Car Software Patches Are Over 20% of Recalls, Study Finds 47
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Software fixes are now responsible for more than 1 in 5 automotive recalls. That's the key finding from a decade's worth of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall data, according to an analysis from the law firm DeMayo Law. While that's a sign of growing inconvenience for drivers, the silver lining is that a software patch is usually a much quicker fix than something requiring hardware replacement. "Our analysis suggests we're witnessing a shift in how automotive recalls are handled. The growing number of software-related recalls, coupled with the ability to address issues remotely, could revolutionize the recall process for both manufacturers and vehicle owners," said a spokesperson for DeMayo Law.
In 2014, 34 of 277 automotive recalls were software fixes. The percentage of software recalls floated around 12-13 percent (apart from a spike in 2015) before growing steadily from 2020. In 2021, 16 percent of automotive recalls (61 out of 380) were for software. In 2022, almost 22 percent of recalls were software fixes (76 out of 348), and last year topped 23 percent (82 out of 356). Leading the way was Chrysler, with 82 different software recalls since 2014. Ford (66 recalls) and Mercedes-Benz (60) are the two runner-ups. Meanwhile, Tesla ranks only eighth, with 26 software recalls since 2014, which puts it on par with Hyundai (25) and Kia (25).
Electrical systems were the most common problem area, which makes sense -- this is also the second-most common hardware fix recall and would probably be the top if it were not for the massive Takata airbag recall, which has affected more than 100 million cars worldwide. The other common systems affected by recalls requiring software remedies were related to backover prevention -- whether that be reversing cameras, collision warnings, or automatic emergency braking -- airbags, powertrains, and exterior lighting. "It should be noted that not all recalls involving a software fix are to solve a software problem," notes Ars' Jonathan M. Gitlin. "Take the recent Jaguar I-Pace recall, which was triggered by battery fires caused by battery cells damaged during assembly. Jaguar's fix? A software update that sets a new, lower limit to the storage capacity of the battery pack, preventing it from fully charging to 100 percent."
In 2014, 34 of 277 automotive recalls were software fixes. The percentage of software recalls floated around 12-13 percent (apart from a spike in 2015) before growing steadily from 2020. In 2021, 16 percent of automotive recalls (61 out of 380) were for software. In 2022, almost 22 percent of recalls were software fixes (76 out of 348), and last year topped 23 percent (82 out of 356). Leading the way was Chrysler, with 82 different software recalls since 2014. Ford (66 recalls) and Mercedes-Benz (60) are the two runner-ups. Meanwhile, Tesla ranks only eighth, with 26 software recalls since 2014, which puts it on par with Hyundai (25) and Kia (25).
Electrical systems were the most common problem area, which makes sense -- this is also the second-most common hardware fix recall and would probably be the top if it were not for the massive Takata airbag recall, which has affected more than 100 million cars worldwide. The other common systems affected by recalls requiring software remedies were related to backover prevention -- whether that be reversing cameras, collision warnings, or automatic emergency braking -- airbags, powertrains, and exterior lighting. "It should be noted that not all recalls involving a software fix are to solve a software problem," notes Ars' Jonathan M. Gitlin. "Take the recent Jaguar I-Pace recall, which was triggered by battery fires caused by battery cells damaged during assembly. Jaguar's fix? A software update that sets a new, lower limit to the storage capacity of the battery pack, preventing it from fully charging to 100 percent."
GIves a new meaning to "Blue Screen of Death". (Score:3, Funny)
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It's not just screens of death either. My newish car is going for a recall to update software to the emergency call system. Apparently won't work correctly in some countries as it is today. No screen involved, and a pretty deadly problem.
Cars for transportation, not smartphone w/ wheels (Score:3)
Have realized that more buttons and more screens and more lights in your face from the dashboard and more 'forced help driving' in modern cars results in
distracted driving.
Having repeatedly rented cars while on a long project and having to get just the basics in each car situated, even for low end rental cars, is frustrating and a time waster. It gives the conclusion that 50% or more of the 'features' of modern cars are not worth using and help to cause distracted driving.
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The various safety features like front collision avoidance and lane departure warnings have proven to be effective. You may not like them, but the evidence shows that they do work... At least when implemented properly.
There are issues with poor implementations, slamming on brakes when they shouldn't, and yanking the wheel when you aren't departing a lane.
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There are issues with poor implementations, slamming on brakes when they shouldn't, and yanking the wheel when you aren't departing a lane.
