Published Date: 2022-11-08
| Postmortem Analysis | |
|---|---|
| Timeline | 1. The software failure incident involving Tesla's power steering assist system happened in October 2022 [Article 135743, Article 135229]. |
| System | 1. Electronic power assist steering system in 2017-2021 Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles [Article 135743, Article 135229, Article 135161] |
| Responsible Organization | 1. Tesla Inc [135743, 135229, 135161] |
| Impacted Organization | 1. Tesla Inc [135743, 135229, 135161] |
| Software Causes | 1. The software cause of the failure incident was a firmware release that updated calibration values for the vehicles' electronic power assist steering system, causing certain vehicles to misclassify rough road conditions as unexpected steering assist torque, resulting in a potential power steering issue [Article 135229]. 2. Tesla released an over-the-air software update to recalibrate the power assist steering system to address the issue [Article 135229]. 3. The software issue also led to the misclassification of rough road conditions as unexpected steering assist torque, potentially leading to a loss of power steering assist [Article 135229]. |
| Non-software Causes | 1. Rough roads or hitting a pothole causing a loss of power steering assist in Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles [135743, 135229, 135161]. 2. Exterior side rearview mirrors not complying with U.S. "Rear Visibility" requirements [135743, 135229, 135161]. |
| Impacts | 1. The software failure incident in Tesla vehicles led to a potential loss of power steering assist when driving on rough roads or after hitting a pothole, increasing the crash risks, especially at low speeds [135743, 135229, 135161]. 2. The incident required greater steering effort from drivers, which could potentially lead to collisions [135743, 135229, 135161]. 3. Tesla issued a recall for over 40,000 Model S and Model X vehicles in the US due to the power steering issue, affecting vehicles built from 2017 to 2021 [135743, 135229, 135161]. 4. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration highlighted the danger of reduced or lost power steering, emphasizing the importance of addressing the issue promptly to prevent accidents [135229, 135161]. 5. Tesla released an over-the-air software update to recalibrate the power assist steering system to address the software failure incident [135743, 135229, 135161]. |
| Preventions | 1. Implementing more rigorous testing procedures for software updates before deployment could have potentially prevented the software failure incident [135229, 135161]. 2. Conducting thorough risk assessments and simulations to identify potential issues with the power steering assist system after software updates could have helped in preventing the incident [135229]. 3. Enhancing monitoring and alert systems to quickly identify and address any anomalies or alerts related to the power steering system could have been a preventive measure [135229]. 4. Ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, such as the U.S. "Rear Visibility" standards, for components like exterior side rearview mirrors could have prevented related issues and recalls [135743]. |
| Fixes | 1. Tesla released an over-the-air software update to recalibrate the power assist steering system to address the power steering issue in the affected vehicles [135743, 135229, 135161]. 2. Owners of affected vehicles need to ensure they have firmware release 2022.36.5 or later installed, as no further action is required for those vehicles [135229]. | References | 1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) [135743, 135229, 135161] 2. Tesla Inc [135743, 135229, 135161] |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Recurring | one_organization | (a) The software failure incident related to power steering issues in Tesla vehicles has happened again within the same organization. Tesla recalled over 40,000 Model S and Model X vehicles due to a potential power steering problem caused by a firmware release that misclassified rough road conditions, resulting in a power steering issue [135743, 135229, 135161]. (b) There is no information in the provided articles about the software failure incident happening at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) | design, operation | (a) The software failure incident related to the design phase: - The software failure incident with Tesla's power steering assist system was due to a firmware release that updated calibration values for the vehicles' electronic power assist steering system, causing certain vehicles to misclassify rough road conditions as unexpected steering assist torque, resulting in a potential power steering issue [Article 135229]. - Tesla released an over-the-air software update to recalibrate the power assist steering system after identifying an increased rate of alerts related to the calibration values on certain vehicles that had the firmware installed [Article 135229]. (b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase: - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration highlighted that a loss of power steering assist can require greater steering effort, especially at low speeds, increasing crash risks [Article 135743]. - Tesla mentioned that it was unaware of any injuries or deaths related to the power steering issue and that more than 97% of the recalled vehicles had installed an update that had already addressed the problem [Article 135743]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) | within_system | (a) within_system: - The software failure incident related to the power steering issue in Tesla vehicles was within the system. It was caused by a firmware release that updated calibration values for the electronic power assist steering system, leading to misclassification of rough road conditions as unexpected steering assist torque, resulting in a potential power steering problem [Article 135229]. - Tesla released an over-the-air software update to recalibrate the power assist steering system, indicating that the solution to the issue was within the system [Article 135229]. (b) outside_system: - There is no information in the provided articles suggesting that the software failure incident was due to contributing factors originating from outside the system. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) | non-human_actions | (a) The software failure incident in the articles is related to non-human_actions. The incident occurred due to a firmware release that updated calibration values for the vehicles' electronic power assist steering system, causing certain vehicles to misclassify rough road conditions as unexpected steering assist torque, resulting in a potential power steering issue [Article 135229]. Tesla released an over-the-air software update to recalibrate the power assist steering system to address the issue [Article 135229]. (b) The software failure incident in the articles is not related to human_actions. There is no indication in the articles that the failure was due to contributing factors introduced by human actions. