Incident: Transmission Control Module Software Issue in Mitsubishi Vehicles.

Published Date: 2016-08-23

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident with Mitsubishi's CVT transmission control module happened this week as per the article [46888]. Therefore, the estimated timeline for the software failure incident would be August 2016.
System 1. Transmission control module software in Mitsubishi vehicles, including the 2016 Lancer, 2016 Outlander, and 2015-2016 Outlander Sport [46888].
Responsible Organization 1. Mitsubishi - Mitsubishi was responsible for causing the software failure incident in the CVT of their vehicles, leading to the recall of over 80,000 cars [46888].
Impacted Organization 1. Owners of Mitsubishi vehicles in the US [46888]
Software Causes 1. The software cause of the failure incident was related to the software in the transmission control module of the CVT, which led to a delay in acceleration when the gas pedal was depressed [46888].
Non-software Causes 1. The issue with the continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) in Mitsubishi vehicles was related to the software in the transmission control module, causing a delay in acceleration [46888].
Impacts 1. The software failure incident in Mitsubishi vehicles led to a delay in acceleration when the gas pedal was depressed, potentially causing a lack of response in critical situations such as needing to accelerate through an intersection quickly [46888].
Preventions 1. Implementing thorough testing procedures during the software development phase to catch any potential issues before the software is deployed [46888]. 2. Conducting regular software updates and maintenance to ensure that any emerging issues are addressed promptly [46888]. 3. Utilizing robust quality assurance processes to verify the functionality and performance of the software, especially in critical components like the transmission control module [46888].
Fixes 1. Reprogramming the CVT's control module by Mitsubishi technicians for free [46888].
References 1. Mitsubishi - The articles gather information about the software failure incident from Mitsubishi, the automaker that issued the recall and identified the issue with the transmission control module [46888].

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization (a) The software failure incident related to the delay in acceleration due to issues with the transmission control module software has happened again within the same organization, Mitsubishi. The article mentions that Mitsubishi had to recall more than 80,000 cars for CVT troubles, specifically related to the software in the transmission control module [46888]. This indicates a recurring issue within Mitsubishi's products. (b) There is no information in the provided article about the software failure incident happening again at other organizations or with their products and services.
Phase (Design/Operation) design (a) The software failure incident in Article 46888 is related to the design phase. Mitsubishi is recalling over 80,000 vehicles due to issues with the continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) caused by software in the transmission control module. The problem leads to a delay in acceleration when the gas pedal is depressed, which could potentially result in accidents. The root cause of the issue lies in the software design of the transmission control module, indicating a failure introduced during the system development phase [46888]. (b) The software failure incident in Article 46888 is not directly related to the operation phase or misuse of the system. The issue with the CVT causing delays in acceleration is attributed to a software problem in the transmission control module, which is being addressed through a reprogramming by Mitsubishi technicians. Therefore, the failure is not due to operational factors or misuse of the system [46888].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system (a) The software failure incident described in the article is within_system. The issue is related to the software in the transmission control module of Mitsubishi vehicles, specifically affecting the CVT's performance by causing a delay in acceleration when the gas pedal is depressed [46888]. The fix for this issue involves reprogramming the CVT's control module, indicating that the problem originates from within the system itself.
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions (a) The software failure incident in this case is related to non-human actions. The issue with the continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) in Mitsubishi vehicles was caused by software in the transmission control module, which led to a delay in acceleration when the gas pedal was depressed. This delay was not intentionally introduced by human actions but rather was a result of the software not functioning as intended [46888].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware, software (a) The software failure incident in this case is related to hardware. Mitsubishi is recalling vehicles due to issues with the continuously variable transmission (CVT) caused by software in the transmission control module. The delay in acceleration is a result of the software issue within the hardware component of the CVT system [46888]. (b) The software failure incident is also related to software. The delay in acceleration experienced by the vehicles is directly attributed to a software issue in the transmission control module. Mitsubishi is addressing this software problem by reprogramming the CVT's control module to resolve the acceleration delay [46888].
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The software failure incident described in Article 46888 is non-malicious. Mitsubishi is recalling vehicles due to issues related to software in the transmission control module, which causes a delay in acceleration when the gas pedal is depressed. This issue poses a safety risk as it could lead to a lack of acceleration in critical situations, potentially resulting in accidents. The fix for this software issue involves reprogramming the CVT's control module to ensure proper acceleration, indicating that the failure was not caused by malicious intent but rather by a technical flaw in the software [46888].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) unknown (a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor_decisions: - The software failure incident in the article was not due to poor decisions but rather a technical issue related to the software in the transmission control module of Mitsubishi vehicles [46888]. (b) The intent of the software failure incident related to accidental_decisions: - The software failure incident was not caused by accidental decisions but rather by a technical issue with the CVT software leading to a delay in acceleration [46888].
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) accidental (a) The software failure incident in Article 46888 is not attributed to development incompetence. The issue with the CVT in Mitsubishi vehicles was related to the software in the transmission control module, causing a delay in acceleration. The article mentions that Mitsubishi has already sent out notifications to owners and will reprogram the CVT's control module for free to address the issue, indicating that the problem was identified and a solution was readily available. There is no indication of incompetence in the development process. (b) The software failure incident in Article 46888 is more aligned with an accidental failure. The delay in acceleration caused by the software issue in the transmission control module was not intentional but rather an unintended consequence of certain scenarios. Mitsubishi is taking proactive steps to address the issue by recalling the vehicles and providing a fix, indicating that the failure was accidental rather than a result of intentional actions or negligence.
Duration temporary The software failure incident described in Article 46888 is temporary. The issue with the CVT in Mitsubishi vehicles is related to the software in the transmission control module causing a delay in acceleration under certain scenarios. This delay is not a permanent failure but occurs in specific circumstances, such as when the gas pedal is depressed. Mitsubishi is addressing this temporary software issue by reprogramming the CVT's control module for free, which is expected to take about an hour and resolve the acceleration delay [46888].
Behaviour omission, timing, value, other (a) crash: The article mentions a scenario where a lack of acceleration due to the software issue could contribute to a crash [46888]. (b) omission: The software issue causes a delay between depressing the gas pedal and the vehicle accelerating forward, indicating an omission in performing its intended function promptly [46888]. (c) timing: The delay in acceleration caused by the software issue can be categorized as a timing failure, where the system is not performing its intended function at the correct time [46888]. (d) value: The software issue results in the transmission not producing acceleration as intended by the automaker, indicating a value failure where the system is not performing its intended function correctly [46888]. (e) byzantine: There is no mention of the software exhibiting inconsistent responses or interactions, so the byzantine behavior is not applicable in this case. (f) other: The software issue causing a delay in acceleration, which could potentially lead to safety risks, could be categorized as a safety-critical failure, falling under the "other" category of software behavior [46888].

IoT System Layer

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

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence theoretical_consequence The consequence of the software failure incident related to the Mitsubishi recall for CVT troubles was a potential harm scenario. The article mentions that the issue with the CVT software could lead to a delay in acceleration when pressing the gas pedal, which could be critical in situations where immediate acceleration is necessary, such as when trying to avoid a collision at an intersection. While the article does not report any actual incidents of harm or crashes resulting from this software issue, it highlights the potential risk of harm due to the delayed acceleration caused by the software problem [46888].
Domain transportation (a) The failed system in the incident reported in Article 46888 is related to the transportation industry. Mitsubishi is recalling vehicles due to software issues in the transmission control module, specifically affecting the acceleration of the vehicles [46888].

Sources

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