So nice to know my car, if I had one of these new fangled contraptions, can randomly slam on the brakes when I'm driving down the highway with people behind me, or decide to randomly change a lane with a tractor trailer beside me.
Looks like I won't be getting one of these poorly coded machines. It's the same reason I no longer use Windows at home. Moving away from dang
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It's not quite randomly. Phantom braking depends on the implementation, but tends to be on roundabouts and similar tight turns. Since the US doesn't have many roundabouts it's probably much less of an issue there.
The lane keeping doesn't change lane. It beeps and/or nudges the steering wheel if it notices you drifting over the white lines. Of course, when you want to change lane you indicate which disables it, and you can simply apply more force to the wheel to override its nudge. Where it tends to have iss
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The various safety features like front collision avoidance and lane departure warnings have proven to be effective. You may not like them, but the evidence shows that they do work... At least when implemented properly.
There are issues with poor implementations, slamming on brakes when they shouldn't, and yanking the wheel when you aren't departing a lane.
I'm wishing for universal tailgate avoidance. My Jeep has adaptive cruise control that I can set for the following distance. This needs to be on all vehicles
Now the lane assist works well with one caveat - when you are on a wet road, the "nudge" it gives can for a split second feel like the car is slipping. It isn't, and you get used to it.
I really like the various assists, I prefer them to the so called self driving vehicles.
Irony with my current car (Score:2)
My 2024 mazda has a distracted driver functionality (can't be switched off). Unfortunately the implementation is frankly garbage and often pings up a warning while I'm looking straight ahead at the road meaning I look down at the dash taking my eyes off the road only to be told I'm distracted. You really couldn't make it up.
These systems are the result of badly thought out legislation (at least here in europe) and rushed implementations that tick boxes but in some cases make driving more dangerous (eg lane
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My 2024 mazda has a distracted driver functionality (can't be switched off). Unfortunately the implementation is frankly garbage and often pings up a warning while I'm looking straight ahead at the road meaning I look down at the dash taking my eyes off the road only to be told I'm distracted. You really couldn't make it up.
These systems are the result of badly thought out legislation (at least here in europe) and rushed implementations that tick boxes but in some cases make driving more dangerous (eg lane assist that suddenly makes you swerve for no reason, auto braking that brakes in a clear lane and could cause a rear-ender).
Bad implementations certainly exist. How does it determine you are distracted, and the alarm does sound distracting in itself for certain Just to be certain, your car has switched lanes and locked up the brakes? That's really bad.
For my Jeep, I can control the sensitivity or even turn off controls like lane assist, emergency braking, telling me there is someone in the blind spot and pedestrian avoidance. And they work, emergency braking has already saved my ass a couple times.
If I had a quibble, it i
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You're using them wrong. There is nothing in your modern high tech smartphone car that requires you to take your eyes of the road. You're just using it like an old school car, reaching for the centre console that you think is still important.
You could do entirely away with the centre control of my car and I could still change volume, change radio stations, change navigation destination, change the climate control temperature, all without taking my eyes off the road or even without taking my hands of the ste
Matter of time (Score:5, Interesting)
It's only a matter of time until a mass hacking of vehicles happens all at once. You think ClownStrike was bad? Just wait.
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Already happened [cars.com]. It was over a decade ago, but all it takes is one easily "flipped" sysadmin with access to a car maker's remote disabling system to wreak mass havoc.
Consumer protection laws (Score:2)
Is there any chance consumer protection laws can be used to slow down the never ending slow pace of adding new unwanted smart features to cars to only increase their price and to make more profits for the auto industry?
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Why do you hate capitalism?
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Main developers of those sorts of systems are Chinese Communists.
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Communism can't predict demand. So it has planned economy that tends to overproduce in focused sectors and underproduce in others.
For example EVs are viewed as a strategic sector by Chinese Communist Party, so they are massive overproducing them.
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Well, the US is massively under-producing electric cars, so we could help them with that.
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The main reason is that there are no real alternatives. Correct me if I'm wrong, but AFAIK, the US/NA market is the absolute worst in the world for choice (for example, if you want a small pickup truck, you basically have to go for a Tacoma, as nobody will sell one of the VW pickups on this side of the pond.) You can't just buy a basic four-banger Hilux with a manual like you can in Mexico.
I don't see government, which is pretty much rife with regulatory capture, and many politicians considering anything
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Ford Maverick ...
Chevy Colorado
Nissan Frontier
Ford Ranger
Jeep Gladiator
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If you're putting the Maverick on that list then you have to include the Ridgeline, but both of those are actually utes because they are unibody and based on car platforms.
