this post was submitted on 02 Feb 2024
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[Dormant] Electric Vehicles
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It's not a "recall", it's a software update - and a minor one at that.
Why is it that software updates in cars aren't called what they are because... cars? A recall is when you have to drag your ass to your local garage to have faulty brakes replaced. A software update is when you have nothing at all to do and the next day, the warning light font is 2pt larger.
“Recall” is a legal term. The NHSTA has issued a formal finding that the manufacturer is obligated to respond to. Whether the fix is mechanical, electrical, software based or something else, and wether it can be fixed by an over the air software update, requires a visit to a dealer, or someone comes to you, it is still all legally a recall.
I totally overlooked the process aspect of it. Makes sense.
It's just that it feels so weird to call a simple software update a recall...
Then again, cars getting OTA software updates are ever weirder - and frankly kind of creepy - to this gen-Xer. Internet-connected cars is a major reason why I'm balking at buying that EV I'd like to buy and I keep my old diesel car.
I’ve had both a Toyota and a Honda recalled for software issues, and I’ve seen the actual recall notices for both. For the Toyota (a hybrid) the recall notice and a letter came in the mail explaining that I’d get a usb stick in the mail. A few weeks later I got it along with instructions on how to install it. It basically said to plug it into the car, turn the car on, then wait about 10 minutes until you saw a certain message.
The Honda was a huge pain. For a few years I would find the battery was dead after a long drive. It was very intermittent. Three mechanics and 2 batteries later it was still happening. Dealer mechanics were no help either. Eventually I posted the symptoms on a Honda enthusiasts forum, and within a few days I was pointed to two different recall notices that described my problem perfectly. They were software bugs in the ECU that would cause the alternator to be disabled occasionally when it shouldn’t. The only problem is the range of VINs on those recalls didn’t match my car.
I took printouts of the recalls to a dealer, they checked and confirmed my car had the buggy ECU software. They updated it, and I never had that problem again.
That's a nice story but what was the point of it?
A recall is what they have to legally call it in the automotive world, that's why they keep calling them recalls.
Thanks! I wasn't aware. I learned something today 🙂
Wrong.