Incident: Tesla Recalls Vehicles Due to Tail Light Software Anomaly

Published Date: 2022-11-19

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident of the tail lights intermittently failing to illuminate in Tesla vehicles happened in late October 2022 as per the article [135315]. 2. Published on 2022-11-19 08:00:00+00:00. 3. The software failure incident occurred in late October 2022.
System 1. Tail lights of some 2023 Model 3 and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles [135315].
Responsible Organization 1. Tesla - Tesla is responsible for causing the software failure incident related to the intermittent illumination of tail lights in their vehicles as reported in Article 135315. [135315]
Impacted Organization 1. Customers of Tesla were impacted by the software failure incident as they reported complaints about the vehicle tail lights not illuminating [135315].
Software Causes 1. An anomaly causing false fault detections during the vehicle wake-up process led to the intermittent failure of tail lights in Tesla vehicles [135315].
Non-software Causes 1. An anomaly causing false fault detections during the vehicle wake-up process [135315].
Impacts 1. The software failure incident led to the recall of more than 321,000 Tesla vehicles in the United States due to tail lights intermittently failing to illuminate, as reported in [Article 135315]. 2. The recall also included nearly 30,000 Model X cars in the United States over an issue that may cause the front passenger airbag to deploy incorrectly, resulting in a near two-year low in Tesla's shares, as mentioned in [Article 135315]. 3. Tesla stated that the software issue causing the tail light problem was due to an anomaly that may cause false fault detections during the vehicle wake-up process, leading to customer complaints and warranty reports, as detailed in [Article 135315].
Preventions 1. Implementing thorough testing procedures during the software development phase to detect anomalies that may cause false fault detections during the vehicle wake-up process [135315]. 2. Conducting more extensive quality assurance checks to identify and address potential issues related to the rear light system before the vehicles are released to the market [135315]. 3. Enhancing the monitoring and feedback mechanisms to promptly address customer complaints and reports of software-related issues, even from foreign markets, to prevent widespread incidents [135315].
Fixes 1. Tesla plans to deploy an over-the-air update to correct the rear light issue [135315].
References 1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) [135315] 2. Tesla (Texas-based) [135315]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) The software failure incident related to Tesla's vehicles experiencing issues with tail lights is an example of a recurring issue within the same organization. Tesla had previously recalled nearly 30,000 Model X cars in the United States over a different issue with the front passenger airbag deployment [135315]. This indicates that Tesla has faced software-related problems with its vehicles in the past.
Phase (Design/Operation) design (a) The software failure incident related to the design phase is evident in the article. Tesla is recalling over 321,000 vehicles in the United States due to tail lights intermittently failing to illuminate. The issue was identified as an anomaly that may cause false fault detections during the vehicle wake-up process, indicating a design flaw introduced during the development of the system [135315]. (b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is not explicitly mentioned in the provided article.
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the Tesla vehicles' tail lights not illuminating was attributed to an anomaly within the system. The investigation found that in rare cases, the lights may intermittently not work due to an anomaly that may cause false fault detections during the vehicle wake-up process [135315]. This indicates that the failure originated from within the system itself.
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident related to non-human actions: The software failure incident with Tesla's vehicles' tail lights was due to an anomaly causing false fault detections during the vehicle wake-up process, leading to the lights intermittently not working. This issue was identified through customer complaints and resulted in the recall of over 321,000 vehicles in the United States. Tesla mentioned that it will deploy an over-the-air update to correct the rear light problem and stated that there were no reports of crashes or injuries related to this specific recall [135315]. (b) The software failure incident related to human actions: There is no specific mention in the article of the software failure incident being directly caused by human actions.
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware (a) The software failure incident related to hardware: - The article mentions that Tesla is recalling more than 321,000 vehicles in the United States because tail lights may intermittently fail to illuminate [135315]. - The investigation found that in rare cases, the lights may intermittently not work due to an anomaly that may cause false fault detections during the vehicle wake-up process [135315]. (b) The software failure incident related to software: - Tesla stated it will deploy an over-the-air update to correct the rear light issue [135315]. - The article does not specifically mention any software-related contributing factors that originated in software for this particular incident.
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident related to the Tesla vehicles' tail lights intermittently failing to illuminate was non-malicious. The issue was attributed to an anomaly causing false fault detections during the vehicle wake-up process, leading to the lights intermittently not working. Tesla mentioned that the recall was initiated following customer complaints and that they had no reports of any crashes or injuries related to the problem [135315].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) unknown [a] The software failure incident related to the Tesla vehicle recall for tail lights intermittently failing to illuminate was not attributed to poor decisions but rather to an anomaly causing false fault detections during the vehicle wake-up process. Tesla mentioned that the lights may intermittently not work due to this anomaly, leading to the recall. The company stated that it had no reports of any crashes or injuries related to the recall, indicating that the issue was not a result of poor decisions but rather an unexpected technical problem [135315].
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental (a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence is not mentioned in the provided article [135315]. (b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is mentioned in the article [135315]. The article states that the investigation found that in rare cases, the lights may intermittently not work due to an anomaly that may cause false fault detections during the vehicle wake-up process. This indicates that the failure was accidental rather than due to intentional actions or incompetence.
Duration temporary The software failure incident related to the Tesla vehicle recall for tail lights not illuminating is described as temporary. The issue was identified as an anomaly that may cause false fault detections during the vehicle wake-up process, leading to the intermittent failure of the lights. Tesla mentioned that it will deploy an over-the-air update to correct the rear light issue, indicating that the failure is not permanent and can be addressed through a software update [135315].
Behaviour crash, omission, other (a) crash: The article mentions that the tail lights of some Tesla vehicles may intermittently fail to illuminate due to an anomaly that may cause false fault detections during the vehicle wake-up process, indicating a failure in the system losing state and not performing its intended functions [135315]. (b) omission: The software failure incident related to the tail lights of Tesla vehicles can be considered as an omission failure since the issue leads to the lights intermittently not working, which means the system is omitting to perform its intended function of illuminating the tail lights [135315]. (c) timing: There is no specific mention of a timing-related failure in the software incident described in the article [135315]. (d) value: The software failure incident does not involve the system performing its intended functions incorrectly, so it is not a value-related failure [135315]. (e) byzantine: The article does not describe the software failure incident as involving inconsistent responses or interactions, so it is not a byzantine-related failure [135315]. (f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident in this case can be categorized as a combination of crash and omission. The system is losing state (crash) during the wake-up process, leading to the omission of the intended function of illuminating the tail lights [135315].

IoT System Layer

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

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence theoretical_consequence (a) unknown (b) unknown (c) unknown (d) unknown (e) unknown (f) unknown (g) no_consequence (h) unknown (i) The software failure incident related to the Tesla vehicles' tail lights intermittently failing to illuminate did not result in any crashes or injuries, as confirmed by Tesla. The company stated that it had no reports of any crashes or injuries related to the recall. The issue was identified through customer complaints, and Tesla mentioned that the lights may intermittently not work due to an anomaly that may cause false fault detections during the vehicle wake-up process. The recall was initiated to address this issue before any actual harm occurred [135315].
Domain transportation (a) The software failure incident reported in Article 135315 is related to the transportation industry. Tesla, an electric vehicle manufacturer, is recalling over 321,000 vehicles in the United States due to tail lights intermittently failing to illuminate [135315]. The recall covers specific models of Tesla vehicles, indicating that the failed system was intended to support transportation by ensuring proper lighting functionality in vehicles.

Sources

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