| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Chevrolet Volt's battery catching fire after a crash test has happened again at General Motors. The incident occurred three weeks after a side-impact crash test, leading to a fire in the vehicle's battery [54830]. General Motors is taking steps to strengthen the battery pack and prevent coolant leaks to avoid such incidents in the future [54830].
(b) The software failure incident related to battery fires after crash tests has not been reported to have occurred at other organizations or with their products and services in the provided articles. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
operation |
(a) The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to the design phase of the system development.
(b) The software failure incident mentioned in the articles is related to the operation phase. The incident involved fires in the Chevrolet Volt's battery several weeks after crash tests, which were attributed to an electrical short caused by crystallized coolant, leading to the battery catching fire [54830, 9080]. The failure was linked to the operation or misuse of the system, specifically the post-crash safety protocol not being followed, which required draining the battery of power after a crash test [54830]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system, outside_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the Chevrolet Volt's battery catching fire was primarily due to factors originating from within the system. The incident was caused by an electrical short resulting from crystallized coolant, which led to the battery catching fire [54830]. The failure analysis focused on examining various aspects of the battery, including circuit boards, the chemical reaction storing and discharging energy, and the coolant system itself to determine the root cause of the fires [54830]. Engineers proposed solutions such as laminating the battery's circuitry and reinforcing its case to better protect the coolant system in case of a side-impact crash [54830].
(b) outside_system: The software failure incident was also influenced by factors originating from outside the system. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) was not informed of the post-crash safety protocol for the Volt, which requires draining the battery of power after a crash [54830]. This lack of communication and adherence to safety protocols contributed to the incident. Additionally, the article mentions that the fire investigators cleared the Volt and its electric charger of starting a house fire in North Carolina, indicating that the charger was a victim of the fire, not the cause [54830]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the articles is primarily related to non-human actions. The incident was caused by a coolant leak in the Volt's lithium-ion battery, which led to an electrical short and subsequent fires in dormant vehicles [54830, 9080]. The failure was not directly attributed to human actions but rather to a design flaw in the battery pack's coolant system.
(b) Human actions were involved in the response to the software failure incident. General Motors' CEO announced potential redesigns of the battery pack and the consideration of buying back Volts from concerned owners [9080]. These actions were taken in response to the federal investigation and to reassure consumers, indicating human intervention in addressing the software failure incident. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware:
- The software failure incident involving the Chevrolet Volt's battery catching fire was attributed to a coolant leak in the battery pack, which is a hardware-related issue [54830, 9080].
(b) The software failure incident occurring due to software:
- There is no mention of the software failure incident being directly caused by software-related factors in the provided articles. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The articles do not mention any malicious intent or actions related to the software failure incident. [54830, 9080]
(b) The software failure incident was non-malicious and was related to a design flaw in the Chevrolet Volt's battery pack, specifically concerning the coolant system and the potential for fires after a crash test. The failure was attributed to the crystallized coolant causing an electrical short, leading to the battery catching fire. General Motors was working on strengthening the battery pack to prevent coolant leaks and potential future fires. The incident was a result of unintended design issues rather than any malicious actions. [54830, 9080] |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
The software failure incident related to the Chevrolet Volt battery fires was primarily due to contributing factors introduced by accidental decisions rather than poor decisions. The incident was caused by an electrical short resulting from crystallized coolant, which was an unintended consequence of the design and composition of the battery system [54830, 9080]. The decision to use liquid coolant in the battery system was not a poor decision in itself, as it is a common practice in electric vehicles, but the crystallization of the coolant leading to the electrical short was an accidental outcome that was not foreseen during the design phase. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident occurring due to development incompetence:
- The software failure incident related to the Chevrolet Volt's battery catching fire was not directly attributed to development incompetence but rather to a coolant leak causing an electrical short [54830].
- General Motors and investigators were examining all aspects of the battery, including circuit boards and the chemical reaction for storing and discharging energy, to determine the cause of the fires in dormant vehicles. The investigation focused on preventing coolant leaks to avoid future battery fires [54830].
(b) The software failure incident occurring accidentally:
- The incident of the Chevrolet Volt's battery catching fire was described as an accidental event resulting from crystallized coolant causing an electrical short, leading to the battery fire [54830].
- The fires in the Chevrolet Volt's battery were reported to have occurred several weeks after crash tests, indicating an accidental nature of the incident rather than a deliberate software failure [9080]. |
| Duration |
unknown |
The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to the Chevrolet Volt's battery pack issue. Therefore, the duration of the software failure incident is unknown. |
| Behaviour |
crash, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the articles is related to a crash. The crash occurred in the Chevrolet Volt's battery system, specifically after a side-impact crash test. The incident led to a fire in the battery due to an electrical short caused by crystallized coolant, resulting in the battery catching fire weeks after the crash test [54830, 9080].
(b) omission: There is no specific mention of the software failure incident being related to omission in the articles.
(c) timing: The timing of the software failure incident is not directly related to the system performing its intended functions too late or too early. The incident occurred weeks after the crash test, indicating a delayed impact rather than a timing issue.
(d) value: The software failure incident is related to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The incident involved the coolant in the battery system causing an electrical short, leading to a fire in the battery, which is an unintended and incorrect function of the system [54830, 9080].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident is not described as behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions in the articles.
(f) other: The other behavior of the software failure incident is related to the system losing its intended state and not performing any of its functions correctly due to the crash impact on the battery system, leading to the fire. This behavior aligns with the definition of a crash in software failure incidents [54830, 9080]. |