Concerning the failures (or users who don't know how to cope with a problem): I'm not jumping to conclusions until thorough failure mode testing by an independent entity is performed-- but I have pretty strong suspicions that somewhere in the software of the myriad of electrical systems involved (keyless ignition, regenerative braking on the hybrids, manual/automatic shift quadrants, throttle position/transmission interlocks to help prevent transmission damage from neutral drops and the like) there are certain operating modes or conflicting sensor inputs that can result in odd malfunctions. Worse yet it seems that some very key "panic mode" safety overrides and shutdown modes may have been missed by the software guys (who perhaps never envisioned these kinds of failures) or worse yet were purposefully omitted for cost savings.
What's disconcerting is that in many cases there is no longer a direct MECHANICAL way to decouple the engine from the wheels in the event of a failure-- you are relying on software to do it for you. Many shift quadrants are now fully electronic and there is no longer a direct mechanical/hydraulic connection between the shifter and the valve body in automatic cars. You might be asking for neutral, but unless certain software parameters are met the computer might not put the transmission into neutral. Same goes for keyless ignitions, most will not shut off unless certain operating parameters are satisfied. If the software isn't programmed to let you shut things off in the event of a panic situation you better start looking for "plan B."
The internal memo aspect and possibility of covering up a known issue is very interesting as well.
Should be interesting when the dust clears.
A buddy of mine who is a Honda tech just had a tough diagnosis on a Civic that came in for service which refused to shift in/out of park unless you used the manual bypass button on the shifter and then once in gear refused to go out of gear or back into reverse or park unless the same bypass was used. Didn't matter if you stepped on the brakes, the shifter interlock just refused to release the shifter. After some diagnosis and time on the phone with Honda's engineers it was determined that the throttle body (throttle by wire) and throttle position sensor had drifted just enough out of the normal operating range that the ECU was engaging the shifter interlock because it saw that the TPS sensor position was open past the "normal" operating range and it believed that shifting into or out of gear might cause transmission damage. A new throttle body and ECU reset cleared up the problem. It just goes to show that systems that seemingly should not be interacting (at least to the end user) such as throttle body and shifter interlock can under certain situations induce a malfunction that most people would never expect.
All the modern features and convieniences on new cars are great when they're working... but when they're not the level of interconnectedness of all the systems can lead to many new (and potentially exciting!) failure modes.
Personally, I'm sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for someone with a
manual transmission Corolla to have a runaway and make the national news. That will be the true "idiot on parade" story.
Brian Hobaugh SCCA National Tour June 2014
First Hemi 'Cuda Convertible Ever Built
Short clips: Goodguys Pleasanton autocross and pit videos
Linear Mode
