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Why is a simple software update described as "recall"? Just for clicks? Alternative headline: "Tesla is improving their cars for the 17th time this year, at n

Why is a simple software update described as "recall"? Just for clicks? Alternative headline: "Tesla is improving their cars for the 17th time this year, at no cost to owners"

ohgodplsno 4y ago
Because "oh shit power steering is gone" has not been an issue on any other car since the early 1990s unless your care came with no power steering initially. And because "oh shit power steering is gone because I hit a pothole" is not something you want improved, it's something that should never fucking happen and would never happen on any modern car.
- panick21_ 4y ago
  Go and look at all car recalls lots of things that 'should never happen in modern cars' happened to some company or another.
andyjohnson0 4y ago
Its not a software-only fix. From TFA: "According to [Tesla], the affected cars have problems with their power-steering assist system when driving on rough roads or after hitting a pothole. The issue would leave drivers without the assistance to move the steering wheel with the help of the electric technology, forcing drivers to use a lot of force to move the steering wheel and increasing the likelihood of crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)."
- ChemSpider 4y ago
  It was purely a software bug (and fixed already): "The problem began when Tesla rolled out an update for a new calibration value for their electronic power assist steering system only to have alerts about the update a week later, according to the NHTSA. Tesla has released a firmware update to recalibrate the issue already. According to Tesla, 97% of the recalled vehicles had an update installed that addressed the issue. There have been no official reports of injury linked to the potential loss of steering assistance."
  - watwut 4y ago
    It is as serious issue as if it would be caused by faulty hardware. It is cool that it is possible to fix malfunctioning cars faster. But the Teslas were actually malfunctioning in serious way.
- Someone 4y ago
  How do you infer “Its not a software-only fix” from that? Also, FTA: “The problem began when Tesla rolled out an update for a new calibration value for their electronic power assist steering system only to have alerts about the update a week later, according to the NHTSA. Tesla has released a firmware update to recalibrate the issue already” So, Tesla claims otherwise. Power steering ¿nowadays? isn’t simply “multiply the force the driver exerts”. You want to use the same hardware for lane assist, for example. That certainly involves software. I don’t know how potholes would interact with that, but I do not see any reason this must also involve a hardware change.
  - salawat 4y ago
    So they pushed out a new apparently untested value? OTA is truly an innovation! Screw doing our own testing in house, just push it to users and then hurry out a patch if they notice anything!
zemvpferreira 4y ago
> the affected cars have problems with their power-steering assist system when driving on rough roads or after hitting a pothole. The issue would leave drivers without the assistance to move the steering wheel with the help of the electric technology, forcing drivers to use a lot of force to move the steering wheel While not a recall in the sense of having to surrender your car back to an official shop, this is far from an improvement. It's reasonable to expect any car built in the last 50 years to operate as normal after hitting a pothole.
- ericbarrett 4y ago
  Also, if you haven't experienced it, steering a car with failed power steering is much harder than a car that just doesn't have it, because you are fighting the hydraulics. Last time I had to do this it took all my strength and I had to brace myself against the door, just to turn into a garage. So the scenario addressed by the recall can effectively disable the vehicle.
  - t_sawyer 4y ago
    Normal car power steering operates with a rubber belt that can break at any time. It's being fixed just like you may have to fix a serpentine belt one day.
    - ericbarrett 4y ago
      It's increasingly common for conventional cars to have electric power steering, because it definitely has advantages over mechanically-pumped systems—both maintenance and efficiency. GM tried this several years ago with poor results, but the systems providers (Bosch etc.) have made great strides; I expect almost all new models will have it soon. Same failure mode, though.
    - zemvpferreira 4y ago
      No. It's being fixed as if every car off the line had been shipped with a defective serpentine belt from day zero. I have no bone to pick with Tesla but let's not confuse normal wear and tear with sloppy engineering.
blowski 4y ago
There’s a difference between my laptop being updated and my car.
xeromal 4y ago
I think it's because there's a divide between the public's understanding of the word recall and the technical meaning in the automotive industry. The media likes to play on that to make it more scary than it should.
nocoiner 4y ago
Because what’s happening here is “Tesla remedies manufacturing defect in accordance with law.” That’s how recalls work. I think OTA recall implementations are a terrific innovation, and far better than the old system of taking your car to a dealership (though the other automakers are adapting - I got a call the other day offering to send a tech to my house to apply the fix for a recall on my car). But fixing a defect in the car at the manufacturer’s expense is, quite literally, the bare minimum required.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
Veserv 4y ago
A “recall” is a very specific technical term in this context. It is a formal notice of a safety defect by a manufacturer to all affected parties that they have a defective product. It identifies the nature of the problem, the consequences of the problem, the affected parties, and the known remedy or steps the affected parties should take. It also requires the fixes to be offered to all affected parties free of charge. A recall is supposed to be issued in all cases that a safety defect is detected to guarantee that all customers are informed of potential problems and that the manufacturers are on the hook for solving them.
taco_emoji 4y ago
What do you think a "recall" is?
moolcool 4y ago
"We didn't fix the broken thing we shipped to you, we are merely improving it for free"

