Software glitches causing an increasing number of car recalls

On behalf of Steven Crell of Steve Crell Law posted in Personal Injury on Wednesday, June 15, 2016.

As a possible reflection of the modern era, an increasing number of automobile recalls in Indiana and elsewhere are because of problems with software rather than problems with defective parts. In today’s cars, more and more features are dependent on complex software.

Many of the modern features of cars require complicated software programming. Modern vehicles now have more code in many cases than does an F-35 joint strike fighter jet, according to the lead researcher of recall data from a financial advisory firm. He reported that cars contain 10 times the amount of code than the fighter jets do.

In 2011, recalls related to software problems accounted for 5 percent of the total number. By the end of 2015, that percentage had risen to 15 percent. The firm’s research comes as industry innovators lead the push towards increased automation using programming features, underscoring the potential for dangers from hacking and software glitches. Tesla Motors is attempting to address the potential issue by completing routine software updates. Regulators are also using new strategies in an effort to prevent problems such as issuing record fines.

A person who is injured in an accident caused by a software malfunction in a vehicle may want to talk to a personal injury attorney who has products liability experience. This area of the law is highly complex, and attorneys will review the auto’s history and along with information technology experts the software reports. Defendants in a civil lawsuit could include the manufacturer of the vehicle as well as the developer of the software in some cases.