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General Motors Recalls 4.3 Million Vehicles Over a Software Bug (gizmodo.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Gizmodo: If you own a GM vehicle from 2014-2017, listen up: General Motors is recalling nearly 4.3 million vehicles worldwide after discovering a software defect that prevents air bags from deploying during a crash. The software bug may also prevent the seat belts from locking properly. The flaw has already been linked to one death and three injuries. Vehicles affected by the recall include 2014-2016 car models of the Buick LaCross, Chevy SS, and Chevy Spark EVs. It also includes 2014-2017 models of the Buick Encore, GMC Sierra, Chevy Corvette, Chevy Trax, Chevy Caprice, Chevy Silverado. Additionally, the recall affects 2015-2017 models of the Chevy Tahoe, Chevy Silverado HD, Chevy Suburban, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, GMC Sierra HD, Cadillac Escalade, and Cadillac Escalade ESV. GM will notify owners of affected vehicles and update the software for free, according to the NHTSA. "In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test," the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a statement. "During the test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash."
Though likely a mere fraction of a lightning strike, probability-wise, there's some factory warranty work you can do at the Chevrolet House if you're slow...
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
Why is there any software AT ALL involved in the operation of a seatbelt? For fuck's sake, not everything needs to be computerized.
They should do over-the-air updates like Tesla does. Then there would be no need for a recall.
After knowing a number of owners both former and present, I have come to the conclusion that these vehicles are somehow designed to "expire" after a while.
Could this be the reason one doesn't see many of them manufactured over the last 15 years?I will never forget one Cadillac I found in the shop with a malfunctioning transmission at exactly 100,801 miles with a 100,000 mile warranty. For me, GM is a no!
The old fashioned method was airbags used to be triggered by a magnetic ball embedded in a 'cup' that on the application of severe deceleration, the ball popped out, closed a circuit and triggered the airbag. The same goes for seat-belts. A rotating wheel that trip and engages a cog on the application of a set amount of acceleration.
OMG, 4,3M vehicles, when is Tesla admitting that AutoPilot is a deathtrap and... oh...
"Vehicles affected by the recall include ... x,y,z. It also includes z, y x..."
Perhaps a single sentence would suffice, if not a simple link to all affected models. Journalism isn't a middle school writing assignment where you get more credit by submitting 2 pages.
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
You stop the car and turn the key. At this moment, the car tells you "Stage 1 of 173. Configuring updates. Do not turn off the car". Too bad you were late for that meeting...
Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
No because the mechanical systems often don't work as well. Modern systems are able to analyze things like the angle of the crash, how hard it is, etc. and adjust things accordingly. For example, I have a friend with an old F150 that went through a brick wall. He barely felt it and the only damage to the truck is the fact that the airbag went off. A modern system would detect this and MEMS sensors should be a lot more reliable than the mechanical switches. Modern vehicles also have variable-force deployment which requires more than a simple on/off.
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Because without software, seatbelt tensioners and airbags would deploy in many instances where and when they should not. These systems have to be very complex in order to not kill people inadvertently. Hence, self-diagnostics tests and the like. The state of the vehicle is modeled to determine the probability of a crash being in progress in order to make sense of individual sensor input.
Isn't some simple mechanical fuse / switch sufficient for the airbag deployment system? Also, did old cars require SDM for the seatbelt to lock properly? Why are they changing mechanisms that have proved themselves?
Isn't a carburettor and magneto sufficient to run an engine? The answer is yes, if you have no regulations, reliability and/or liability to be concerned with.
Air bag systems have had software for literally decades, it's not new. Seatbelts still have mechanical locking. Electronically-controlled pre-tensioning is something else that has been around for decades now, and is part of the airbag control system.
Modern air bags have variable deployment energy, which requires determining the severity of the collision, the weight of the occupant, etc. There are also side curtain and many other types of airbag that should only deploy when required, so the pitch, roll, and yaw, and even sideslip of the vehicle has to be known. Side curtain airbags need to deploy before the vehicle lands on its side, so software is required to predict when impact is likely to occur.
Also, electromechanical systems can't self-check and diagnose themselves when there is a system failure. Air bag systems continuously monitor even the resistance of the igniter in the airbag to make sure it is correct.
As vehicle manufacturers found out with carburettors and emissions regulations, mechanical systems quickly become too complex and unreliable to react to many inputs. There is no new passenger vehicle sold in North America that doesn't run its engine entirely from a computer. It's just that superior. Likewise with airbags.
This sounds to be a much worse problem than their 'key stuck in ignition' fiasco from a few years ago, and that was quite bad already.
It also sounds potentially much worse than the Takata airbag debacle.
Yet I am sure GM will get a slap on the wrist and continue selling cars, because it is 'too big to fail.'
I don't know the stats on pretensioned seatbelt injury. The seatbelt pre-tensioner is part of a system; it doesn't necessarily kill people on its own, but it has the potential cause unwarranted injury and distraction. The SRS system as a whole definitely can cause severe injury and death. That's why they are always being improved. No one wants their explosive seatbelt tensioner to fire in non-collision conditions. It also needs to fire in coordination with the airbag to be effective; if it fires too late or doesn't fire at all it doesn't help. The SRS system needs to completely deploy in the correct order for the conditions within around 70ms of the first impact. Electronics are the fastest, most accurate, and repeatable timing system available.
This sounds suspiciously like the Volkswagen scam. Certain driving patterns change the behavior of the vehicle. I wonder if the emissions parameters change too?
Bruce Perens.
You're making an argument that having the seat belt inertial lock falsely engage every once in a while (annoying, but what we had for 50 years now) is worse than having a far more complex software controlled system that may not engage at all (TFA).
I completely disagree.
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To imagine that the proper latching of a Mechanical Component such as a seat belt is dependent on software is beyond be believable. Why should any such a thing be allowed by law? That is just insane! Similarly the deployment of an air bag should be activated by a purely mechanical system having nothing to do with computation. This is a case of technology degrading the usefulness of safety systems. STOP! .
Why do you keep talking about the seatbelt locking? It's an irrelevant argument. They still always lock mechanically, no software involved. Your seatbelt isn't going to just unwind and let you smash into the dashboard unimpeded if the software fails to fire the airbag/pretensioner.
What is controlled by software is the pre-tensioner that explosively shortens the seatbelt to pin you into your seat so you are better positioned for airbag impact. This absolutely must be integrated into the airbag system, and only electronic control allows accurate enough timing to make it effective.
Does anyone know who is the producer of Airbag modules involved ? Thank you
I used to have a car with automatic seat belts. It frequently tried to strangle me.
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