| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to the cruise control system in Tesla vehicles happened again within the same organization. Tesla recalled over 285,000 vehicles in China due to a safety risk associated with the cruise control feature, which could lead to accidental acceleration when drivers try to shift gears or touch the gear selector [115929, 116081].
(b) There is no information in the provided articles about a similar software failure incident happening at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident in the articles is related to the design phase. The incident occurred due to a safety risk concerning the vehicle's cruise control feature, where the cruise control system in certain Tesla models could be activated when drivers try to shift gears or accidentally touch the gear selector, resulting in accidental acceleration [115929, 116081]. This issue was identified as a design flaw in the system development of the vehicles, leading to the need for a software update to resolve the problem. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident reported in the articles is within the system. The issue with Tesla's cruise control system was due to a problem where it could be activated when drivers try to shift gears or accidentally touch the gear selector, leading to accidental acceleration. This issue originated from within the system itself, specifically related to the functionality of the cruise control system [115929, 116081].
(b) outside_system: There is no information in the 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 this case was due to non-human actions. The failure was related to a safety risk concerning the vehicle's cruise control feature, where the cruise control system in certain Tesla models could be activated when drivers try to shift gears or accidentally touch the gear selector, resulting in accidental acceleration. This issue was identified by China's State Administration for Market Regulation, and Tesla responded by issuing a recall for over 285,000 vehicles to address the problem. Customers were offered a free software update to resolve the issue, indicating that the failure was not caused by human actions but rather by a flaw in the software system itself [115929, 116081]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is related to a safety risk concerning the vehicle's cruise control feature. The cruise control system in certain Tesla models can be activated when drivers try to shift gears or accidentally touch the gear selector, resulting in accidental acceleration. This issue is attributed to a hardware-related problem as it involves the interaction between the physical gear selector and the cruise control system, leading to unintended acceleration [115929, 116081].
(b) The resolution of the software failure incident involves providing affected vehicle owners with a software update to address the cruise control issue. Tesla will deliver the software update remotely or in-person to the impacted vehicles, which indicates that the root cause of the problem lies in the software controlling the cruise control system [115929, 116081]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident in this case is non-malicious. The issue with over 285,000 Tesla vehicles in China was related to a safety risk concerning the vehicle's cruise control feature. The cruise control system in certain models could be activated accidentally when drivers tried to shift gears or touched the gear selector, leading to unintended acceleration. Tesla acknowledged the problem, issued a recall, and offered a free software update to resolve the issue. The company also apologized for any inconvenience caused to car owners and committed to improving safety in accordance with China's regulations ([115929], [116081]). |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident in the articles can be attributed to poor_decisions. Tesla's cruise control system in certain models was designed in a way that it could be activated when drivers try to shift gears or accidentally touch the gear selector, leading to accidental acceleration. This design flaw was a result of poor decision-making in the software development process, which ultimately led to the safety risk and the subsequent recall of over 285,000 vehicles in China [115929, 116081]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the articles is related to accidental factors. The cruise control system in certain Tesla models can be activated when drivers try to shift gears or accidentally touch the gear selector, resulting in accidental acceleration. This issue led to the recall of over 285,000 vehicles in China [Article 115929, Article 116081]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident reported in the articles is temporary. The incident involves a safety risk related to the cruise control feature in certain Tesla models, where the cruise control system can be activated accidentally when drivers try to shift gears or touch the gear selector [Article 115929, Article 116081]. This issue is being addressed through a software update provided by Tesla to affected vehicles, indicating that the failure is temporary and can be resolved through software modifications. |
| Behaviour |
value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the articles is not described as a crash where the system loses state and does not perform any of its intended functions. The issue with Tesla's cruise control system resulted in accidental acceleration when drivers tried to shift gears or accidentally touched the gear selector, indicating that the system was still functioning but in an unintended manner [115929, 116081].
(b) omission: The software failure incident is not described as an omission where the system fails to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). The issue with Tesla's cruise control system was related to unintended acceleration rather than a failure to perform a specific function [115929, 116081].
(c) timing: The software failure incident is not related to timing, where the system performs its intended functions correctly but at the wrong time. The problem with Tesla's cruise control system was the unintended activation when drivers attempted to shift gears or touched the gear selector, leading to accidental acceleration [115929, 116081].
(d) value: The software failure incident is related to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. In this case, the cruise control system in certain Tesla models was activating unintentionally when drivers tried to change gears or touched the gear selector, causing unintended acceleration, which is an incorrect behavior [115929, 116081].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident is not described as a byzantine failure where the system behaves erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The issue with Tesla's cruise control system was more straightforward, involving unintended acceleration due to the system's response to driver actions [115929, 116081].
(f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident in the articles can be categorized as an unintended acceleration issue caused by the cruise control system's incorrect response to driver actions, specifically when attempting to shift gears or touching the gear selector. This behavior falls under the "value" category, where the system performs its intended functions incorrectly [115929, 116081]. |