Incident: Tesla Model S Fires Caused by Battery Pack Punctures

Published Date: 2013-11-07

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident happened in November 2013. [22817]
System unknown
Responsible Organization unknown
Impacted Organization unknown
Software Causes unknown
Non-software Causes 1. The Tesla Model S caught fire in Tennessee after hitting a piece of debris in the road, specifically a trailer tow hitch [22817]. 2. The first fire incident in Kent, Washington, occurred when the driver ran over a large metal object, puncturing the armored plate covering the battery pack underneath the vehicle [22817]. 3. The second fire incident in Mexico happened when the driver lost control, went through a wall and into an embankment, and then struck a tree [22817].
Impacts unknown
Preventions 1. Implementing better object detection and avoidance systems in the software of the Tesla Model S could have potentially prevented the incident where the driver ran over a trailer tow hitch, leading to a fire [22817]. 2. Conducting more rigorous testing and simulations on the software to ensure it can handle unexpected road debris or obstacles could have helped prevent the fire incident in Tennessee [22817].
Fixes unknown
References 1. Tesla Motors Club forum [22817] 2. Yahoo Autos [22817]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization <Article 22817> The incident reported in the news article is related to a Tesla Model S catching fire in Tennessee after hitting a piece of debris on the road. This marks the third Model S fire in a short period. The first fire happened in Kent, Washington, when a driver ran over a large metal object, puncturing the armored plate covering the battery pack. The second fire occurred in Mexico when the driver lost control and struck a tree. These incidents involve the same product, the Tesla Model S, indicating a software failure issue within the same organization [22817]. Additionally, the article mentions that neither the Nissan Leaf EV nor the Chevrolet Volt gas-electric hybrid, which use the same lithium-ion battery chemistry, have experienced similar fires, highlighting a potential issue specific to the Model S [22817].
Phase (Design/Operation) design Unknown
Boundary (Internal/External) unknown The software failure incident reported in the articles does not directly relate to a software failure within the system or outside the system. The incidents mentioned primarily involve vehicle fires in Tesla Model S cars due to physical factors such as hitting debris on the road or being involved in accidents. Therefore, the boundary of the software failure incident is unknown in this context.
Nature (Human/Non-human) unknown The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to non-human_actions or human_actions.
Dimension (Hardware/Software) hardware (a) The software failure incident occurring due to hardware: - The article mentions incidents where Tesla Model S vehicles caught fire after hitting debris on the road, puncturing the armored plate covering the battery pack underneath the vehicle [22817]. - The first fire in Kent, Washington, occurred when a driver ran over a large metal object, puncturing the armored plate covering the battery pack [22817]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to software: - There is no specific mention of the software failure incident being directly caused by software issues in the provided article.
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) non-malicious (a) The articles do not mention any malicious intent or actions related to the software failure incidents involving Tesla Model S catching fire. The incidents were attributed to hitting debris on the road, puncturing the armored plate covering the battery pack, losing control and crashing into objects like a tree, and going through a wall and into an embankment [22817]. (b) The software failure incidents related to the Tesla Model S fires were non-malicious in nature, as they were caused by external factors such as hitting debris on the road, losing control of the vehicle, and crashing into objects, rather than intentional actions to harm the system [22817].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) unknown <Article 22817> The software failure incident related to the Tesla Model S fires was not directly attributed to poor or accidental decisions regarding software. The incidents were primarily linked to physical factors such as hitting debris on the road, puncturing the armored plate covering the battery pack, losing control of the vehicle, and striking a tree. The focus was on the design and safety aspects of the vehicle, particularly the battery pack and its vulnerability to damage in certain scenarios. The incidents did not point to software-related issues as the primary cause of the fires. Therefore, the intent of the software failure incident in this case is unknown as it was not a significant factor in the reported incidents.
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) unknown Unknown
Duration unknown The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to the Tesla Model S fires in Tennessee, Washington, or Mexico. Therefore, the duration of the incidents cannot be determined from the provided articles [22817].
Behaviour other (a) crash: The articles do not mention any software crash incidents related to the Tesla Model S fires [22817]. (b) omission: The articles do not mention any software omission incidents related to the Tesla Model S fires [22817]. (c) timing: The articles do not mention any software timing incidents related to the Tesla Model S fires [22817]. (d) value: The articles do not mention any software value incidents related to the Tesla Model S fires [22817]. (e) byzantine: The articles do not mention any software byzantine incidents related to the Tesla Model S fires [22817]. (f) other: The behavior of the software failure incident related to the Tesla Model S fires is not explicitly described in the articles.

IoT System Layer

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

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence unknown The articles do not mention any software failure incident related to the consequences listed in the question. Therefore, the consequence of the software failure incident is 'unknown'.
Domain transportation, unknown <Article 22817> The software failure incident related to the Tesla Model S fires does not directly indicate a failure in any specific industry. The incidents primarily involve the safety and performance of the electric vehicles themselves, rather than a failure in a specific industry such as transportation, manufacturing, or utilities. The focus is on the vehicle design, battery technology, and safety features of the Model S, rather than a software failure directly tied to a particular industry. Therefore, the specific industry that the failed system was intended to support is unknown based on the information provided in the article.

Sources

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