Incident: Incomplete Weld Causes Rear Driveshaft Failure in Ram Trucks

Published Date: 2019-05-31

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident involving the incomplete weld between the rear driveshaft tube and the tube yoke leading to potential fractures and driveshaft issues was discovered by Ram based on six warranty claims of broken driveshafts, with the trucks in the claims all being built within a month of one another [84636]. 2. The article was published on May 31, 2019. 3. Estimated timeline of the incident: April 2018
System Unknown
Responsible Organization unknown
Impacted Organization Unknown
Software Causes unknown
Non-software Causes 1. Incomplete weld between the rear driveshaft tube and the tube yoke leading to cracks and fractures in the driveshaft [84636] 2. Insufficient weld fusion in the rear driveshaft [84636]
Impacts 1. Loss of motive force and potential dragging of the driveshaft on the ground while driving, leading to road debris and safety hazards [84636]. 2. Noise or vibrations as a preview of the weld failure in the driveshaft [84636].
Preventions 1. Implementing more rigorous quality control measures during the manufacturing process to detect incomplete welds between components [Article 84636].
Fixes 1. Ram's technicians will replace the rear driveshaft with one that has "complete weld fusion" to eliminate the potential for fracture [84636].
References 1. Federal government documents [84636]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring unknown Unknown
Phase (Design/Operation) unknown Unknown
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system The software failure incident related to the driveshaft recall for Ram trucks is within_system. The issue with the driveshaft was identified through an investigation launched by Ram based on warranty claims of broken driveshafts from vehicles built within a specific timeframe. The analysis of the broken bits pointed to an incomplete weld within the driveshaft, leading to the recall [84636]. This indicates that the contributing factors leading to the failure originated from within the system itself.
Nature (Human/Non-human) unknown unknown
Dimension (Hardware/Software) unknown The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to hardware or software issues. Therefore, the information about the software failure incident related to hardware or software is unknown.
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) unknown Unknown
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) unknown Unknown
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) unknown Unknown
Duration unknown The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to a permanent or temporary duration. Therefore, the duration of the software failure incident in this case is unknown.
Behaviour other (a) crash: The software failure incident in the article is not related to a crash of the system losing state and not performing any of its intended functions. The issue described pertains to a physical component (driveshaft) in vehicles, not a software crash. (b) omission: The software failure incident is not related to a system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). The issue described is about an incomplete weld in the driveshaft, leading to potential fracture and loss of motive force, rather than the system omitting any functions. (c) timing: The software failure incident is not related to a timing issue where the system performs its intended functions too late or too early. The issue described is about a defect in the driveshaft weld, not a timing-related software problem. (d) value: The software failure incident is not related to a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The issue described is about a weld defect in the driveshaft, not a software error. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident is not related to a byzantine behavior where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The issue described is about a physical defect in the driveshaft, not a software-related byzantine behavior. (f) other: The software failure incident does not fall into the categories of crash, omission, timing, value, or byzantine behaviors. The issue described in the article is related to a physical defect in the driveshaft of certain vehicles, leading to potential safety concerns and a recall.

IoT System Layer

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

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence unknown unknown
Domain unknown Unknown

Sources

Back to List