Reply to post: Re: VW don't understand software

Volkswagen blames emissions cheating on 'chain of errors'

Anonymous Coward
Anonymous Coward

Re: VW don't understand software

"isn't it about time NCAP (and other similar organisations around the world) added in tests for the safety and usability of automotive software?"

Isn't it time the long-standing "product liability" laws in many parts of the world (including USA and EU) were actually enforced in a meaningful way?

Sometimes software/design defects are just an irritant. E.g. yesterday I spent an afternoon helping a neighbour try to get his Vauxhall/Onstar in-car WiFi working. He'd spent hours trying, the OnStar help did their best but didn't help, etc. Eventually it turns out that the necessary configuration changes can only be made successfully with the car stationary (fair enough) and ignition on (ok, but if you're going to ignore the changes because the ignition's off, effing say so), a detail which is neither mentioned in the already out of date manual which shipped with the car, nor mentioned by the Onstar support team. Poor attention to detail, but not disastrous.

Sometimes software/design defects are more significant, maybe even disastrous.

Many countries have had "product liability" laws for many years. If the defect is significant, the product liability laws can be invoked. Why isn't the VW hiccup such a case?

The $1bn+ penalty in the Toyota uncommanded acceleration case in the USA was for mismanagement of the recall, not a "product liability" penalty for getting it wrong in the first instance.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_liability

http://betterembsw.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/a-case-study-of-toyota-unintended.html (not mine, belongs to Prof Koopman at CMU who was an expert witness in the court case of Toyota vs Bookout - worth a read).

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