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For some reason I really want a Dodge Rampage. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Full sized trucks look outright ridiculous today. The giant stacked headlights are exactly what the family truckster was making fun of in the 1980s. https://riotfest.org/2016/08/1... [riotfest.org]
Hmmm (Score:2)
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Anecdotal, but software recall I'm having to deal with next month is about the emergency call system. It won't work correctly in some countries.
So it's both of little significance as I don't plan to use the car to go abroad any time soon, but it's also quite lethal in case I were to go into one of those nations and get into an accident where this system would be necessary.
We made it too easy. (Score:4, Interesting)
When fixing these issues is a simple software update that inconveniences the buyer more than the maker, it's no surprise quality is taking a backseat (pun not intended) to speed and cost of deployment.
Like many consumer electronics, back when getting it wrong meant a rather large expense to the manufacturer to replace components, they put more effort into doing the job right the first time.
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You're jumping to a conclusion. Correlation != causation. The reality is modern drive trains are far more complex. Modern safety systems are far more complex. Modern car interfaces are far more complex. There's no evidence that a drop in quality is leading to increased recalls, they are just as adequately explained by the drastically increased complexity - and that is largely demanded by regulations.
My car got a "recall" (software update) over the front facing radar. Now is this a quality control issue? May
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Your car might not need a front facing radar if it wasn't for the fact that modern vehicles - pickups especially, have such high hoods that they ha
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It costs the maker money. They have to either pay a dealer to do the update, or if they have OTA capability every update will brick some small percentage of vehicles and result in costly recovery and repair.
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At least they're doing the recalls though - in times gone by, they wouldn't have bothered because it was too expensive. You know the old formula: "if the cost of the lawsuits is less than the cost of the recall, we don't do the recall" - that equation is tilted towards doing recalls a lot more often now.
Also remember: every one of these cars passed all the safety tests mandated by your country's government. Yet somehow they had recall-requiring defects (not issues with the maps or similar - stuff worthy of
Number of recalls (Score:2)
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One problem with modern cars is that the engine compartment is so sealed up that any oil or gas leak stays in the car allowing the additional chance for an engine fire; so far I have had 3 recall bulletins for it because they still haven't solved how to make the under car engine cover leak enough fluids and hot air to mitigate any leaks. The first t
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The complexity of cars is increasing as well. I had a software update "recall" recently. It was for the front facing radar of my car. My previous car didn't have a front facing radar, or EBS, or traction control, etc. etc.
Gratuitous Snark (Score:3)
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How to bloat stuff up ?
Wish there were better offline patching... (Score:2)
It would be nice if there were a way to just copy the patches onto a SD card, stick that into a slot on the audio head and have the vehicle do the rest, including validating signatures, copying the signed files to a secure area, letting devices on the CAN know there are updates that are fetchable, and working with that, and not allowing an update to complete unless all the parts of the update are present, and the update would be atomic... either everything gets updated, or nothing does, so the vehicle is a
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Basically how my 8-year-old Ford does it.
The firmware is held on SD card (the car is not connected to enable downloads). It updates the firmware when inserted and you click a button. It's signature-validated.
There are no "CANbus" devices, really, there's just the main ECU and that's it. And better than atomic updates is modular ones where you don't care if the entertainment system is a version in front of behind the ECU version, it still all just works.
Mine's just an ordinary Mondeo (which in the US is s
Software Defined Vehicle (Score:2)
So, Recall? (Score:2)
You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.
Bah, nothing like KITT & KARR! (Score:2)
At last, they were more reliable. :P Let's go back to analog cars that are more reliable.
The VW/Apple trick (Score:2)
What Jaguar did is awfully related to what Apple did via OS updates for older iphones to perform worse in order to keep battery consistency. Or what VW made after dieselgate in Europe and US by recalling their vehicles just to knee-cap them by reducing effective horsepower (for achieving ecological restrictions) and not compensating the owners of the cars that thought they bought an efficient, yet powerful car.
Basically they're changing product spec after selling them, which should induce in compensation to
true story! (Score:2)
My Ford Escape failed emissions because the CPU in the car would not communicate with the computer the emissions station connected it to.
It resulted in a recall to upgrade some sort of software on the car.
I failed emissions because of a recall that had absolutely nothing to do with how the car burns fuel.
Two Hour Oil Change (Score:1)
I took my new car to the dealership for its first oil change. I was there for two hours because they applied various software patches!