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) | hardware, software | (a) The software failure incident related to the power steering issue in Tesla vehicles is primarily attributed to a hardware-related problem. The issue with the power steering assist system failing on rough roads or after hitting a pothole is a hardware-related issue that affects the functionality of the vehicles [135743, 135229, 135161]. (b) The software failure incident is also linked to software-related factors. The problem arose after a firmware release that updated calibration values for the electronic power assist steering system caused certain vehicles to misclassify rough road conditions as unexpected steering assist torque, leading to the potential power steering issue. Tesla addressed this software-related issue by releasing an over-the-air software update to recalibrate the power assist steering system [135229, 135161]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) | non-malicious | (a) The software failure incident related to the power steering issue in Tesla vehicles is categorized as non-malicious. The incident was caused by a firmware release that updated calibration values for the electronic power assist steering system, leading to certain vehicles misclassifying rough road conditions as unexpected steering assist torque, resulting in a potential power steering problem [Article 135229]. Tesla released an over-the-air software update to recalibrate the power assist steering system to address the issue [Article 135743]. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration highlighted the potential danger of reduced or lost power steering, especially at slower speeds, increasing the risk of a collision [Article 135229]. Additionally, Tesla stated that it was unaware of any injuries or deaths related to the power steering issue and that more than 97% of the recalled vehicles had installed an update that had already addressed the problem [Article 135161]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) | accidental_decisions | (a) poor_decisions: The software failure incident related to the power steering issue in Tesla vehicles was not due to poor decisions but rather a calibration error in the firmware update. The issue arose from a firmware release that updated calibration values for the electronic power assist steering system, causing certain vehicles to misclassify rough road conditions as unexpected steering assist torque, leading to a potential power steering problem [Article 135229]. (b) accidental_decisions: The software failure incident related to the power steering issue in Tesla vehicles was accidental and unintended. It was caused by a firmware release that inadvertently led to certain vehicles misclassifying road conditions, resulting in a potential power steering issue. Tesla quickly identified the increased rate of alerts related to the calibration values on certain vehicles after deploying the firmware update [Article 135229]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) | accidental | (a) The software failure incident related to the power steering issue in Tesla vehicles was not due to development incompetence. The issue was caused by a firmware release that updated calibration values for the electronic power assist steering system, leading to certain vehicles misclassifying rough road conditions as unexpected steering assist torque, resulting in a potential power steering problem [Article 135229]. (b) The software failure incident related to the power steering problem in Tesla vehicles was accidental. The issue occurred due to a firmware release that caused certain vehicles to misclassify rough road conditions as unexpected steering assist torque, leading to a potential power steering issue. Tesla identified an increased rate of alerts related to the calibration values on certain vehicles after deploying the firmware release [Article 135229]. |
| Duration | temporary | (a) The software failure incident related to the power steering issue in Tesla vehicles was temporary. The incident was caused by a firmware release that updated calibration values for the electronic power assist steering system, leading to certain vehicles misclassifying rough road conditions as unexpected steering assist torque, resulting in a potential power steering problem [Article 135229]. Tesla released an over-the-air software update to recalibrate the power assist steering system, addressing the issue for affected vehicles with the updated firmware [Article 135229]. (b) The software failure incident was not permanent as Tesla was able to address the issue through a software update, and as of November 1, more than 97% of the recalled vehicles had installed an update that resolved the problem [Article 135743]. |
| Behaviour | value, other | (a) crash: The software failure incident in the articles does not involve a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions [135743, 135229, 135161]. (b) omission: The software failure incident does not involve omission where the system omits to perform its intended functions at an instance(s) [135743, 135229, 135161]. (c) timing: The software failure incident does not involve timing issues where the system performs its intended functions correctly but too late or too early [135743, 135229, 135161]. (d) value: The software failure incident involves a value issue where the system performs its intended functions incorrectly, leading to a potential power steering problem in Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles [135743, 135229, 135161]. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident does not involve a byzantine behavior where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions [135743, 135229, 135161]. (f) other: The software failure incident involves a specific behavior related to a potential power steering issue caused by a firmware release that misclassified rough road conditions as unexpected steering assist torque, resulting in a power steering problem [135743, 135229, 135161]. |
| Layer | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Perception | None | None |
| Communication | None | None |
| Application | None | None |
| Category | Option | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Consequence | no_consequence | (a) death: People lost their lives due to the software failure - There were no reports of deaths related to the power steering issue in the Tesla vehicles. Tesla stated that it was unaware of any injuries or deaths related to the problem [Article 135743]. - At this time, Tesla is not aware of any incidents related to the power steering issue that have caused injury or death [Article 135229]. (b) harm: People were physically harmed due to the software failure - There were no reports of physical harm caused by the power steering issue in the Tesla vehicles. Tesla mentioned it was unaware of any injuries related to the problem [Article 135743]. - Tesla stated that it was not aware of any incidents related to the issue that have caused injury [Article 135229]. (g) no_consequence: There were no real observed consequences of the software failure - Tesla mentioned that it was unaware of any injuries or deaths related to the power steering issue in the recalled vehicles [Article 135743]. - At the time of reporting, Tesla was not aware of any incidents related to the power steering issue that had caused injury or death [Article 135229]. |
| Domain | information, transportation | (a) The failed system was intended to support the information industry as it relates to the production and distribution of information. The software failure incident involved Tesla's Model S and Model X vehicles due to a potential power steering problem, which required a recalibration of the system through a software update [135743, 135229, 135161]. (b) Not applicable. (c) Not applicable. (d) Not applicable. (e) Not applicable. (f) Not applicable. (g) Not applicable. (h) Not applicable. (i) Not applicable. (j) Not applicable. (k) Not applicable. (l) Not applicable. (m) The software failure incident was related to the automotive industry, specifically affecting Tesla's electric vehicles Model S and Model X due to a power steering issue that required a software update for recalibration [135743, 135229, 135161]. |
Article ID: 135743
Article ID: 135229
Article ID: 135161