet the automatic reversal system requirements, leading to the need for a software update to enhance the calibration of the system behavior [132509]. Elon Musk also criticized the description of the incident as a recall, stating that it was a small over-the-air software update and emphasizing that there had been no injuries related to the issue [132509].
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental (a) The software failure incident in the article is not attributed to development incompetence. The issue with the automatic window reversal system in Tesla vehicles was identified during product testing, and Tesla took proactive measures to address the performance variations by issuing a software update to enhance the calibration of the system [132509]. (b) The software failure incident in the article is categorized more as accidental rather than intentional. The issue with the automatic window reversal system was not caused by malicious intent but rather by variations in the system's response to pinch detection, which was identified during testing and subsequently addressed through a software update [132509].
Duration temporary The software failure incident reported in Article 132509 is temporary. Tesla identified a problem with the window automatic reversal system's performance during product testing in August. Subsequently, they conducted extensive additional testing and determined that the vehicles' pinch detection and retraction performance did not meet the automatic reversal system requirements. As a response, Tesla implemented a software update starting on Sept. 13 to enhance the calibration of the automatic window reversal system behavior [132509].
Behaviour value, other (a) crash: The software failure incident in this case does not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. The issue with the automatic window reversal system in Tesla vehicles is related to the system not reacting correctly after detecting an obstruction, potentially leading to an increased risk of injury [132509]. (b) omission: The software failure incident is not characterized by omission, where the system fails to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). Instead, the issue lies in the system's failure to react correctly in detecting obstructions, specifically in the context of the automatic window reversal system [132509]. (c) timing: The software failure incident is not attributed to timing issues, where the system performs its intended functions but either too late or too early. The focus of the incident is on the system's inadequate response to obstructions in the automatic window reversal system [132509]. (d) value: The software failure incident is related to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. Specifically, the issue is with the automatic window reversal system not reacting correctly after detecting an obstruction, potentially leading to safety risks [132509]. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not exhibit characteristics of a byzantine failure, where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The issue with the automatic window reversal system in Tesla vehicles is more focused on a specific malfunction related to pinch detection and retraction performance [132509]. (f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident in this case can be categorized as a failure due to a specific performance issue within the automatic window reversal system. The system's response to detecting obstructions is not meeting the required standards, leading to the recall of vehicles for an over-the-air software update to address this issue [132509].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception embedded_software (a) sensor: The software failure incident related to the Tesla vehicles' window automatic reversal system was not directly attributed to a sensor error. The issue was identified as variations in response to pinch detection, indicating a problem with the system's overall performance rather than a specific sensor error [132509]. (b) actuator: The failure of the automatic window reversal system in Tesla vehicles was not explicitly linked to an actuator error. The issue was primarily related to the system's performance in detecting obstructions and reacting appropriately, rather than a specific actuator malfunction [132509]. (c) processing_unit: The software failure incident involving Tesla's automatic window reversal system was not specifically tied to a processing unit error. The issue was related to the calibration and behavior of the automatic window reversal system, indicating a software-related problem rather than a processing unit error [132509]. (d) network_communication: The failure of the window automatic reversal system in Tesla vehicles was not associated with a network communication error. The issue was primarily focused on the system's response to pinch detection and its overall performance, rather than a network communication problem [132509]. (e) embedded_software: The software failure incident concerning Tesla's automatic window reversal system was directly linked to embedded software error. Tesla addressed the issue through an over-the-air software update to enhance the calibration and behavior of the automatic window reversal system, indicating a problem with the embedded software [132509].
Communication link_level The software failure incident reported in Article 132509 is related to the link_level of the cyber physical system. The failure was specifically related to the automatic window reversal system in Tesla vehicles, where the software update was aimed at enhancing the calibration of the vehicle's automatic window reversal system behavior. The issue was identified during product testing, where employees found greater than expected variations in response to pinch detection, indicating a problem at the physical layer of the system [132509].
Application TRUE The software failure incident reported in Article 132509 regarding Tesla's recall of nearly 1.1 million vehicles due to the window automatic reversal system issue is related to the application layer of the cyber physical system. The article mentions that Tesla identified performance variations in response to pinch detection during product testing, which did not meet the automatic reversal system requirements. As a result, Tesla implemented a software update to enhance the calibration of the automatic window reversal system behavior [132509]. This indicates that the failure was indeed related to the application layer of the cyber physical system, involving software performance issues and the need for a software update to address the issue.

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence harm (a) death: People lost their lives due to the software failure (b) harm: People were physically harmed due to the software failure (c) basic: People's access to food or shelter was impacted because of the software failure (d) property: People's material goods, money, or data was impacted due to the software failure (e) delay: People had to postpone an activity due to the software failure (f) non-human: Non-human entities were impacted due to the software failure (g) no_consequence: There were no real observed consequences of the software failure (h) theoretical_consequence: There were potential consequences discussed of the software failure that did not occur (i) other: Was there consequence(s) of the software failure not described in the (a to h) options? What is the other consequence(s)? The consequence of the software failure incident in the reported article is related to the potential harm to individuals due to the malfunction of the automatic window reversal system in Tesla vehicles. The article mentions that the failure of the system could lead to an increased risk of injury to drivers or passengers as the closing window may exert excessive force by pinching individuals before retracting, potentially causing harm [132509].
Domain transportation (a) The software failure incident reported in the article is related to the transportation industry. Tesla is recalling nearly 1.1 million U.S. vehicles due to a software issue with the window automatic reversal system, which poses a risk of injury to drivers and passengers [132509].

Sources

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