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posted by chromas on Thursday September 27 2018, @03:00PM   Printer-friendly
from the at-least-it's-not-total dept.

Submitted via IRC for SoyCow1984

Mitsubishi is recalling 68,000 SUVs because of bad software in two different engine-control units (ECUs), according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In one of the two actions, the automaker is recalling 58,916 of its 2018 Eclipse Cross, 2017 to 2018 Outlander, and 2018 Outlander Sport SUVs because of faulty software in the hydraulic unit ECU—the computer control system for the brake system.

According to NHTSA, the software problem could cause some features—such as adaptive cruise control (ACC); forward-collision mitigation (FCM), which is a combination of forward-collision warning and automatic emergency braking; and antilock brakes (ABS)—to not work as expected.

In the second action, Mitsubishi is recalling 9,166 of its 2018 Eclipse Cross, 2017 to 2018 Outlander, and 2018 Outlander Sport SUVs because of bad software in the computer control for the FCM system.

According to NHTSA, if the FCM system detects a pedestrian in front of the vehicle who could be hit, that ECU may activate the brake for longer than necessary, even when the obstacle is no longer detected. There's concern that when this happens, the driver may provide additional braking, making the SUV slow rapidly and increasing the risk of a rear-end collision, NHTSA says.

Source: https://www.consumerreports.org/car-recalls-defects/mitsubishi-recalls-68000-suvs-over-bad-software/


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  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 27 2018, @07:58PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 27 2018, @07:58PM (#740999)

    Don't remember all the details, but same company has had brake recalls for software problems before. One in particular completely blocked the brake pedal pressure to the brakes (this valve is part of the ABS anti-lock brake system)...after the vehicle went over a certain type of bump, like a rough railroad track crossing. Result, no brakes for several seconds, no matter how hard you were pushing on the brake pedal.

    Speculation: the original algorithm was looking for rapid changes in wheel speed which indicate the brakes are starting to lock up, and deciding that the current road surface was ice. When on ice many ABS algorithms won't apply the brakes (very much) because they are meant to prioritize steering...steering requires that the wheels be rolling, not locked/skidding.

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