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Toyota's woes could be software related
I never thought I'd be writing about Toyota, a major car manufacturer, here on Download Squad. While we've mentioned cars before, usually it's in the context of an on-board entertainment system or a goofy experiment.
But it turns out that the accelerator problem that has prompted a massive recall of Toyota vehicles could be related to the onboard software the car manufacturer employs in these cars. Computers have become more and more integral in modern vehicles, and Computerworld reports that some vehicles like the affected Toyota models are fly by wire. Fly-by-wire, if you're not familiar with the term, refers to the idea that the controls that the user manipulates like the gas and brake pedal are not physically connected to the throttle and brakes on the car, but rather are simply inputs into the car's computer, which then controls the throttle and brakes digitally.
A problem with the software on board the car's computer could certainly cause odd behavior, and we all know that software can be buggy. But given the importance of fly by wire software, I have to think that Toyota put it through an incredible level of testing. Though the investigation has turned to looking at the software as the culprit, I'm hoping that it turns out to be a red herring. Though I guess it's only a matter of time before we hear about some real-world big tragedy caused by a software malfunction.
Comments
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Subscribe to commentsplaystation_1987Feb 9th 2010 2:14PM
More specifically the Toyota Prius is being recalled because of software problems with the braking system. The accelerator issue that was the larger recall was a design flaw with the pedal itself. Toyota knew about the Prius problem, fixed it, and then didn't change anything on the cars it already sold. There is also a story on Gizmodo saying that Steve Wozniak knew about the software glitch and tried to let them know.
RobFeb 9th 2010 3:20PM
Remember that the Prius is a hybrid, and employs regenerative braking, i.e., it switches the electric drive motor to a generator mode to convert some of the vehicle's forward momentum back into stored electrical power when braking. The mode switch is handled by software, and theoretically done automatically and transparently, so that's where I'm betting the problem is.
SchwinnFeb 10th 2010 8:36AM
Actually, it's called "drive-by-wire" or "throttle-by-wire" not "fly-by-wire"... today's Toyotas don't fly...
I have always been concerned with DBW/TBW systems for this very reason, though most cars don't have such problems (to date). Still, it makes me wonder - what's the failsafe state when the system fails? And why don't the Toyotas have this failsafe working?
A few people have mentioned that one of the failsafes should be that when the brake is pressed, throttle is turned off as well... apparently the manufacturers haven't thought of this already.
Still, that would suck for future drivers - trail braking and other such advanced maneuvers would be eliminated by such a system... but then again, our driving abilities have been consistently dumbed-down for years for the "greater good"... so sad.