| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) In the provided article [4278], it is mentioned that American Honda Motor Co. offered a free software upgrade to fix the problem of deteriorating Civic Hybrid batteries. However, many owners reported that the software upgrade made things worse, leading to poor performance and reduced fuel efficiency in their vehicles. This indicates a software failure incident within the same organization (Honda) related to the Civic Hybrid model.
(b) The article [4278] also compares the battery trouble rates of Honda Civic Hybrids with Toyota Prius Hybrids and Ford Escape Hybrids. Consumer Reports' surveys show that the Civic Hybrid has a higher rate of battery trouble than the Toyota Prius Hybrid or Ford Escape Hybrid. This comparison suggests that similar incidents of software or battery-related issues have occurred at multiple organizations producing hybrid vehicles. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the case of the Civic Hybrid battery issue. American Honda Motor Co. offered a free software upgrade to fix the problem of deteriorating Civic Hybrid batteries. However, many owners reported that the software patch made things worse, leading to poor performance and reduced fuel efficiency [4278].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is evident in how some Civic Hybrid owners experienced issues with the new software update affecting the car's acceleration and overall performance. For example, one owner mentioned that the car did not want to accelerate from a stopped position, leading to potentially dangerous situations at intersections [4278]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Civic Hybrid batteries can be categorized as within_system. The issue arose from a software upgrade offered by American Honda Motor Co. to address complaints of deteriorating Civic Hybrid batteries. Many owners reported that after the software patch, their mileage dropped significantly, from 40 mpg to 25-28 mpg, indicating a negative impact on the system's performance [4278]. The software update was intended to reduce wear on the battery pack without affecting fuel economy, but it resulted in worsened performance for some owners, highlighting an internal system failure. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the Civic Hybrid batteries was attributed to a non-human action, specifically a software upgrade offered by American Honda Motor Co. to address the deteriorating battery packs in Civic Hybrids. The software patch was intended to fix the problem of premature battery failure, but many owners reported that it worsened the situation by causing poor performance and reduced fuel efficiency [4278]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The article discusses complaints about Civic Hybrid battery packs dying prematurely, leading to a software upgrade by Honda to fix the issue. However, many owners reported poor performance and reduced fuel efficiency after the software upgrade, indicating a potential hardware-related issue with the battery packs [4278].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The software patch offered by Honda to address deteriorating Civic Hybrid batteries ended up making things worse for many owners. The software update altered the way the car used its hybrid system and was supposed to reduce wear on the battery pack without reducing fuel economy. However, owners reported issues such as difficulty accelerating from a stopped position and decreased fuel economy, suggesting a software-related failure in the update [4278]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Civic Hybrid battery issue does not seem to be malicious. It appears to be a non-malicious failure caused by a software upgrade offered by American Honda Motor Co. to address complaints of deteriorating Civic Hybrid batteries. The software patch was intended to fix the problem of premature battery failure, but many owners reported that it actually worsened the performance of their vehicles, leading to reduced fuel efficiency and other issues [4278]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Civic Hybrid battery issue can be attributed to poor decisions made by American Honda Motor Co. The company offered a free software upgrade to fix the problem of deteriorating Civic Hybrid batteries, but many owners reported that the software patch actually made things worse. Owners complained of reduced fuel efficiency and poor performance after the software upgrade [4278]. This indicates that the decision to implement the software update had negative consequences, leading to a software failure incident due to poor decisions. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence, accidental |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence can be seen in the case of the Civic Hybrid battery fix offered by American Honda Motor Co. The software upgrade provided to address deteriorating Civic Hybrid batteries resulted in poor performance and reduced fuel efficiency for many owners. Despite the intention to fix the problem, the software patch made things worse, leading to complaints from owners about decreased mileage and battery performance issues [4278].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors is evident in the unintended consequences of the software update provided by Honda. The update was meant to reduce wear on the battery pack without affecting fuel economy, but it ended up causing issues such as difficulty in acceleration and decreased fuel economy for some Civic Hybrid owners. These unintended consequences highlight how accidental factors can lead to software failures even when the initial intention was to improve the system [4278]. |
| Duration |
permanent, temporary |
The software failure incident related to the Civic Hybrid battery issue can be considered as both temporary and permanent based on the information provided in the article.
Temporary:
- The software upgrade offered by American Honda Motor Co. to fix the deteriorating Civic Hybrid batteries was intended to be a temporary solution to address the premature battery failure issue [4278].
- Some Civic Hybrid owners reported that after the software upgrade, their mileage dropped significantly, indicating a temporary negative impact on the performance and fuel efficiency of the vehicles [4278].
Permanent:
- Despite the software patch being intended as a fix, many owners reported that the software update made the situation worse, leading to a permanent negative impact on the performance and fuel efficiency of their vehicles [4278].
- The article mentions that Honda's software update altered the way the car used its hybrid system, which was supposed to reduce wear on the battery pack without reducing fuel economy. However, owners claimed that the new software only exacerbated the issues, suggesting a permanent change in the performance of the vehicles [4278]. |
| Behaviour |
omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software update for Civic Hybrid by Honda resulted in some owners experiencing a significant drop in fuel efficiency and poor performance after the update, with one owner mentioning that their mileage went from 40 mpg to 25-28 mpg [4278].
(b) omission: The software patch released by Honda for the Civic Hybrid was intended to reduce wear on the battery pack without affecting fuel economy. However, many owners reported that the new software actually made matters worse, with some experiencing issues like the car not accelerating properly from a stopped position [4278].
(d) value: Some Civic Hybrid owners reported that after the software update, their fuel economy dropped significantly, with one owner mentioning a decrease from the mid-40-mile per gallon range down to the low 30's, similar to a non-hybrid Civic [4278].
(f) other: The software update for the Civic Hybrid by Honda altered the way the car used its hybrid system, leading to dissatisfaction among some owners. The update was intended to address deteriorating battery performance but ended up causing issues like reduced fuel efficiency and poor acceleration, ultimately resulting in a negative impact on the overall driving experience for some users [4278]. |