- Jan 7, 2002
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The software glitch that caused some Toyota Prius hybrids to suddenly stall casts a spotlight on a broader problem: Cars have computers, lots of them, and computers can crash.
Automakers spend $2 billion to $3 billion a year fixing software problems, said Stavros Stefanis, an automotive software specialist at IBM Corp.
The typical passenger car has 70 or more tiny but powerful computers onboard that control audio systems, air conditioning, brakes, air bags and scores of other tasks.
And the systems are complex: Software for the average car can have more than 35 million lines of code, 100 times or more the code needed for a full-color, action- and sound-packed interactive computer game.
The fuel-stingy hybrids, which need to control separate gas and electric power sources, are even more complex. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this week said it had received 13 complaints of Priuses stalling or stopping for no apparent reason, sometimes at high speed. Toyota Motor Corp. said the problem stemmed from a software bug in the complex computer system.
There also have been consumer complaints about Mazda Motor Corp.'s new RX-8 sports car. The software controlling fuel injection was flooding the engine -- but on cars only in cold weather states.
"Every car company is doing regular updates of its operating software" to get rid of glitches, said Mazda spokesman Jeremy Barnes. Mazda developed a software fix for the RX-8 that has been installed in about 3,000 vehicles.
"I wouldn't be surprised if every single carmaker hasn't had an electronics issue with every single model at some point," Barnes said. http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0505/18/0auto-185628.htm
Automakers spend $2 billion to $3 billion a year fixing software problems, said Stavros Stefanis, an automotive software specialist at IBM Corp.
The typical passenger car has 70 or more tiny but powerful computers onboard that control audio systems, air conditioning, brakes, air bags and scores of other tasks.
And the systems are complex: Software for the average car can have more than 35 million lines of code, 100 times or more the code needed for a full-color, action- and sound-packed interactive computer game.
The fuel-stingy hybrids, which need to control separate gas and electric power sources, are even more complex. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this week said it had received 13 complaints of Priuses stalling or stopping for no apparent reason, sometimes at high speed. Toyota Motor Corp. said the problem stemmed from a software bug in the complex computer system.
There also have been consumer complaints about Mazda Motor Corp.'s new RX-8 sports car. The software controlling fuel injection was flooding the engine -- but on cars only in cold weather states.
"Every car company is doing regular updates of its operating software" to get rid of glitches, said Mazda spokesman Jeremy Barnes. Mazda developed a software fix for the RX-8 that has been installed in about 3,000 vehicles.
"I wouldn't be surprised if every single carmaker hasn't had an electronics issue with every single model at some point," Barnes said. http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0505/18/0auto-185628.htm
The current one is cold startup in humid weather causes the engine to run rough for a few seconds. 
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