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"recall" = applies software update
by xnx 6mo ago
"recall" = applies software update
- paconbork 6mo agoGah, thanks for this. Thought I was used to that slight-of-hand but this one got me
- fudged71 6mo agoAlso I think it's wrong to call something a recall if it's not owned by customers. Waymo is a service.
- adrianmonk 6mo agoWaymos are fleet vehicles. Recalls go to the owners, just like with other fleet vehicles such as rental cars, taxis, limos, delivery services, utilities, and city/state/federal government. It doesn't really matter who is whose customer.
- jagged-chisel 6mo agoaw, I was having fun imagining 3,800 Johnny cabs just immediately changing route to go to headquarters.
- dawnerd 6mo agoRecall makes for better headlines.
- rogerrogerr 6mo agoI really want car companies to just automate publishing “recalls” for every commit pushed to any car ever. Flood this broken term and force a distinction between “the airbags will literally explode and destroy your face” and “the radio volume is too quiet sometimes”
- nickthegreek 6mo agoA "recall" is a specific regulated action. It is announced as a recall because that is what is legally required according to the NHTSA. There is no wiggle room here.
- rogerrogerr 6mo agoYes, we need to change the rules to create a distinction. The meaning of “recall” in common understanding vs. industry has diverged, and it’s almost certainly causing car manufacturers to do suboptimal things to avoid having “recall” tied to their name in the press.
- nickthegreek 6mo agoThere is no issue in understanding unless you are talking about only reading the headline that a media outlet decides to use. How about we all just use our brains and understand that things can be fixed in different ways, but it is important that they get fixed. Suboptimal behavior from companies is what leads to recalls. I cant even understand an example of what you are talking about there. And now you want to carry water for the industry by creating some diluted term. Does the car have a safety issue that is should not? Then its a recall. The manufacture can now decide how to resolve it. Sometimes that can be done via an OTA update. I think its is in the interest of consumers to know ALL the ways these corps are putting your life at risk through their engineering efforts or lack there of. If your car manufacture is doing weekly OTA bug fixes on the vehicle that you drive you kids in everyday, you (the apparent beta tester) should sure as well know. Then you can make an informed decision.
- asdff 6mo agoThe difference between that and usual software updates I'm guessing is the cars are pulled from service until the update takes place.
- dang 6mo agoWe've updated the title above. Thanks!
- Sohcahtoa82 6mo agoLegally and technically true, and I hate it. We really need a better term for when an urgent software update for a vehicle is issued. The extreme majority of the population completely misunderstands it when a "recall" is done when it's actually just an OTA software update.
- tim333 6mo agoWikipedia has >A product recall is a request from a manufacturer to return a product after the discovery of safety issues... I think using the term for a software update is abusing the language a bit. And may confuse people who have a real recall where the thing has to go to the dealer.
- xnx 6mo agoYes, "recall" brings to mind serious issues like the gas tank exploding on the Ford Pinto.
- tim333 6mo agoI had one for my car because the airbag inflators were starting to go off more like a hand grenade than as intended.
- NetMageSCW 6mo agoGoing to the dealer has nothing to do with being a recall. A recall is when there is a legal requirement to do something that includes informing the owner, tracking which vehicles have and don’t have it done, and informing new owners if it it hasn’t been done.