Why is a simple software update described as "recall"? Just for clicks? Alternative headline: "Tesla is improving their cars for the 17th time this year, at no cost to owners"

ohgodplsno 4y ago

Because "oh shit power steering is gone" has not been an issue on any other car since the early 1990s unless your care came with no power steering initially. And because "oh shit power steering is gone because I hit a pothole" is not something you want improved, it's something that should never fucking happen and would never happen on any modern car.

panick21_ 4y ago
Go and look at all car recalls lots of things that 'should never happen in modern cars' happened to some company or another.

andyjohnson0 4y ago

Its not a software-only fix. From TFA: "According to [Tesla], the affected cars have problems with their power-steering assist system when driving on rough roads or after hitting a pothole. The issue would leave drivers without the assistance to move the steering wheel with the help of the electric technology, forcing drivers to use a lot of force to move the steering wheel and increasing the likelihood of crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)."

ChemSpider 4y ago
It was purely a software bug (and fixed already): "The problem began when Tesla rolled out an update for a new calibration value for their electronic power assist steering system only to have alerts about the update a week later, according to the NHTSA. Tesla has released a firmware update to recalibrate the issue already. According to Tesla, 97% of the recalled vehicles had an update installed that addressed the issue. There have been no official reports of injury linked to the potential loss of steering assistance."
- watwut 4y ago
  It is as serious issue as if it would be caused by faulty hardware. It is cool that it is possible to fix malfunctioning cars faster. But the Teslas were actually malfunctioning in serious way.
Someone 4y ago
How do you infer “Its not a software-only fix” from that? Also, FTA: “The problem began when Tesla rolled out an update for a new calibration value for their electronic power assist steering system only to have alerts about the update a week later, according to the NHTSA. Tesla has released a firmware update to recalibrate the issue already” So, Tesla claims otherwise. Power steering ¿nowadays? isn’t simply “multiply the force the driver exerts”. You want to use the same hardware for lane assist, for example. That certainly involves software. I don’t know how potholes would interact with that, but I do not see any reason this must also involve a hardware change.
- salawat 4y ago
  So they pushed out a new apparently untested value? OTA is truly an innovation! Screw doing our own testing in house, just push it to users and then hurry out a patch if they notice anything!

zemvpferreira 4y ago

> the affected cars have problems with their power-steering assist system when driving on rough roads or after hitting a pothole. The issue would leave drivers without the assistance to move the steering wheel with the help of the electric technology, forcing drivers to use a lot of force to move the steering wheel While not a recall in the sense of having to surrender your car back to an official shop, this is far from an improvement. It's reasonable to expect any car built in the last 50 years to operate as normal after hitting a pothole.

ericbarrett 4y ago
Also, if you haven't experienced it, steering a car with failed power steering is much harder than a car that just doesn't have it, because you are fighting the hydraulics. Last time I had to do this it took all my strength and I had to brace myself against the door, just to turn into a garage. So the scenario addressed by the recall can effectively disable the vehicle.
- t_sawyer 4y ago
  Normal car power steering operates with a rubber belt that can break at any time. It's being fixed just like you may have to fix a serpentine belt one day.
  - ericbarrett 4y ago
    It's increasingly common for conventional cars to have electric power steering, because it definitely has advantages over mechanically-pumped systems—both maintenance and efficiency. GM tried this several years ago with poor results, but the systems providers (Bosch etc.) have made great strides; I expect almost all new models will have it soon. Same failure mode, though.
  - zemvpferreira 4y ago
    No. It's being fixed as if every car off the line had been shipped with a defective serpentine belt from day zero. I have no bone to pick with Tesla but let's not confuse normal wear and tear with sloppy engineering.

blowski 4y ago

There’s a difference between my laptop being updated and my car.

xeromal 4y ago

I think it's because there's a divide between the public's understanding of the word recall and the technical meaning in the automotive industry. The media likes to play on that to make it more scary than it should.

nocoiner 4y ago

Because what’s happening here is “Tesla remedies manufacturing defect in accordance with law.” That’s how recalls work. I think OTA recall implementations are a terrific innovation, and far better than the old system of taking your car to a dealership (though the other automakers are adapting - I got a call the other day offering to send a tech to my house to apply the fix for a recall on my car). But fixing a defect in the car at the manufacturer’s expense is, quite literally, the bare minimum required.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

Veserv 4y ago

A “recall” is a very specific technical term in this context. It is a formal notice of a safety defect by a manufacturer to all affected parties that they have a defective product. It identifies the nature of the problem, the consequences of the problem, the affected parties, and the known remedy or steps the affected parties should take. It also requires the fixes to be offered to all affected parties free of charge. A recall is supposed to be issued in all cases that a safety defect is detected to guarantee that all customers are informed of potential problems and that the manufacturers are on the hook for solving them.

taco_emoji 4y ago

What do you think a "recall" is?

moolcool 4y ago

"We didn't fix the broken thing we shipped to you, we are merely improving it for free"