Incident: Back-up Lights Failure in 2020 Toyota Corolla Hatchbacks due to Wire Harness Damage

Published Date: 2020-04-15

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident involving the back-up lights in 960 Toyota Corolla hatchbacks from the 2020 model year happened in April 2020 as per the article published on April 15, 2020 [Article 98402].
System 1. Wire harness in the rear hatch of 2020 Toyota Corolla hatchbacks [98402]
Responsible Organization 1. The software failure incident in this case was caused by a manufacturing issue related to the wire harness in the rear hatch of the Toyota Corolla hatchbacks [98402].
Impacted Organization 1. Drivers of the 2020 Toyota Corolla hatchbacks [98402]
Software Causes unknown
Non-software Causes 1. Damaged wire harness in the rear hatch during production [98402]
Impacts 1. The software failure incident led to the back-up lights not working in 960 Toyota Corolla hatchbacks from the 2020 model year, increasing the risk of a crash [98402].
Preventions 1. Implementing thorough quality control checks during the production process to ensure the wire harness in the rear hatch is not damaged [98402].
Fixes 1. Replacing the rear hatch's wire harness in the affected Toyota Corolla hatchbacks from the 2020 model year could fix the software failure incident [98402].
References 1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) [98402]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring unknown <Article 98402> does not mention any specific software failure incident related to an organization or multiple organizations. Therefore, the information about the software failure incident happening again at one organization or multiple organizations is unknown.
Phase (Design/Operation) design (a) The software failure incident in Article 98402 is related to the design phase. The issue with the back-up lights in the Toyota Corolla hatchbacks from the 2020 model year was caused by a wire harness in the rear hatch that may have sustained damage during production. This design flaw introduced during the system development or production process led to the failure of the back-up lights, increasing the risk of a crash [98402]. (b) There is no information in the provided article indicating that the software failure incident was due to factors introduced by the operation or misuse of the system.
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) within_system: The software failure incident described in the article is related to a wire harness in the rear hatch of Toyota Corolla hatchbacks from the 2020 model year. The issue with the wire harness, which may have sustained damage during production, can cause the back-up lights to stop working, posing a safety risk. This failure originates from within the system of the vehicle itself, specifically from the production process of the wire harness within the car [98402].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions, human_actions (a) The software failure incident in this case is not related to non-human actions. The issue with the back-up lights in the Toyota Corolla hatchbacks from the 2020 model year was caused by a wire harness in the rear hatch that may have sustained damage during production, indicating a manufacturing defect rather than a non-human action [98402]. (b) The software failure incident can be attributed to human actions indirectly, as the damage to the wire harness during production could have been caused by human error or oversight in the manufacturing process [98402].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware (a) The software failure incident in the article is related to hardware. The issue with the back-up lights in the Toyota Corolla hatchbacks from the 2020 model year is caused by a damaged wire harness in the rear hatch, which is a hardware component. The damaged wire harness can lead to the back-up lights not working, posing a safety risk [98402]. (b) There is no specific mention of a software-related failure in the article.
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) malicious: There is no mention of any malicious intent or human factors with the intent to harm the system in the provided article [98402]. (b) non-malicious: The software failure incident mentioned in the article is non-malicious. It is attributed to a wire harness in the rear hatch of Toyota Corolla hatchbacks potentially sustaining damage during production, leading to the failure of the back-up lights. This issue poses a safety risk as it could increase the chances of a crash [98402].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) unknown The article does not mention any software failure incident related to poor_decisions or accidental_decisions. Therefore, the intent of the software failure incident is unknown.
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental a) The article does not mention any software failure incident related to development incompetence. b) The software failure incident mentioned in the article is related to a potential issue with the wire harness in the rear hatch of Toyota Corolla hatchbacks from the 2020 model year. The failure is described as a result of the wire harness being damaged during production, which could cause the back-up lights to stop working, increasing the risk of a crash. This issue is not attributed to development incompetence but rather to a manufacturing defect or accidental damage during production [98402].
Duration unknown The article does not mention any software failure incident related to the duration of the failure being permanent or temporary. Therefore, the information to determine the duration of the software failure incident is unknown.
Behaviour omission (a) crash: The article does not mention a software crash incident. (b) omission: The software failure incident mentioned in the article is related to the back-up lights of Toyota Corolla hatchbacks not working due to a damaged wire harness in the rear hatch during production. This omission of the back-up lights' function could lead to an increased risk of a crash [98402]. (c) timing: The article does not mention a timing-related software failure incident. (d) value: The software failure incident in the article is not related to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. (e) byzantine: The article does not mention a byzantine-related software failure incident. (f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident described in the article is an omission where the back-up lights fail to engage due to a damaged wire harness, leading to a safety issue [98402].

IoT System Layer

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

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence no_consequence The article does not mention any software failure incident related to consequences such as death, harm, basic needs impact, property loss, delay, or non-human entities being impacted. It also does not discuss any theoretical consequences or other consequences resulting from the software failure incident. Therefore, the consequence of the software failure incident in the article is 'no_consequence' [98402].
Domain transportation, manufacturing (a) The failed system in the article is related to the transportation industry. The software failure incident involves 960 Toyota Corolla hatchbacks from the 2020 model year needing to go back to the dealership due to a wire harness issue in the rear hatch that may have sustained damage during production. This issue affects the back-up lights, which are crucial for signaling when the driver is ready to reverse, thus impacting the safety of the vehicles on the road [Article 98402].

Sources

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